Rockets’ season comes to an end as Warriors advance to NBA Finals.

Rockets make a Game 5 of it, but season comes to a close as offense can’t get untracked

OAKLAND, Calif. — With the final game of their season down to its last 90 seconds, the Rockets finally had to accept the inevitable.

There would be no more comebacks. No more obstacles that could somehow, inexplicably, be overcome.

They had taken their often unpredictable, frequently confounding and usually exhilarating season as far as they could until Golden State became more than they could overcome, finishing off the Rockets in the fifth game of the Western Conference finals 104-90 on Wednesday night.

“We never gave up,” Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said. “I think we were outmanned. Our injuries caught up with us. But we played our hearts out. It just wasn’t good enough. And we will be better next year.”

Until that moment, with Golden State leading by 11 points and the celebration beginning with the Warriors’ return to the NBA Finals certain, the Rockets thought they had another miracle left in them.

“We believed all the way until the last minute and 30 we had an opportunity to win,” Rockets guard Jason

Terry said. “That’s the attitude of this team, never-say-die attitude.

“I told each and every player and coach, I would go to fight with them any time. As a group, as an organization, you have to be proud about what you accomplished. But you want to hoist up that trophy in the end. Whether you lost in the first round or the Western Conference finals, you lost.”

The Rockets never seemed right Wednesday, never seemed able to sustain the kind of run it would take to stun the Warriors on their floor.

James Harden went from his 45-point performance on Monday to setting the NBA record for turnovers in a playoff game with 13, surpassing John Williamson’s 11 that had stood since 1979. The Rockets guard made just 2 of 11 shots for his 14 points, going without a field goal in the second half.

“We had plenty opportunities in this game to take over, particularly in the third quarter, we just couldn’t do it,” Harden said. “We’d get a stop and we’d turn the basketball over. We get a missed shot and they come back and score.

“Obviously, you want to win the championship, but we went through a lot of adversity this year, a lot of injuries. A lot of different guys had to step up, and we made it this far. This isn’t where we wanted it to end at, but it’s was really a good season for us.”

The Warriors threatened to blow the game open through much of the second half. With six minutes left, they went up by 15 points. With their season on the line, the Rockets had one more fight to wage.

Corey Brewer finished a drive and took a pair of steals to score on breaks. When he set up Dwight Howard at the rim, the Rockets were within nine points. Moments later, they had trimmed the lead to eight.

The Rockets never drew any closer.

“We could never put that run on them that put doubt in their mind,” Terry said. “They continued to press and they continued to make shots and make plays. Turnovers hurt us, but at the end of the day they were just the better team.”

The Warriors quickly brushed aside the Rockets’ final run. Howard laid out Andre Iguodala with a high hit. The Rockets missed a few final 3-pointers as the Warriors knocked down their free throws.

Burdened by 20 turnovers and unable to hit their shots from deep (5-of-24), the Rockets never got their offense going well enough or long enough for Golden State to feel any real tension.

“I didn’t think that they played great, but we just couldn’t muster enough consecutive stuff,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. “They would get out to a little bit of a lead, then we’d fight back. They’d get out, we’d fight back; they’d get out, we’d fight back. At some point in that game, we had to get out ahead and try and put some pressure on them, but we couldn’t do it.

“I’m disappointed right now. You know, the guys fought hard. One thing about the team is that they were battlers, and a lot of guys in that room you feel pretty comfortable going to war with.”

For all the times there had been every reason to think the season could go no further, the Rockets refused to believe it, until finally on Wednesday, with another team celebrating around them after winning the series 4-1, they had no choice.

“Losing hurts; it hurts really bad,” Rockets forward Trevor Ariza said. “It’s going to sting, but we have to move on.”

James Nielsen photos / Houston Chronicle It’s exit stage right for a disappointed James Harden following Wednesday night’s Game 5 loss to the Warriors. The Rockets guard had a tough outing, with his 14 points (on just 2-of-11 shooting) almost matched by his playoff-record 13 turnovers.

It was double trouble on this play for James Harden, left, who fouls the Warriors’ Draymond Green after committing a turnover.

James Nielsen / Houston Chronicle James Harden, losing control during the first quarter, battled ball security issues during Game 5 on Wednesday night. The Rockets guard committed 13 turnovers to set a record for a playoff game.