Despite the Houston Rockets making it this far, a franchise legend had already warned about the cracks. Vernon Maxwell gave a clear analysis of his former team’s fractured chemistry a month ago. After months of silence regarding issues stemming from Kevin Durant, Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers is where everything spilled out on the Rockets end. LeBron James led the Lakers to a 101-94 win, giving them a 2-0 lead in the first round. Meanwhile, it’s no longer about whether Houston can erase their lead but about surviving from the edge of a locker room disaster.

Enroute to another loss in Crypto.com Arena, Houston fans watched grimly the brewing problems in the Rockets that are worse than the box score. As the playoffs shift to the Toyota Center for Friday’s crucial Game 3, the Rockets are staring a full-scale collapse of team chemistry if they don’t fixed it.

The clips circulating social media confirm the fans’ worst fears since Kevin Durant’s burner account was exposed during the All-Star Weekend. The dysfunction was on full display in the first half when tempers flared after Reed Sheppard forced a contested, ill-advised shot. Durant, visibly irate, was heard screaming “PASS THE ROCK” at his young teammate.

This is the same teammate he called “that spark plug we need” six months ago. The outburst momentarily sparked a push that narrowed the deficit to 40-49 after KD nailed a midrange shot.

It might seem like a one-off, common friction between teammates too. But it underscored the pressure that’s on a team that’s torn at the seams.

Kevin Durant & Co’s problems become too hard for Houston to ignore

The public outbursts come on the heels of mounting speculation about Houston’s internal culture. The team has been quiet about Durant’s ‘burner page’ but someone who’s been at the heart of the Rockets’ culture could see the cracks.

In March, franchise legend Vernon Maxwell voiced concerns that the team was torn. “They said some s–t about some secret page KD did and talked about some of the players on the team, and it’s f–king split the goddamn guys up and guys don’t like to high five each other no more,” Mad Max said on All the Smoke. “No motherf–kers want to bump chest no more with each other. Everybody just split up the whole f–king team. So, I don’t know man. It’s a lot of s–t going on out there in Houston.”

That time, it may have looked like an exaggeration. The Rockets finished the regular season at 5th seed despite the internal issues. But the playoffs pressure may be getting to them.

The on-court results prove it. Durant finished with 23 points, but was completely neutralized in the second half, contributing a measly three points as LeBron James and Marcus Smart consistently double-teamed him. Compounding the misery were KD’s career-high-tying nine turnovers, bringing his total across last three games against LA to 20.

Despite Sengun’s 20-point, 11-rebound effort and Jabari Smith’s 18 points, as a team, the Rockets shot a dismal 7-of-29 from beyond the arc, struggling to generate any rhythm. The only one who gets a pass is the overly competitive Ja’sean Tate whose antics provoked LeBron to answer. Some of the blame for these tactical failures is falling on Ime Udoka too, spurring Rockets fans’ demands for a head coaching change.

For Rockets fans, this season is already looking done. They’re feeling extreme buyer’s remorse from the Durant trade before Game 3. For Houston, that’s raging after even the Astros lost to Cleveland today, Game 2 was a double whammy. The Rockets are already losing support at home. If they cannot reconcile their locker-room chemistry and solve the Lakers’ defensive pressure by Friday night, a promising season could end in a humiliating sweep.