Season Recaps

The Houston Rockets were introduced to the NBA as the San Diego Rockets in 1967, the same year that the American Basketball Association launched itself as a rival league. Despite boasting the great Elvin Hayes through the early years, the Rockets never caught on in San Diego and moved to Houston after only four seasons. The franchise stumbled through its first five years in Houston before acquiring Moses Malone early in the 1976-77 campaign. Malone put the club on his hulking shoulders and carried the Rockets to respectability. Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon bore the big-man banner in the 1980s and into the 1990s, posting impressive seasons. Eventually Olajuwon would lead the Rockets to back-to-back championship banners in 1994 and 1995.

1967-68: A Disappointing Debut

A starting lineup of Don Kojis and Johnny Green at forward, John Block at center, and Jon McGlocklin and John Barnhill at guard played the team's first game on October 14, 1967, before a crowd of 7,476 in the San Diego Sports Arena. Coached by General Manager Jack McMahon, the Rockets lost to the St. Louis Hawks, 99-98. The team limped to a 2-14 start and didn't earn its 10th victory until Christmas Day. As the Rockets staggered to a league-worst record, they could take consolation in the fact that they would own the first overall pick in the 1968 NBA Draft.

1968-71: "The Big E"

Hayes quickly showed that he could play in the professional ranks. As a rookie in 1968-69 he captured the NBA's scoring title by pouring in 28.4 points per game. He transformed the Rockets into a respectable club, leading San Diego to a 37-45 record, fourth in the Western Division and ahead of the Chicago Bulls, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Phoenix Suns. The Rockets made the playoffs, but the Hawks, in their first year in Atlanta, eliminated them, four games to two, in a semifinal series. Kojis, who scored 22.5 points per game during the regular season, joined Hayes in the 1969 NBA All-Star Game.

Despite a spectacular rookie season, Hayes played second fiddle to Baltimore's Unseld when it came to league honors. After averaging 18.2 rebounds and leading the Bullets to a first-place finish in the Eastern Division, Unseld was named the NBA Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player for 1968-69.

Hayes, who would eventually become a Hall of Fame selection, was a big man with quick moves and a soft touch, the kind of player that could lead a team to prosperity. He averaged more than 27 points in his first three seasons, but his support was minimal. With new coach Alex Hannum at the helm in 1969-70, the Rockets went 27-55. They finished 40-42 in 1970-71, and by 1971-72 they were in Houston.

1971-72: Basketball Comes To Football-Crazed Houston

"The owners remembered Elvin packing 50,000 into the Astrodome for the UCLA game in 1968," longtime Rockets General Manager Ray Patterson once said. "They were thinking, 'Let's see, 50,000 people at $10 a head, that's a $500,000 gate every night.'"

Real life proved to be different for the Rockets' investors. With an average home attendance of 4,966 in the club's inaugural season in Houston, the organization couldn't begin to meet operating expenses. The Rockets played home games at the Astrodome and AstroHall, at HemisFair Arena in San Antonio, at Hofheinz Pavilion on the University of Houston campus, and in Waco. Legend has it that one Wednesday night in Waco the local churches drew more people than the Rockets; the only fan in the box seats slept through the game and had to be awakened after it was over.

Still, the team was respectable in 1971-72. Hayes, now in his fourth season, ranked among the league leaders in both scoring (25.2 ppg) and rebounding (14.6 rpg), and the team boasted two sparkling young players in Calvin Murphy and Rudy Tomjanovich. The Rockets' first year in Houston produced a 34-48 record and a fourth-place finish in the Pacific Division.

1972-74: Rockets Trade Hayes, But Still Endure Losing Ways

Although Tomjanovich and Murphy became two of the better players in the league in 1973-74, their improvement didn't move the Rockets along in the standings. Houston finished the season at 32-50, another third-place finish in the Central Division.

Murphy was becoming something of a sensation. A quick 5-9 point guard, he averaged 20.4 points, 7.4 assists, and 1.9 steals and boasted a .522 field-goal percentage. He would be elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.

The team had yet to catch the city's fancy, however. "One night we were on the bench...talking about where we wanted to go after the game," Tomjanovich recalled. "It was so quiet that a guy way up in the stands yells out, 'No, no, don't go there. That's not a good place to eat.'" Ray Patterson recalls another night during this period, driving to a season opener against Pete Maravich and Atlanta at Hofheinz Pavilion. Patterson was encouraged because of the heavy traffic. "But then we got there and everybody turned off to go to a nearby stadium for high school football," he said. "The high school game drew about 20,000. We had about 200."

1974-76: A Glimmer Of Progress

The Knicks, an aging team with Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, and Jerry Lucas, couldn't keep up with the youthful Rockets. Houston took the series, two games to one, and advanced to meet the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Boston, a Dave Cowens-led team that had registered 60 wins in the regular season, thrashed Houston, four games to one.

The season had helped basketball in Houston, however. While battling for a playoff spot late in the year, the team achieved its first sellout at Hofheinz Pavilion by packing in 10,518 fans.

The 1975-76 Rockets were unable to improve on the prior season, finishing 40-42 and out of the playoffs. The starters for much of the year were Rudy Tomjanovich, Calvin Murphy, Mike Newlin, Kevin Kunnert, and Ed Ratleff.

1976-77: Rockets Find A Savior In Moses

On October 24, 1976, after Malone had played only two games with the Braves, Buffalo sent him to the Rockets in exchange for two first-round draft picks. Houston made the move at the insistence of new coach Tom Nissalke, who had been at the helm in Utah during Malone's rookie year with the Stars. Joining the Rockets at age 21, Malone was thought by many to still be in the learning stages. If so, he was in the accelerated class. He averaged 13.2 points and 13.1 rebounds in 1976-77 and led the league in offensive rebounds with 437.

A Rockets team led by Tomjanovich, Murphy, Newlin, Malone, Kunnert, and rookie guard John Lucas edged Washington to take the Central Division title with a 49-33 record. Tomjanovich paced the team in scoring (21.6 ppg) and made his fourth consecutive All-Star appearance. The Rockets earned a bye in the playoffs and met the Bullets in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Malone, still a skinny kid at this point, outbattled Wes Unseld and Hayes and helped fire the Rockets to a series victory, four games to two.

Against Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Rockets fell in six games. A controversial charging call against Lucas in the final moments of Game 6 helped the Sixers clinch the series.

1977-78: The Night A Boxing Match Broke Out

With Tomjanovich's jaw shattered, so was Houston's season. The Rockets, who had advanced to the conference finals the previous year, finished in last place with a 28-54 record.

1978-80: Malone Shines, But Houston Stumbles In Playoffs

Rick Barry also joined the team that year as a free agent, with the Rockets sending John Lucas to Golden State as compensation. The future Hall of Famer, now in the twilight of his career, averaged a modest 13.5 points. He did set a new NBA record, however, by posting a .947 free-throw percentage for the season. He would play one more year for the Rockets before retiring in 1980.

The Rockets went 47-35 in 1978-79, Nissalke's last season as coach, for a second-place finish in the Central Division. They brought high hopes into the playoffs but lost two straight to Atlanta in a best-of-three first-round series.

Del Harris replaced Nissalke at the helm for the 1979-80 campaign. Malone continued to dominate inside, averaging 25.8 points and 14.5 rebounds. Murphy contributed 20.0 points per contest, while Barry ended his career by scoring 12.0 points per game. The Rockets finished the year at 41-41, tying San Antonio for second place in the Central Division. They upended the Spurs, two games to one, in a first-round playoff series before being swept by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The arrival of a third NBA team in Texas, the Dallas Mavericks, caused a reshuffling in 1980-81 that sent Houston to the Western Conference. The Rockets joined the Midwest Division, which also included San Antonio, Kansas City, Denver, Utah, and Dallas.

1980-81: Rockets Take An Improbable Trip

The team also received solid contributions from Rudy Tomjanovich (11.6 ppg) and Robert Reid (15.9), a versatile 6-8 player who was the only Rocket to start all 82 games. Other occasional starters included Mike Dunleavy, Allen Leavell, Billy Paultz, Bill Willoughby, Calvin Garrett, Tom Henderson, and Major Jones. Houston finished the 1980-81 regular season at 40-42, tied with Kansas City for second in the Midwest behind San Antonio.

The Rockets sneaked into the playoffs by one game in the final weekend of the regular season. They then began an admirable playoff run. Drawing the defending NBA-champion Lakers in the first round, the Rockets were given little chance. But they clipped Los Angeles, two games to one, then got past the San Antonio Spurs and George Gervin, four games to three, in the conference semifinals. This set up an unlikely conference finals matchup with Kansas City, which had also finished 40-42.

The Kings, led by Otis Birdsong, Scott Wedman, and Phil Ford, proved to be little competition for Malone and the rest of the Houston squad. The Rockets triumphed in five games to earn their first trip to the NBA Finals. In fact, 1981 marked the first time a team from Houston played for a championship in basketball, football, or baseball.

Boston represented the stronger Eastern Conference, which had three teams with 60-win seasons (Philadelphia and the Milwaukee Bucks filled out the trio). The Celtics, with Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Cedric Maxwell, and Kevin McHale, were expected to rout the Rockets, although Malone brashly said he could take four guys from his hometown and win the series. Malone and the experts were both wrong. The Celtics won, but Del Harris's squad put up quite a fight before bowing out in six games.

1981-82: Malone Cops Second MVP Award

Houston compiled a 46-36 record and tied the Denver Nuggets for second place in the Midwest Division behind San Antonio. But unlike the previous season, the Rockets sputtered in the playoffs, losing a best-of-three first-round series to the Seattle SuperSonics.

Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Lakers blew undefeated through the early rounds of the playoffs and trounced Philadelphia, four games to two, in the NBA Finals. The Sixers were hampered in the series by the lack of a consistent center to battle the Lakers' Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, so they went out and got one for 1982-83.

1982-83: Basketball's $13.2 Million Man

Malone's departure took the heart and soul out of the Rockets, who struggled through the next two seasons. They plummeted to a league-worst 14-68 mark in 1982-83, and no player averaged more than 15 points per game. Meanwhile, Philadelphia and Malone romped to the NBA title, sweeping the Lakers in the 1983 NBA Finals. Despite having to relocate, Malone won his second consecutive MVP Award.

1983-85: How Do You Stop Two 7-Footers?

Sampson, a three-time Naismith Award winner at the University of Virginia, possessed enough size and grace to be called the next Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Along with new coach Bill Fitch, the giant rookie helped the Rockets to a 15-game improvement in 1983-84 for a 29-53 overall record. Playing in all 82 games, Sampson averaged 21.0 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.40 blocks. At season's end he was an easy choice for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

The NBA's biggest big men had been growing taller through the years, from George Mikan (6-10) to Wilt Chamberlain (7-1) to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7-2). But the league hadn't seen a double shot the size of the one that Houston unleashed in 1984-85.

Olajuwon was less experienced than Sampson. He had led the University of Houston's "Phi Slamma Jamma" squad to three Final Four appearances, but the native of Nigeria had never played basketball until 1978, two years before enrolling in college. Houston selected Olajuwon after winning a coin toss with the Portland Trail Blazers, which chose Sam Bowie, leaving Chicago to take a guard named Michael Jordan.

Sampson (22.1 ppg, 10.4 rpg) and Olajuwon (20.6 ppg, 11.9 rpg) found enough room in the paint during their first year together to become the first teammates since Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor in 1970 to each average 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds per game. Olajuwon finished second to Jordan in the balloting for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

The squad and its so-called "Twin Towers" amassed a 48-34 record in 1984-85 for a second-place finish in the Midwest Division. The Rockets returned to the playoffs but were bounced in the first round by the Utah Jazz.

1985-86: "Twin Towers" Lead Rockets Back To Finals

The Rockets entered the playoffs without their top point guards. Lucas had been suspended by the league after failing a drug test in March, and Leavell was shelved with an injury. With Sampson and Olajuwon on the court, however, guard play at times was irrelevant. The Rockets swept the Sacramento Kings in the first round; got by Denver, four games to two, in the conference semifinals; and upset defending NBA-champion Los Angeles, four games to one, in the conference finals. Sampson hit an awkward turnaround jumper to beat the Lakers in Game 5 and send his team to the NBA Finals against Boston.

The Celtics were Larry Bird's team. His r?sum? for the year included his third consecutive MVP Award and a top 10 finish in five statistical categories, with 25.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.02 steals per game; an .896 free-throw percentage; and a .423 three-point field-goal percentage. Bird had also led the Celtics with 6.8 assists per game. Boston had tallied a 67-15 record that season for a remarkable winning percentage of .817.

In the Finals, Boston had too much firepower, too much depth, and too much Bird. The Celtics won the first two games at Boston Garden, and in the next three contests at the Summit, the Rockets managed to win only twice. Boston took the title in Game 6 at the Garden.

1986-88: Changing Of The Guard

The Rockets compiled a 42-40 record in 1986-87, good for third place in the Midwest Division. They went quietly in the playoffs, advancing to the Western Conference Semifinals before losing to Seattle in six games. Olajuwon, meanwhile, was developing into a center of the highest order. While Sampson played only 43 games because of injuries, Olajuwon became the team's leader on both ends of the court. He averaged 23.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 3.39 blocks and earned the first of three consecutive berths on the All-NBA First Team.

As the 1987-88 season got underway, discord between Sampson and Coach Bill Fitch led to an early-season trade that sent Sampson and guard Steve Harris to Golden State for guard Eric "Sleepy" Floyd and center Joe Barry Carroll. (The trade marked the first time that two No. 1 draft choices had been swapped for each other.) Fitch said the trade would make the team better than the 1986 NBA Finals squad. In reality, Houston finished 46-36 and fourth in a tough Midwest Division-and Fitch was replaced by Don Chaney after the season. The Dallas Mavericks, who would later come within a game of the Finals, ousted Houston in a best-of-five series, three games to one.

In the fall of 1988 the Rockets began shuffling players to restock the roster. They sent Carroll and Lester Conner to the New Jersey Nets for Tim McCormick and Frank Johnson and packaged Rodney McCray and Jim Petersen to Sacramento for Otis Thorpe. The Thorpe trade would pay quick dividends.

A 6-10 power forward from Providence with hands as big as frying pans, Thorpe provided some help for Olajuwon inside and would consistently rank among the league leaders in both field-goal percentage and dunks. From 1987 to 1993 Thorpe registered 878 dunks, second only to Charles Barkley during that period.

1988-90: Rockets Set A New Trend-Quick Playoff Exits

The Rockets fielded a squad in 1989-90 that was similar to that of the previous season's. Mitchell Wiggins returned to contribute 15.5 points per game, third on the team behind Olajuwon (24.3 ppg) and Thorpe (17.1). Fiery guard Vernon Maxwell was obtained from San Antonio, and John Lucas signed with the club for the fourth time.

The Rockets hovered around .500 until a slump in December dropped them to 12-18 on December 30. But the new year brought winning ways, and the Rockets stood at 19-20 after a 116-104 victory over Denver on January 22. They struggled to break even throughout the rest of season and needed a victory in their last game to finish at 41-41 and in fifth place in the Midwest Division. Houston then made a quick exit from the playoffs, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in a best-of-five first-round series.

Olajuwon, Thorpe, Wiggins, and Johnson were the club's top scorers. Larry Smith added 6.1 rebounds per game off the bench. Lewis Lloyd, an explosive guard and an integral part of Houston's run to the Finals in 1986, was on the court for 19 games but wasn't the player he once was. He wouldn't return for the following season.

Although Floyd (7.3 apg) and Lucas (4.9) still had some life, the Rockets wanted youth at the point guard position. Prior to the 1990-91 season they traded Tim McCormick and Lucas to Atlanta for Kenny Smith and Roy Marble. Smith, a native of Queens, New York, had been a high-profile collegian at the University of North Carolina. He finished his career as the Tar Heels' all-time assists leader and took the team to undefeated records in the Atlantic Coast Conference in both 1984 and 1987. Sacramento had selected him sixth in the 1987 NBA Draft, then traded him to Atlanta midway through the 1989-90 campaign.

1990-92: Houston Struggles Without Hakeem

Olajuwon, however, missed 26 games because of injuries, the most disturbing of which was a fractured eye socket courtesy of a Bill Cartwright elbow on January 3. The injury kept Olajuwon out until February 28 and broke a string of six consecutive All-Star appearances. He finished the year leading the league with a 3.95 blocked shots per game but didn't play enough games to qualify for his third straight rebounding title.

The Rockets were 17-13 before their center's injury, 15-10 without Olajuwon, and then 20-7 with him back in the lineup, to finish at 52-30 and in third place in the Midwest Division behind Utah and San Antonio. Despite the strong finish, the Rockets ran into the Finals-bound Lakers in a first-round playoff series and were swept in three straight. For the team's efforts, Don Chaney won recognition as NBA Coach of the Year.

Houston stayed with the same lineup in 1991-92 and jumped to an 8-2 start. But by February 21 the Rockets were 27-27, and by season's end they were 42-40 and in third place in the Midwest Division. On February 18 Chaney was relieved of his coaching duties. Assistant Coach Rudy Tomjanovich was named interim head coach, and the Rockets shot out to an 11-4 record. But disputes between Olajuwon and the Rockets' management proved to be a distraction in the final months of the season, and Houston staggered to a 5-10 finish, missing the playoffs by losing three straight to end the year.

1992-93: "Rudy T" Sees Season End In OT

Tomjanovich had been elevated from interim head coach to permanent head coach for 1992-93, and he began to mold the Rockets into a strong defensive unit. After returning from Japan, Houston won six straight to climb atop the Midwest Division standings.

Robert Horry, a 6-10 rookie from Alabama, filled a void at the starting small forward spot. In addition, Tomjanovich employed an unlikely bunch of substitutes: power forward Carl Herrera, who was born in Trinidad and played high school basketball in Venezuela; Matt Bullard, a 6-10 forward who was a .374 three-point shooter; and Scott Brooks, a 5-11 point guard from UC-Irvine.

The main reason the team coalesced, however, was because of Olajuwon's play. He had a tremendous season, winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, finishing second to Charles Barkley for MVP honors, and earning selection to the All-NBA First Team and the NBA All-Defensive First Team. He led the league in blocked shots (4.17 per game), was fourth in rebounding (13.0 rpg), and ranked 13th in field-goal percentage (.529) and steals (150).

In addition to being an unequaled defensive player, Olajuwon developed into an unstoppable force on offense. Employing an extensive repertoire of moves, he averaged a career-best 26.1 points, fourth best in the NBA. In a time of great centers in the league (David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O'Neal, and Alonzo Mourning were among his contemporaries), Olajuwon was in many minds the best post player in the business.

The Rockets were buried in third place at the All-Star break but soared in the second half to win the Midwest Division with a 55-27 record. In late February and early March they put together an NBA season-best 15 straight wins (only 12 teams in history have won as many games in a row), then shot past San Antonio to take the division title.

In the playoffs the Rockets edged the Los Angeles Clippers in a five-game first-round series, but they finished the season as they had started it-by losing to Seattle. At the conclusion of an exhausting seven-game Western Conference Semifinal series, the Rockets fell to the Sonics in overtime in Game 7. In a series where the home team won all seven games, the Sonics, who were also 55-27 during the regular season, held the home-court advantage due to their early-season wins over the Rockets.

1993-94: Rockets Shoot To NBA Title

Olajuwon anchored a strong interior defense that set a franchise record for fewest points allowed in a season, and he opened up an offense that set NBA records for three-point field goals made and attempted. Under the direction of Rudy Tomjanovich, the Rockets tied an NBA record with 15 straight victories to open the season, won 22 of their first 24, and captured the Midwest Division title at 58-24.

In the playoffs Houston had little trouble with the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round but barely escaped a battle with Phoenix in the conference semifinals. The Suns stunned the Rockets by winning the first two games in Houston, but Tomjanovich rallied his troops to take the series, four games to three. The Rockets then thumped the Utah Jazz in the conference finals to advance to the championship series for the first time since 1986.

The 1994 NBA Finals matched Olajuwon against the New York Knicks' Patrick Ewing. The series was a defensive grind, with neither team scoring 100 points in a game. Yet it was close; no game's margin of victory exceeded 10 points. In the end, Houston had just enough firepower to prevail. Behind strong performances from Vernon Maxwell and rookie Sam Cassell, the Rockets won Game 7, 90-84, to secure the first-ever championship for a sports team from Houston. Olajuwon added another trophy to his mantle when he took home the NBA Finals MVP Award.

1994-95: "Clutch City" - Rockets Repeat

Unlike the previous year, when Houston won the Midwest Division and was considered one of the favorites for the crown, the 1994-95 Rockets struggled through much of the regular season and finished at 47-35. Forward Otis Thorpe, who had been such a valuable inside force in 1993-94, was unexpectedly traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for guard Clyde Drexler and forward Tracy Murray on February 14. Injuries to Carl Herrera, who was expected to step into Thorpe's spot, forced him to miss most of the season's second half, including the playoffs. As if that weren't enough, guard Vernon Maxwell became frustrated with playing a backup role to Drexler and took a leave of absence. All of this meant that the Rockets entered the playoffs missing three of their top seven players from the defending champions, and the club seemed especially vulnerable at power forward. Meanwhile, three players who were not even in the league when the season began-Chucky Brown, Charles Jones, and Pete Chilcutt-were signed and given vital roles in the late stretches.

The team's late-season troubles provided fuel for critics of the Thorpe-Drexler deal, but Drexler would have none of it. The trade reunited him with Hakeem Olajuwon, his former teammate at the University of Houston, and returned him to his hometown. It also gave the team two superstars who, as it turned out, didn't allow the Rockets to lose the crucial games.

Houston's playoff run was the stuff of legend. In the first round the Rockets knocked off the third-seeded Utah Jazz, who had won 60 games during the regular season. Houston then fell behind the second-seeded Phoenix Suns in the conference semifinals before rallying for three straight victories to win the series, taking Game 7 in Phoenix. In the conference finals, the Rockets went up against the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs, who had posted the NBA's best regular-season record at 62-20 and boasted league MVP David Robinson. Olajuwon got the better of Robinson in the all-Texas series as Houston prevailed in six games.

The NBA Finals featured Olajuwon and the Rockets against Shaquille O'Neal and the 57-25 Orlando Magic. Olajuwon and O'Neal battled to a virtual draw, but the rest of the Rockets had a superior series as Houston swept the Magic in four games. Kenny Smith set an NBA Finals record with 7 three-pointers in the Game 1 overtime win, and Smith's backup, Sam Cassell, poured in 31 points in Game 2. Robert Horry continued to drill clutch shots, and Mario Elie, who had been moved into a starting role for the series, made good on 8 of 14 three-point attempts against the Magic. Drexler averaged 20.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in the postseason. Olajuwon, who picked up his second NBA Finals MVP Award and more momentum on his march to the Hall of Fame, averaged 33.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.85 blocks in the playoffs.

1995-96: Bid For Three Swept Away

Houston's 48-34 record marked the 12th consecutive year that the team had achieved a record of .500 or better. It should surprise no one that the streak coincides with the arrival of Olajuwon, who would end the season ranked second in scoring (26.9 ppg), fourth in blocks (2.88 bpg) and sixth in rebounding (10.9 rpg). In February, he was select to participate in the All-Star Game for the 12th straight season, joining Drexler.

Before the season would end, Olajuwon would become the league's all-time shotblocker, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He also became only the ninth NBA player to amass more than 20,000 points and 10,000 rebounds in his career.

As coach Rudy Tomjanovich became the all-time winningest coach in Rockets history, Olauwon, Drexler, Sam Cassell, Robert Horry and a cast of relative unknowns survived an injury-riddled regular season. In the first round, they fought off Magic Johnson and the Lakers before coming up against the one riddle they historically couldn't solve - the Seattle SuperSonics.

The Sonics, with their seventh game win over the Rockets in 1993, entered the series as the last team to eliminate the Rockets from the playoffs. They had previously knocked out the Rockets in 1982 and in 1987. The recent regular season series history was even less favorable for Houston. The Sonics entered the series with nine straight wins over the Rockets.

True to form, the Sonics came out ahead of the Rockets, but not before Houston once again showed the heart of a champion. Trailing three games to none and facing a 20-point fourth quarter deficit in game four, it looked like the Rockets were buried. But, sparked by five Robert Horry three-pointers, the Rockets forced overtime. Although Seattle ultimately prevailed, the Rockets showed the character that made them NBA champions.

1996-97: Barkley Rockets Fly High

Barkley, Olajuwon and Drexler were each named among the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History prior to the season. They spent the season backing it up, leading the Rockets to a 57-25 record and a trip to the Western Conference Finals.

Barkley averaged 19.2 points and 13.5 rebounds and injected some fresh life into the Rockets. In his very first game as a Rocket, Barkley collected an NBA season-high 33 rebounds against his former team, the Phoenix Suns. Olajuwon was his splendid self, finishing seventh in the league in scoring (23.2 ppg), 17th in rebounding (9.2 rpg) and eighth in blocks (2.22 bpg). Drexler enjoyed another solid all-around season, with 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. On November 24, Drexler surpassed the 20,000-point barrier, joining Olajuwon and Barkley in that exclusive club.

In all, the Rockets set or tied 32 franchise records and amassed a franchise-best 27 road wins en route to posting their 13th consecutive non-losing season. And they achieved these goals without relying entirely on "The Big Three."

Rookie Matt Maloney, the only NBA first-year player to start all 82 games, successfully manned the point. Unheralded Mario Elie finished among the league leaders in three-point percentage (.420) and provided tenacity on defense. Free agent signees Kevin Willis, Sedale Threatt and Eddie Johnson provided depth and experience off the bench.

That depth helped carry the Rockets far in the playoffs. Houston swept Minnesota in the First Round and then survived a seven-game battle with the Seattle SuperSonics, earning the right to play Utah in the Conference Finals. After the Jazz won the first two games, it was Johnson who provided the heroics for Houston with 31 points off the bench to win Game 3, and a buzzer-beating three-pointer in Game 4 to even the series at 2-2. The Jazz, however, took the next two games to deny the Rockets a chance at their third title of the '90s.

1997-98: High on Heart

The Rockets, beset by injuries all season long, earned their sixth straight postseason berth under Head Coach Rudy Tomjanovich -- who won his 300th NBA game on Jan. 24 -- but their 41-41 regular season record matched the team's lowest win total in 14 seasons.

Nevertheless, they entered the playoffs with three future Hall of Famers in Drexler, Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon -- a trio with 386 games of postseason experiences to counter the precision of the top-seeded and heavily-favored Utah Jazz.

In the unfriendly confines of Utah's Delta Center, Houston cruised to an easy 103-90 win in Game 1, which came as a surprise to nearly every NBA follower, with the notable exception of Tomjanovich.

No player responded better than Drexler, a 15-year veteran in the midst of his final playoff run. Drexler, who led the Rockets with 22 points in the Game 1 win, announced on March 18 that he would retire at the end of the season to become the head coach at the University of Houston, his alma mater.

Charles Barkley, like Drexler, approached the 1998 postseason as if it were his last. Barkley chipped in 12 points and 6 rebounds in Houston's Game 1 win, despite playing with a hernia that had him questionable to play at all.

After Utah tied the series with a 105-90 win in Game 2, the series returned to Houston, where Olajuwon and the Rockets proved that their win in Utah was no fluke. Houston posted a 89-85 win, fueled by a team-high 28 points and 12 rebounds from Olajuwon that put Utah on the brink of elimination and put the Rockets only one game away from becoming the second eighth-seeded NBA team ever to beat a top-seeded team.

For one half, that possibility looked extremely likely. Playing in front of the home crowd at the Compaq Center, Houston held Utah to only 10 first-quarter points and took a 42-36 lead into halftime. Bad luck got the better of big heart when Barkley took an elbow to his forearm, tearing a tricep muscle and ending his season. Utah, meanwhile, outscored Houston 57-29 in the second half to earn the 93-71 win and force a deciding game at the Delta Center. Undermanned and on the road, Houston lost 84-70, ending their championship aspirations.

As Drexler, who was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996, walked off the floor following the loss, the Delta Center crowd gave him a standing ovation.

1998-99: Scottie Beams Aboard

But that would be Houston's only hurrah, as Los Angeles closed out the series in four games.

After acquiring Pippen from Chicago in a sign-and-trade deal, the Rockets featured a front line with three future Hall of Famers: Hakeem Olajuwon, Barkley and Pippen. The trio led Houston to a 31-19 record.

Olajuwon averaged 18.9 points and 9.6 boards to earn All-NBA Third Team honors. Barkley finished second in the league with 12.3 rebounds per game, and Pippen was named to the All-Defensive First Team for the eighth year in a row.

Rookie guards Michael Dickerson and Cuttino Mobley helped fill the void left by Clyde Drexler's retirement. Dickerson started all 50 games at shooting guard and averaged 10.9 points. Mobley, who got 37 starts at point guard, scored 9.9 points per game.