The Houston Rockets are an NBA basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The Rockets are a member of the Western Conference's Southwest Division in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team's home games are held at the Toyota Center in downtown Houston. To find out more about this team, let’s keep reading further!
The History and Impressive Achievements of The Houston Rockets
The San Diego Rockets, an expansion team that was initially located in San Diego, were founded in 1967. The Rockets moved to Houston in 1971. Houston has earned 2 NBA championships and become Western Conference champions four times in its history.
For nearly 10 years in their early seasons, the Rockets didn't complete a season with a winning record until the 1976–77 season, when they acquired All-Star center Moses Malone in a deal. Whilst playing for the Rockets, Malone won the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award two times and made a major contribution to the Eastern Conference Finals during his first season.
The Rockets finished the regular season with a 40–42 record in 1980–81, yet they still advanced to the playoffs. The Rockets, steered by Malone, became the second team in NBA history to make their first NBA Finals appearance in 1981 while having a losing record. The Celtics, steered by Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and future Rockets head coach Kevin McHale, defeated them 62–20 in six matches.
They returned to the finals against Boston Celtics in 1986 with the contribution of the "Twin Towers"- (Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson), but they didn't win.
Further to a second-round loss to the Seattle SuperSonics in 1987, the team did not attempt to make it to the first round for a few years. When Rudy Tomjanovich became the head coach in the middle of the 1991–92 season, having brought in the team's most golden time. The Rockets, led by Olajuwon, ruled the 1993–94 season, winning a franchise-record 58 games and advancing to the 1994 NBA Finals, where they defeated Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks to become the champion for the first time.
The Rockets lifted the trophy again the subsequent season, reinforced by another star Clyde Drexler, in their fourth journey to NBA Finals in their history, with a four-game rout of the Orlando Magic that was led by a young Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway. Throughout the 1995 playoffs, Houston finished the season with a 47–35 record and was seeded sixth in the Western Conference, becoming the lowest-seeded team in NBA history to be the champions.
In 1996, the Rockets gained star forward Charles Barkley, and yet despite having three of the NBA's top 50 players (Olajuwon, Drexler, and Barkley), they were unable to progress past the Western Conference Finals. The Rockets of the early 2000s, led by star players Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, followed a pattern of steady regular-season reputability accompanied by playoff underperformance due to injuries to both players. The Rockets went through a period of reorganization after Yao retired early in 2011, completely tearing down and overhauling their squad.
With the addition of franchise player James Harden in 2012, the Rockets were able to return to holding their recurring championship for the rest of the decade, going undefeated in Harden's nine seasons with the team. During his time with the team, Harden set numerous franchise and NBA records, including winning 3 straight scoring championships from 2018 to 2020 and helping the team to appear in two Western Conference Finals (both times losing to the Golden State Warriors).
Head coach Mike D'Antoni and general manager Daryl Morey both officially resigned after the 2019–20 season. Harden was bartered to the Brooklyn Nets in a four-team bargain in January 2021.
The Houston Rockets’ Current Players
|
Name |
Height |
Weight |
|
Augustin, D. J. |
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
183 lb (83 kg) |
|
Bradley, Avery |
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
180 lb (82 kg) |
|
Brooks, Armoni (TW) |
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
195 lb (88 kg) |
|
Brown, Sterling |
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
219 lb (99 kg) |
|
Dante - Injured |
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
214 lb (97 kg) |
|
Gordon, Eri- Injured |
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
215 lb (98 kg) |
|
House, Danuel |
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
220 lb (100 kg) |
|
Lamb, Anthony (TW) |
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
227 lb (103 kg) |
|
Martin, Kenyon |
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
215 lb (98 kg) |
|
Nwaba, David Injured |
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
219 lb (99 kg) |
|
Olynyk, Kelly |
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
240 lb (109 kg) |
|
Porter, Kevin |
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
203 lb (92 kg) |
|
Reynolds, Cameron |
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
225 lb (102 kg) |
|
Tate, Jae'Sean |
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
230 lb (104 kg) |
|
Thomas, Khyri |
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
210 lb (95 kg) |
|
Wall, John Injured |
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
210 lb (95 kg) |
|
Wilson, D. J. |
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
231 lb (105 kg) |
|
Wood, Christian |
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
214 lb (97 kg) |
The Rockets’ Rivalries
The San Antonio Spurs, who joined the Rockets after four years in the Eastern Conference, and the Dallas Mavericks, who were introduced that season, are two inter-state competitors. Since 1980, Houston has confronted both Texas teams in the playoffs, winning three times and forfeiting once. The Rockets have beaten the Mavericks once and lost twice to them.
Other famous opponents included the Los Angeles Lakers, who only failed to appear in the NBA Finals once in the 1980s Showtime era when they were swept by the Rockets, and the Utah Jazz, whom the Rockets conquered in both championship occasions but lost to on five other events.
Watch the Rockets’ Games Online for Free?
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Conclusion
Hopefully, you will find something helpful in our post today. If there is still something you don’t understand about the Rockets or want to know more about it, please do not hesitate to ask in the comment section. We will reply to you as soon as possible. Thank you for reading till the end!
