1995 NBA Championship Run vs Magic

Lore & Background

The sixth-seeded Rockets (47–35) took out four opponents on their way to the title, defeating the 3rd-seeded Utah Jazz (60–22), 2nd-seeded Phoenix Suns (59–23), top-seeded San Antonio Spurs (62–20) and Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic (57–25) in the NBA Finals. In the first round against the Utah Jazz, the Rockets came back from a 2-1 series deficit, winning Game 5 in Utah. In the second round against the Suns, the Rockets came back from 2–0 and 3–1 series deficits without home-court advantage, winning Games 5 and 7 in Phoenix.

The Rockets were the first road team to win a Game 7 of any round in the NBA playoffs in 13 years by beating the Suns at America West Arena. Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon dominated league MVP David Robinson and Shaquille O'Neal in consecutive series to win the title. The Rockets' 47 wins were the fewest by an NBA champion since the Washington Bullets tallied 44 in 1978.

Reader's Guide

As of 2026, the 1995 Rockets are the lowest-seeded team to win the NBA Championship. Houston became the eighth team to win back-to-back titles (after the Minneapolis Lakers of 1949 and 1950, and again 1952–54, and the Celtics dynasty of 1959–66 and again in 1968–69, as the LA Lakers of 1987 and 1988, Pistons of 1989 and 1990 and Bulls of 1991, 1992 and 1993). The Rockets championships were also part of a run that saw 4 teams win consecutive titles (The Lakers 1987–88, Pistons 1989–90, Bulls 1991–93 and 1996–98, Rockets 1994–95).