Rockets vs Philadelphia 76ers

Lore & Background

The Rockets got off to a fast start by winning their first nine games of the regular season, but started to slow down as the team lost 9 of their next 14 games afterwards. The Rockets then posted a six-game winning streak between December and January, leading to a 20–9 start to the season. However, the team then lost six of their next ten games, and later on held a 29–17 record at the All-Star break. On February 14, 1995, the Rockets traded Otis Thorpe to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for All-Star guard Clyde Drexler, and three-point specialist Tracy Murray; Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon were both teammates at the University of Houston in the early 1980s.

The team also signed free agent Chucky Brown midway through the season, and later on signed 38-year old veteran Charles Jones to a 10-day contract in April, where he played in the final three games of the regular season. However, despite the addition of Drexler, the Rockets played .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the season, posting an 18–18 record on their way to finishing in third place in the Midwest Division with a 47–35 record, and earning the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

Reader's Guide

Olajuwon averaged 27.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 3.4 blocks per game, while Drexler averaged 21.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game in 35 games after the trade; Olajuwon and Drexler were both named to the All-NBA Third Team. In addition, Vernon Maxwell provided the team with 13.3 points per game, and led them with 143 three-point field goals, while Kenny Smith contributed 10.4 points per game and 142 three-point field goals, and Robert Horry averaged 10.2 points per game. Off the bench, second-year guard Sam Cassell provided with 9.5 points and 4.9 assists per game, while Mario Elie contributed 8.8 points per game, Carl Herrera averaged 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, and Pete Chilcutt provided with 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

Did You Know?

• During the NBA All-Star weekend at the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, Olajuwon was selected for the 1995 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team.
• Olajuwon finished in fifth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Drexler finished in 14th place; Olajuwon also finished in third place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
• As the 6th seed in the 1995 playoffs, the 1994–95 Rockets to date are the lowest seeded team in league history to win an NBA championship.