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Though a win in Atlanta on would have set a new record, it’s safe to say the Rockets were satisfied with how the season ended. Hakeem Olajuwon’s “Dream” season was one for the ages. Olajuwon was named league MVP, NBA Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA First Team.

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The Rockets won the series 4-3, securing their first title in NBA history. Not since 1975 had there been a Finals series in which the margin of victory in every game was less than 10 points, until this one. For the first time since the introduction of the shot clock in 1954-55, neither team reached 100 points in any game of a seven-game playoff series.

The Rockets versus Knicks Finals was one of the most physical in NBA history, even to this day, thanks to each team’s emphasis on tough defense and a grind it out approach on offense, working the ball through Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing, respectively. In the Western Conference Finals, the Rockets over powered the Utah Jazz 4-1, setting up a Finals match-up with the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks. The Rockets won three in a row, lost game six in Phoenix and then returned to Houston for the decisive game seven victory. After easily dispatching the Portland Trailblazers 3-1 in round one, The Rockets nearly had an early postseason exit when they lost the first two games of the conference semifinals to Phoenix at The Summit in Houston.

The up and down nature of the season continued in the playoffs as well. On pace for a video game like four loss season, the Rockets came back to earth from then on and finished a subdued 36-23 over the final 59 games. After the loss, the Rockets would win the next seven games in a row, running their record to an impressive 22-1. With a chance to set the NBA record for longest unbeaten streak to start a season, the Rockets couldn’t overcome a game Atlanta Hawks team during an entertaining 133-111 Hawks victory in Atlanta. Just as it did for the 1995 Chicago Bulls, a hot start to the season ultimately culminated in a championship for the Houston Rockets.

The supporting cast of Vernon Maxwell, Robert Horry, Otis Thorpe and Kenny Smith all averaged double figures in those playoffs as well, showing that with a good enough base of players around one superstar, anything is possible.25 years ago on 12/3/93, The Houston Rockets lost their first game of the year. The 15-0 start to the season tied the all-time record for longest winning streak to start an NBA season set by the Washington Capitols in 1948-49. Olajuwon averaged 28.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 4.0 blocks and 1.7 steals in those playoffs, leading the team in all five categories.

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Instead, the Rockets used a balanced roster full of great role players headed by Hakeem Olajuwon to take home the crown. Interestingly, the Knicks also would’ve broken the same streak if they had won that championship, as their only player that season to make the Hall of Fame was Patrick Ewing. The Houston Rockets broke the multiple Hall of Famers streak in 1994 when they defeated the New York Knicks in seven games to win their first NBA title. In the case of the 1985 Lakers and 1986 Celtics, they fielded what could be a starting lineup’s worth of Hall of Famers with five each. 3 reasons why the Rockets should trade for D’Angelo RussellĮvery team that won from 1980-84 had four Hall of Famers on their roster.Rockets: Kendrick Perkins shares perception of Stephen Silas around the league.Houston Rockets hire Chris Wallace, architect of ‘Grit and Grind’ Grizzlies.Houston Rockets: 3 trades of John Wall to the Clippers, Spurs, and Bulls.Shaq explains how Jrue Holiday can learn from the Rockets.Since then, the Washington Bullets, Seattle SuperSonics, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls all had at least a double-headed snake on their way to their respective titles. Before 1994, the Portland Trail Blazers, led by Bill Walton, were the most recent team to only have one future Hall of Famer on their championship squad. With the extremely rare exception, a championship team needs at least a pair of them to have what it takes to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the season.įrom 1978-1993, every championship team was led by at least two players who eventually became Hall of Famers. The NBA has always been a superstar’s league. The 1993-94 Houston Rockets not only made franchise history with their first title, but they also did something only done once from 1978-2003.

There’s always something special about your team’s first championship run. The Houston Rockets made history in more ways than one when they captured their first title on the back of Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994.

93 94 houston rockets roster