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While visiting the city of Houston, add a Houston Rockets Basketball game to your too do list. Featured below is background information for Houston Rockets Basketball and ticket purchasing options. Please call our sponsor at 1-888-529-5800 for more information and additional details. Thanks for stopping by and supporting AARoads.com. |
Houston Rockets Travel Information
Led by star players Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, the Houston Rockets begin play in the new Southwest Division of the National Basketball Association in 2004-05. The Southwest Division includes the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Hornets, and San Antonio Spurs. Joining the Rockets this season is defensive star Dikembe Mutombo. Mutombo was acquired from the Chicago Bulls for guards Adrian Griffin, Eric Piatkowski and Mike Wilks. The veteran is the only winner of four NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards. In his 13 year career with five different teams, Mutombo has averaged 11.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.22 blocked shots in 929 career games.
The history of the Houston Rockets basketball franchise begins in 1967 with the introduction of the San Diego Rockets into the NBA. The San Diego team entered the league alongside the Seattle Supersonics and netted only 15 wins in their first season. Led by Elvin "the Big E" Hayes, the San Diego Rockets improved to a 37-45 record in 1968-69. By the 1971-72 season the struggling franchise was sold to real estate broker Wayne Duddleston and banker Billy Goldberg of the city of Houston, Texas for $5.6 million. The Texas franchise finished the season with a 34-48 record after playing home games in not only Houston, but also San Antonio and Waco.
Although the 1972-73 club bolstered young players Calvin Murphy and Rudy Tomjanovich, the Houston Rockets were not drawing much in the way of crowds for their home games. However winning would help the low attendance figures when the Rockets won a franchise best 41 games in the 1974-75 season. That team would go on to down the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs two games to one. Thus basketball in Houston gained popularity.
Fast forward to the 1993-94 season and championship glory adorns the city of Houston as the Rockets win the first World Title. Led by the NBA Most Valuable Player Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston captured the Midwest Division title with a record of 58-24. Victories versus Portland, Phoenix, and Utah propelled the Rockets to their first NBA Finals since 1986 against the New York Knicks. Joined by Vernon Maxwell and rookie Sam Cassell, Hakeem Olajuwon powered the Rockets to an exicting game 7 victory 90-84 over Patrick Ewing and the Knicks. The following season saw the Rockets repeat as World Champions, a feat only accomplished by four other franchises. At 47-35 and the sixth seed of the playoffs, the Houston Rockets became the lowest ranked team to win a World Title in NBA history. Joined by Portland Trailblazer star Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon and company swept Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic four games to none.
Enter the 2004-05 season and the Houston Rockets feature Center Yao Ming and Guard Tracy McGrady and newly acquired Center Dikembe Mutombo. The threesome brings All-Star credibility and 20 years of experience. The 24 year old Ming has average 15.5 PPG and 8.60 RPG in two seasons and was the starting center for the Western Conference in the 2004 All-Star Game. McGrady, a 1997 first round pick of the Toronto Raptors, has averaged 21.4 PPG and 6.40 RPG in seven seasons with Toronto and the Orlando Magic. The 7'2" Mutombo has a career 10,907 total rebounds, 929 regular season games, and 8 All-Star appearances.
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The Houston Rockets moved into the Toyota Center after 28 years of basketball at the Compaq Center. A world class venue, the Toyota Center resides at 1510 Polk Street in downtown Houston, Texas. The arena holds up to 18,300 for Houston Rockets home games. Photo taken 10/22/03.
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