1994–95 Houston Rockets season
The 1994–95 NBA year was the Rockets’ 28th season from the National Basketball Association, also 24th season in Houston. [1] After winning their first championship, the Rockets went on to win their first nine matches of the season. But with greater competition from the West, management felt that a change was needed to win another title. On February 14, the Celtics traded Otis Thorpe to the Portland Trail Blazers to get All-Star guard Clyde Drexler, a former teammate of Hakeem Olajuwon at the University of Houston. However, following the transaction, the Rockets struggled in the second half of the season posting a list of 17–18 on their way to finishing third at the Midwest Division with a 47–35 record. Olajuwon was selected for the 1995 NBA All-Star Game.
In the playoffs, the Rockets confronted the 3rd-seeded Utah Jazz in the first round. The Jazz would require a two –1 series lead, however, the Rockets went on to win the series in five games. In the semifinals, they confronted the Phoenix Suns for its second consecutive year. The Rockets was able to defeat the 2nd-seeded Suns in seven matches to advance to the Western Conference Finals. In the Texas Western Conference, they faced the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs. The two teams lacked home court advantage in the show, only winning on the street until the Rockets won Game 6 at The Summit and advanced to the NBA Finals. From the event, they swept the Orlando Magic in four consecutive matches, and won their second successive championship. Following the year, Vernon Maxwell signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers, and Tracy Murray left at the 1995 NBA Expansion Draft.
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