The History Of The Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets were established as the San Diego Rockets in 1967. After four years of low attendance, and bad on court performance, the Rockets packed up and left for greener pastures, so to say, in Houston, Texas. From the moment they touched down in Houston, the Rockets started playing better basketball. The team reached won their first Division Title in 1977, the same year that they reached their first the Eastern Conference Finals. Four seasons later, in 1981, the Rockets reached their first NBA Finals, losing to the Boston Celtics in six games. The franchise made possibly their biggest move in 1984 drafting future Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon with the number one pick. Olajuwon would lead the Rockets to their second NBA Finals appearance in 1986, once again losing to the Celtics in six games. The rockets would consistently reach the playoffs over the next couple of years, though it would not be until they hired Rudy Tomjanovich as coach in 1992 that they would become a truly elite team. The Rockets would win two consecutive titles, in 1994 and 1995, as of 2011 the only titles the franchise has ever won. Despite players like Yao Ming, the Rockets have not been back to the Finals since.