The Houston Rockets won back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995.
The Houston Rockets have made 35 trips to the playoffs in their franchise history. They have won two titles along the way. Let’s highlight both of their championship teams and the routes they took to win a title.
1994 NBA Championship
The Rockets went 58-24 during the 1993-94 regular season. They received a dominant campaign from Hakeem Olajuwon, who averaged 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 3.7 blocks per game. Those gaudy stats helped him win the Defensive Player of the Year Award and be named NBA MVP.
The Rockets began their 1994 playoff run by defeating the Trail Blazers in four games in the first round. The Western Conference Semifinals brought a tough foe in the Suns, who the Rockets finally knocked off in seven games. They then dispatched the Jazz in five games in the Western Conference Finals.
A trip to the NBA finals was met with a matchup against the Knicks. The Rockets won the first game, but the Knicks won three of the next four games. The Rockets then pulled out a close two-point win in Game 6, then defeated the Knicks 90-84 in Game 7 to win their first championship. Olajuwon was named Finals MVP, putting a cherry on top of his impressive season. During the playoffs, he averaged 28.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 4.0 blocks over 23 games.
1995 NBA Championship
After winning the title, the Rockets went 47-35 during the 1994-95 regular season. Olajuwon thrived again, averaging 27.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 3.4 blocks per game, which helped him finish third in Defensive Player of the Year voting and fifth in MVP voting. His top running mate was Clyde Drexler, who averaged 21.4 points over 35 games.
The Rockets did not have an easy run through the Western Conference. It took five games for them to eliminate the Jazz in the first round. They then defeated the Suns in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Finally, they put themselves in a spot to defend their title by beating the Spurs in six games in the Western Conference Finals.
While their path to the NBA Finals was difficult, the Rockets dominated once they got there. They swept the Magic, winning two of the four games by at least 11 points. Olajuwan was named Finals MVP again and averaged 33.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.8 blocks in the playoffs. Drexler also played well on the Rockets title run, averaging 20.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals over 22 playoff games.
