1994–95 Houston Rockets season
1994–95 Houston Rockets season | |
---|---|
NBA champions | |
Conference champions | |
Head coach | Rudy Tomjanovich |
General manager | Bob Weinhauer |
Owner(s) | Leslie Alexander |
Arena | The Summit |
Results | |
Record | 47–35 (.573) |
Place | Division: 3rd (Midwest) Conference: 6th (Western) |
Playoff finish | NBA Champions (Defeated Magic 4–0) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Local media | |
Television | KTXH Prime Sports Southwest (Bill Worrell, Calvin Murphy) |
Radio | KTRH |
The 1994–95 NBA season was the Rockets' 28th season in the National Basketball Association, and 24th season in Houston.[1] After winning their first championship, the Rockets went on to win their first nine games of the season. However, with increased competition in the West, management felt a change was needed to win another title. On February 14, 1995, the Rockets traded Otis Thorpe to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for All-Star guard Clyde Drexler, and three-point specialist Tracy Murray; Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon were both teammates at the University of Houston in the early 1980s.[2][3][4][5][6] The team also signed free agent Chucky Brown midway through the season,[7][8] and later on signed 38-year old veteran Charles Jones to a 10-day contract in April, where he played in the final three games of the regular season.[9][10] However, after holding a 29–17 record at the All-Star break,[11] the Rockets played .500 basketball in the second half of the season, posting an 18–18 record on their way to finishing third in the Midwest Division with a 47–35 record.[12]
Olajuwon averaged 27.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 3.4 blocks per game, and was selected for the 1995 NBA All-Star Game,[13][14][15][16] while Drexler averaged 21.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game in 35 games with the Rockets after the trade. Olajuwon and Drexler were both named to the All-NBA Third Team. In addition, Vernon Maxwell provided the team with 13.3 points per game, while Kenny Smith contributed 10.4 points per game, and Robert Horry averaged 10.2 points per game. Off the bench, second-year guard Sam Cassell provided with 9.5 points and 4.9 assists per game, while Mario Elie contributed 8.8 points per game, and Carl Herrera averaged 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.[17] Olajuwon also finished in fifth place in Most Valuable Player voting,[18] and in third place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.[19][20][21] According to Horry, when David Robinson was given his MVP trophy before a game in the San Antonio-Houston Western Conference Finals, Olajuwon leaned over to him and snarled "That's MY trophy", leading Horry to silently say "Uh-oh" in accurate expectation of the hell Olajuwon was about to unleash on the Spurs.[22][23]
In the playoffs, the Rockets faced the 3rd–seeded Utah Jazz in the Western Conference First Round. The Jazz would take a 2–1 series lead,[24][25][26] but the Rockets went on to win the series in five games.[27][28][29][30] In the Western Conference Semi-finals, they faced the Phoenix Suns for the second consecutive year. After trailing 3–1,[31][32][33] the Rockets managed to defeat the 2nd-seeded Suns in seven games to advance to the Western Conference Finals.[34][35][36][37] In the all Texas Western Conference Finals, they faced the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs. Both teams lacked home court advantage in the series, only winning on the road until the Rockets won Game 6 at The Summit and advanced to the NBA Finals.[38][39][40][41] In the Finals, they swept the Orlando Magic in four straight games, and won their second consecutive championship, with Olajuwon being named Finals MVP for the second straight year.[42][43][44][45][46] As the 6th seed in the 1995 playoffs, the 1994–95 Rockets to date are the lowest seeded team in league history to win an NBA championship.[47]
Following the season, Maxwell signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers;[48][49][50] Maxwell had a controversial season, which involved him punching a fan during a road game against the Trail Blazers on February 6, 1995, which cost him a ten-game suspension,[51][52][53][54] and leaving the team during the playoffs after being replaced with Drexler as the team's starting shooting guard.[55][56] Meanwhile, Murray signed with the newly expansion Toronto Raptors, Herrera signed with the San Antonio Spurs,[57][58] and Croatian rookie center Žan Tabak was left unprotected in the 1995 NBA Expansion Draft, where he was selected by the Raptors.[59][60][61][62][63]
NBA draft
[edit]Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 53 | Albert Burditt | PF | ![]() | Texas |
Roster
[edit]Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Regular season
[edit]Season standings
[edit]W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y-San Antonio Spurs | 62 | 20 | .756 | — | 33–8 | 29–12 | 20–6 |
x-Utah Jazz | 60 | 22 | .732 | 2 | 33–8 | 27–14 | 17–9 |
x-Houston Rockets | 47 | 35 | .573 | 15 | 25–16 | 22–19 | 13–13 |
x-Denver Nuggets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 21 | 23–18 | 18–23 | 13–13 |
Dallas Mavericks | 36 | 46 | .439 | 26 | 19–22 | 17–24 | 11–15 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 21 | 61 | .256 | 41 | 13–28 | 8–33 | 4–22 |
# | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | x-San Antonio Spurs | 62 | 20 | .756 | – |
2 | y-Phoenix Suns | 59 | 23 | .720 | 3 |
3 | x-Utah Jazz | 60 | 22 | .732 | 2 |
4 | x-Seattle SuperSonics | 57 | 25 | .695 | 5 |
5 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 14 |
6 | x-Houston Rockets | 47 | 35 | .573 | 15 |
7 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 18 |
8 | x-Denver Nuggets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 21 |
9 | Sacramento Kings | 39 | 43 | .476 | 23 |
10 | Dallas Mavericks | 36 | 46 | .439 | 26 |
11 | Golden State Warriors | 26 | 56 | .317 | 36 |
12 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 21 | 61 | .256 | 41 |
13 | Los Angeles Clippers | 17 | 65 | .207 | 45 |
Record vs. opponents
[edit]1994-95 NBA Records | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | ATL | BOS | CHA | CHI | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GSW | HOU | IND | LAC | LAL | MIA | MIL | MIN | NJN | NYK | ORL | PHI | PHO | POR | SAC | SAS | SEA | UTA | WAS |
Atlanta | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–4 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 4–0 |
Boston | 1–3 | — | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 0–5 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 |
Charlotte | 2–2 | 3–1 | — | 2–2 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
Chicago | 4–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | — | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 |
Cleveland | 4–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 3–2 | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 |
Dallas | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | 1–4 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 0–4 | 2–4 | 1–1 |
Denver | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 6–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 2–0 |
Detroit | 2–3 | 1–3 | 0–5 | 0–5 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 |
Golden State | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–1 | — | 0–4 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–4 | 0–5 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 2–0 |
Houston | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | — | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–5 | 0–4 | 2–3 | 2–0 |
Indiana | 4–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 |
L.A. Clippers | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 | — | 2–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 0–5 | 1–4 | 0–4 | 0–5 | 1–3 | 0–2 |
L.A. Lakers | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 |
Miami | 2–2 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 4–1 |
Milwaukee | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–4 | 4–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | — | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 |
Minnesota | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 0–6 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 0–5 | 0–4 | 1–4 | 1–1 |
New Jersey | 0–4 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | — | 1–4 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–3 |
New York | 2–2 | 5–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 4–1 | — | 2–3 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 4–0 |
Orlando | 3–1 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | — | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 |
Philadelphia | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–4 | 1–4 | — | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–2 |
Phoenix | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | 5–0 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 |
Portland | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–5 | — | 3–2 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 2–0 |
Sacramento | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 2–3 | — | 0–4 | 3–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 |
San Antonio | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 5–1 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | — | 2–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 |
Seattle | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | — | 1–3 | 2–0 |
Utah | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–3 | 3–1 | — | 2–0 |
Washington | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–4 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | — |
Game log
[edit]Regular season
[edit]1994–95 game log Total: 47–35 (Home: 25–16; Road: 22–19) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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November: 10–3 (home: 4–2; road: 6–1)
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December: 8–6 (home: 5–3; road: 3–3)
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January: 8–6 (home: 5–2; road: 3–4)
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February: 9–5 (home: 5–1; road: 4–4)
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March: 7–8 (home: 3–5; road: 4–3)
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April: 5–7 (home: 3–3; road: 2–4)
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1994–95 schedule |
Playoffs
[edit]1995 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Western Conference First Round: 3–2 (home: 1–1; road: 2–1)
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Western Conference Semifinals: 4–3 (home: 2–1; road: 2–2)
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Western Conference Finals: 4–2 (home: 1–2; road: 3–0)
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NBA Finals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
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1995 schedule |
Player stats
[edit]GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Regular season
[edit]Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tim Breaux | 42 | 2 | 8.1 | .372 | .240 | .653 | .8 | .4 | .26 | .10 | 3.0 |
Scott Brooks | 28 | 0 | 6.6 | .538 | .471 | .857 | .5 | .8 | .29 | .04 | 3.4 |
Chucky Brown | 41 | 14 | 19.9 | .603 | .333 | .613 | 4.6 | .7 | .27 | .34 | 6.1 |
Adrian Caldwell | 7 | 0 | 4.3 | .250 | .000 | .500 | 1.4 | .0 | .14 | .00 | .7 |
Sam Cassell | 82 | 1 | 23.0 | .427 | .330 | .843 | 2.6 | 4.9 | 1.15 | .17 | 9.5 |
Pete Chilcutt | 68 | 17 | 19.8 | .445 | .407 | .738 | 4.7 | 1.0 | .37 | .63 | 5.3 |
Clyde Drexler | 35 | 34 | 37.1 | .506 | .357 | .809 | 7.0 | 4.4 | 1.77 | .66 | 21.4 |
Mario Elie | 81 | 13 | 23.4 | .499 | .398 | .842 | 2.4 | 2.3 | .80 | .15 | 8.8 |
Carl Herrera | 61 | 26 | 21.8 | .523 | .000 | .624 | 4.6 | .7 | .66 | .62 | 6.8 |
Robert Horry | 64 | 61 | 32.4 | .447 | .379 | .761 | 5.1 | 3.4 | 1.47 | 1.19 | 10.2 |
Charles Jones | 3 | 0 | 12.0 | .333 | .000 | .500 | 2.3 | .0 | .00 | .33 | 1.0 |
Vernon Maxwell | 64 | 54 | 31.8 | .394 | .324 | .688 | 2.6 | 4.3 | 1.17 | .20 | 13.3 |
Tracy Murray | 25 | 0 | 8.1 | .400 | .422 | .625 | .9 | .2 | .28 | .12 | 3.5 |
Hakeem Olajuwon | 72 | 72 | 39.6 | .517 | .188 | .756 | 10.8 | 3.5 | 1.85 | 3.36 | 27.8 |
Kenny Smith | 81 | 81 | 25.1 | .484 | .429 | .851 | 1.9 | 4.0 | .88 | .12 | 10.4 |
Žan Tabak | 37 | 0 | 4.9 | .453 | .000 | .614 | 1.5 | .1 | .05 | .19 | 2.0 |
Otis Thorpe | 36 | 35 | 33.0 | .563 | .000 | .528 | 8.9 | 1.6 | .61 | .36 | 13.3 |
Playoffs
[edit]Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chucky Brown | 21 | 1 | 15.5 | .447 | .500 | .676 | 3.1 | .3 | .43 | .10 | 4.5 |
Sam Cassell | 22 | 0 | 22.0 | .438 | .400 | .835 | 1.9 | 4.0 | .95 | .09 | 11.0 |
Pete Chilcutt | 20 | 15 | 16.2 | .484 | .389 | .824 | 2.9 | .9 | .35 | .20 | 4.5 |
Clyde Drexler | 22 | 22 | 38.6 | .481 | .303 | .786 | 7.0 | 5.0 | 1.50 | .68 | 20.5 |
Mario Elie | 22 | 6 | 28.9 | .504 | .431 | .795 | 2.8 | 2.5 | .95 | .05 | 9.1 |
Carl Herrera | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | 1.000 | .000 | .000 | .0 | 1.0 | .00 | .00 | 2.0 |
Robert Horry | 22 | 22 | 38.2 | .445 | .400 | .744 | 7.0 | 3.5 | 1.45 | 1.18 | 13.1 |
Charles Jones | 19 | 0 | 12.5 | .385 | .000 | .333 | 2.3 | .0 | .21 | .53 | .7 |
Vernon Maxwell | 1 | 0 | 16.0 | .143 | .000 | 1.000 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .00 | .00 | 3.0 |
Hakeem Olajuwon | 22 | 22 | 42.2 | .531 | .500 | .681 | 10.3 | 4.5 | 1.18 | 2.82 | 33.0 |
Kenny Smith | 22 | 22 | 29.6 | .438 | .442 | .900 | 2.2 | 4.5 | .64 | .14 | 10.8 |
Žan Tabak | 8 | 0 | 3.9 | .400 | .000 | 1.000 | .1 | .1 | .12 | .38 | .8 |
Playoffs
[edit]West First Round
[edit](3) Utah Jazz vs. (6) Houston Rockets: Rockets win series 3-2
- Game 1 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (April 27): Utah 102, Houston 100
- Game 2 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (April 29): Houston 140, Utah 126
- Game 3 @ The Summit, Houston (May 3): Utah 95, Houston 82
- Game 4 @ The Summit, Houston (May 5): Houston 123, Utah 106
- Game 5 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (May 7): Houston 95, Utah 91
Last Playoff Meeting: 1994 Western Conference Finals (Houston won 4–1)
West Conference semifinals
[edit](2) Phoenix Suns vs. (6) Houston Rockets: Rockets win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ America West Arena, Phoenix (May 9): Phoenix 130, Houston 108
- Game 2 @ America West Arena, Phoenix (May 11): Phoenix 118, Houston 94
- Game 3 @ The Summit, Houston (May 13): Houston 118, Phoenix 85
- Game 4 @ The Summit, Houston (May 14): Phoenix 114, Houston 110
- Game 5 @ America West Arena, Phoenix (May 16): Houston 103, Phoenix 97 (OT)
- Game 6 @ The Summit, Houston (May 18): Houston 116, Phoenix 103
- Game 7 @ America West Arena, Phoenix (May 20): Houston 115, Phoenix 114
Last Playoff Meeting: 1994 Western Conference Semifinals (Houston won 4–3)
West Conference finals
[edit](1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Houston Rockets: Rockets win series 4-2
- Game 1 @ Alamodome, San Antonio (May 22): Houston 94, San Antonio 93
- Game 2 @ Alamodome, San Antonio (May 24): Houston 106, San Antonio 96
- Game 3 @ The Summit, Houston (May 26): San Antonio 107, Houston 102
- Game 4 @ The Summit, Houston (May 28): San Antonio 103, Houston 81
- Game 5 @ Alamodome, San Antonio (May 30): Houston 111, San Antonio 90
- Game 6 @ The Summit, Houston (June 1): Houston 100, San Antonio 95
Last Playoff Meeting: 1981 Western Conference Semifinals (Houston won 4–3)
NBA Finals
[edit]1995 NBA Finals Roster
[edit]Head Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich
Hakeem Olajuwon | Clyde Drexler | Kenny Smith | Robert Horry | Sam Cassell | Mario Elie | Carl Herrera | Vernon Maxwell | Chucky Brown | Pete Chilcutt | Tracy Murray | Tim Breaux | Žan Tabak | Charles Jones | Adrian Caldwell |
Olajuwon vs. O'Neal
[edit]Although both centers played well, Olajuwon is generally considered to have outplayed O'Neal. Olajuwon outscored O'Neal in every game of the series and became one of the few players in NBA history to score at least 30 points in every game of an NBA Finals series:[64][65]
1995 NBA Finals | Gm 1 | Gm 2 | Gm 3 | Gm 4 | Totals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hakeem Olajuwon | 31 | 34 | 31 | 35 | 32.8 ppg |
Shaquille O'Neal | 26 | 33 | 28 | 25 | 28.0 ppg |
By winning his second straight NBA Finals MVP award, Hakeem Olajuwon became the sixth player to do so on multiple occasions, joining Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. Olajuwon also joined Jordan as the only two players to win the award consecutively as of that time.
Series Summary
[edit]Game | Date | Home team | Result | Road team |
---|---|---|---|---|
Game 1 | June 7 | Orlando | 118–120 | Houston |
Game 2 | June 9 | Orlando | 106–117 | Houston |
Game 3 | June 11 | Houston | 106–103 | Orlando |
Game 4 | June 14 | Houston | 113–101 | Orlando |
Rockets win series 4–0
Award winners
[edit]- Hakeem Olajuwon – NBA Finals Most Valuable Player
- Hakeem Olajuwon – All-NBA Third Team
Transactions
[edit]![]() | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2021) |
References
[edit]- ^ 1994-95 Houston Rockets
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- ^ Justice, Richard (June 15, 1995). "Rockets' Sweep Finishes Magic Season". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
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- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Lucas and 76ers Give Maxwell a Shot". The New York Times. September 27, 1995. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
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- ^ Long, Ernie (September 27, 1995). "Sixers Sign Another Project in Maxwell; Ex-Rocket Will Play Point Guard". The Morning Call. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
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