Wikipedia: Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Houston Rockets are a National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas.

Founded: 1967

Formerly known as: San Diego Rockets (1967-71)

Home Arena: Toyota Center (new for 2003)

Uniform colors: Blood Red, White, and Silver

Logo design: A gothic-style R, appearing to move upwards, with a ring around the bottom of it; one version of the logo includes "HOUSTON" at the left and "ROCKETS" at the right.

NBA Championships: 1994, 1995

They formerly were at the Houston Compaq Center, once "The Summit", but they pressured the city for a new stadium, and they granted it to them.

Franchise History

1967-1968: Beginning in San Diego

The San Diego Rockets entered the NBA in 1967-68 as expansion teams along with the Seattle SuperSonics, the same year that the American Basketball Association launched itself as a rival league.

1968-1971: The "Big E" coin toss

The Rockets Won the coin toss with the Baltimore Bullets, selected Elvin "the Big E" Hayes from the University of Houston as the #1 draft pick and leaving Wes Unseld as the #2 pick to the Bulletes. Hayes brought respectablity, though without ultimate victory, to the fledgling franchise.

1971-1972: Back to Houston

Real estate broker Wayne Duddleston and banker Billy Goldberg, bought the franchise for $5.6 million bringing home town hero Hayes back to football-crazed Houston, Texas. Averaging home attendance crowds of less than 5000 in the club's inaugural season in Houston, the organization couldn't begin to meet operating expenses. The Rockets played home games at the Astrodome and AstroHall, at HemisFair Arena in San Antonio, at Hofheinz Pavilion on the University of Houston campus, and in Waco. Legend has it that one Wednesday night the local churches in Waco drew more people than the Rockets. The team played well, however, adding two sparkling young players in Calvin Murphy and Rudy Tomjanovich.

1972-74: Hayes Traded

Trading Hayes to the Baltimore Bullets for Jack Marin did little to capture an improved record or the city's attention. "One night we were on the bench...talking about where we wanted to go after the game," Tomjanovich recalled. "It was so quiet that a guy way up in the stands yells out, 'No, no, don't go there. That's not a good place to eat.'" Ray Patterson recalls another night during this period, driving to a season opener against Pete Maravich and Atlanta at Hofheinz Pavilion. General Manager Ray Patterson was encouraged because of the heavy traffic. "But then we got there and everybody turned off to go to a nearby stadium for high school football," he said. "The high school game drew about 20,000. We had about 200."

1974-76: Progress

With Coach John Egan's guidance and Tomjanovich, Murphy, and Mike Newlin leading the way, the Rockets made their first appearance in the playoffs since arriving in Houston. The rockets defeated the New York Knicks (with Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, and Jerry Lucas) in the first round and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals losing to the Boston Celtis.

1976-77: Savior

At the insistence of new coach Tom Nissalke a trade with the Buffalo Braves marked the arrival of Moses Malone, who as a high school star made the unprecedented decision of bypassing college basketball to sign on as a professional with the Utah Stars of the ABA in 1974. The Rockets, now led by Tomjanovich, Murphy, Newlin, Malone, Kevin Kunnert, and rookie guard John Lucas took the Central Division title. Malone, s skinny 21-year old, outbattled Unseld and Hayes to help the Rockets to a playoff victory in six games against the Washington Bullets. The Rockets hopes ended against the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixersin the Eastern Conference Finals on a controversial charging call against Lucas in the final moments of Game 6.

1977-78: The Punch Felt Round the World

In a December 9 game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Kunnert got into a fight with the Lakers' Kermit Washington. As Tomjanovich ran over to the two, Washington turned and blindly swung his fist. The powerful blow landed squarely on the face of a running Tomjanovich, causing massive jaw, eye, and cheek injuries. That shocking scene became the defining moment of not only the Rockets' 1977-78 season (a conference finals team the previous year, collapsed into last place with a 28-54 record) but also of two basketball players' professional careers. Tomjanovich, possessing the heart of a champion, spent the next five months in rehab returning to play as an NBA all-star.