Houston Rockets Tickets
The Houston Rockets are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association. The team is located in Houston, Texas and play their home games at the Toyota Center. The Toyota Center has a capacity of 18,043 and opened in 2003. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference and is currently coached by Kevin McHale. The team was founded in 1967 in San Diego, where they remained until the start of the 1971 season when they moved to Houston.
In the Rockets more than 40-year history, the team has reached the playoffs 26 times. The team has won four division titles, most recently when they won back-to-back titles in 1993 and 1994. The team has won four conference titles, most recently when they won consecutive titles in 1994 and 1995. The team has won two NBA Finals Championships when they won in both 1994 and 1995, led by center Hakeem Olajuwon. Nine former Rockets have been inducted to the Hall of Fame: Rick Barry, Elvin Hayes, Calvin Murphy, Moses Malone, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, and Ralph Sampson. The team has retired the numbers of five players: Clyde Drexler, Calvin Murphy, Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Rudy Tomjanovich. Moses Malone and Hakeem Olajuwon were each named MVP, with Malone winning in 1979 and 1982 while Olajuwon won in 1994. Olajuwon also won NBA Finals MVP in both 1994 and 1995. Olajuwon also won Defensive Player of the Year in 1993 and 1994. Ralph Sampson and Steve Francis were both named Rookie of the Year in 1984 and 2000 respectively. Tom Nissalke won Coach of the Year in 1977 and Don Chaney won the award in 1991.
The Rockets have two main rivals: the San Antonio Spurs and the Utah Jazz. Their rivalry with the Spurs has seen the two teams face off 173 times and is known as the “I-10 Rivalry.” The Rockets have won each of their three-playoff series meetings. The rivalry between the Jazz and the Rockets took on a life of its own during the 1990s when the Jazz had the dynamic-duo of John Stockton and Karl Malone and the Rockets had Hakeem Olajuwon. The two teams met four times in the playoffs during the 90s with the Rockets winning two and the Jazz winning twice en route to the NBA Finals both times.
