houston rockets history
houston rockets history
Would someone please give the Houston Rocket ticket holders a point guard? How did that not happen in the off-season? Rafer Alston? Is that really the best they can do? The Rockets are perched at the verge of being part of the NBA elite. They have a superstar in Tracy McGrady. They have a post player with unrivaled potential in Yao Ming. And they have no one to give them the ball. Houston Rocket fans can look forward to one more year of McGrady doing absolutely everything for his team. Things could be worse. McGrady is better at wearing multiple hats than anyone since His Airness. But a little bit of help could really go a long way in making a good Rockets team great.
The Rockets know a thing or two about greatness. More than any other team besides the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston has been able to find great big men through the years. Rockets ticket holders have been able to watch the likes of Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone, Ralph Sampson, and the great Hakeem Olajuwon.
Malone led Houston to the Finals in 1981. His Rockets team bowed to the Larry Bird-led Boston Celtics, but Malone would win two MVP’s with Houston before moving to Philadelphia.
Ralph Sampson then arrived as a highly regarded prospect. A towering 7’4”center, there was very little Sampson could not do on a basketball floor
A year later Olajuwon came to Houston, giving the Rockets a deadly duo of 7-footers dubbed “The Twin Towers.” The pair of giants was an impossible match-up, and Houston joined the upper echelon of teams immediately.
In 1986, the Rockets returned to the NBA Finals. Once again, Larry Bird and company were waiting for them. Six games later, Houston lost to one of the best teams in NBA history.
Eight years later, former Rocket Rudy Tomjanovich coached the Rockets back to an NBA Championship. Sampson was gone, but 1994 MVP Olajuwon had assumed the distinction of NBA superstar. Houston edged Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks for their first NBA title.
Clyde Drexler arrived the next year, after a great career in Portland. He was not exactly “The Glide” anymore, but his addition secured another title for Olajuwon, who bested a youngster by the name of Shaquille O’Neal in the NBA Finals.
Despite adding Charles Barkley a year later, the Rockets were unable to maintain a championship level. In the following years, they went through struggles until they were able to land McGrady.
Can McGrady do enough to take the team to the NBA Championship? Probably. But a point guard would sure make his life easier. Houston Rockets tickets are always worth the money because McGrady can do so much. If they can ever find someone to handle the ball, the Rockets would be a true NBA powerhouse.
