„Houston Rockets” változatai közötti eltérés
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+J. B. Bickerstaff |
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35. sor:
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The Rockets were founded in 1967 in San Diego by Robert Breitbard, who paid an entry fee of US $1.75 million to join the NBA as an expansion team for the 1967–68 NBA season.[4][5] The NBA wanted to add more teams in the Western United States, and chose San Diego based on the city's strong economic and population growths, along with the local success of an ice hockey team owned by Breitbard, the San Diego Gulls. The resulting contest to name the franchise chose the name "Rockets", which paid homage to San Diego's theme of "a city in motion" and the local arm of General Dynamics developing the Atlas missile and booster rocket program.[4][6] Breitbard brought in Jack McMahon, then coach of the Cincinnati Royals, to serve as the Rockets' coach and general manager.[6][7] The team, that would join the league along with the Seattle SuperSonics, then built its roster with both veteran players at an expansion draft, and college players from the 1967 NBA draft, where San Diego's first ever draft pick was Pat Riley.[6][8] The Rockets lost 67 games in their inaugural season,[9] which was an NBA record for losses in a season at the time.[10]
In 1968, after the Rockets won a coin toss against the Baltimore Bullets to determine who would have the first overall pick in the 1968 NBA draft,[11] they selected Elvin Hayes from the University of Houston.[12] Hayes improved the Rockets' record to 37 wins and 45 losses, enough for the franchise's first ever playoff appearance in 1969,[13] but the Rockets lost in the semi-finals of the Western Division to the Atlanta Hawks, four games to two.[13] Despite the additions of Calvin Murphy and Rudy Tomjanovich and the management of Hall of Fame coach Alex Hannum, the Rockets tallied a 57–97 record in the following two seasons and did not make the playoffs in either season.[14][15] Because of the low performance and attendance, Breitbard looked to sell the team,[4] and in 1971, Texas Sports Investments bought the franchise for $5.6 million, and moved the team to Houston.[4] The franchise became the first NBA team in Texas,[16] and the nickname "Rockets" took on even greater relevance after the move, given Houston's long connection to the space industry.[17]
1971–1976: Improving in Houston with Murphy and Rudy-T[edit]
Before the start of the 1971–72 NBA season, Hannum left for the Denver Rockets of the American Basketball Association – later renamed Denver Nuggets, who joined the NBA in 1976 – [18] and Tex Winter was hired in his place.[19] However, Winter's clashes with Hayes, due to a system that contrasted with the offensive style to which Hayes was accustomed, made Hayes ask for a trade, leaving for the Baltimore Bullets at the end of the 1971–72 season.[20]
It was also around this time that the Rockets would unveil their classic yellow and red logo and accompanying uniforms used until the end of the 1994–95 season.[5] Winter left soon after, being fired in January 1973 following a ten-game losing streak, and was replaced by Johnny Egan.[21] Egan led the Rockets back to the playoffs in 1975, where the franchise also managed to win their first round against the New York Knicks, subsequently losing to the veteran Boston Celtics in 5 games. At that time the Rockets gained popularity in Houston, selling out several home games during the regular season as the Rockets battled for a playoff spot and then selling out all of their home playoff games.[22]
1976–1982: The Moses Malone era[edit]
In the 1975–76 NBA season the Rockets finally had a permanent home in Houston as they moved into The Summit, which they would call home for the next 29 years. During the period, the franchise was owned by Kenneth Schnitzer, developer of the Greenway Plaza which included The Summit.[23] After missing the 1976 playoffs, Tom Nissalke was hired as a coach, and pressed the team to add a play-making guard in college standout John Lucas and a rebounding center through Moses Malone, who he had coached in the ABA.[24] The additions had an immediate impact, with the 1976–77 Rockets winning the Central Division and going all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, losing to the Julius Erving's Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2.[25] The following season had the team regressing to just 28 wins due to an injury to captain Tomjanovich, who got numerous facial fractures after being punched by Kermit Washington of the Los Angeles Lakers and wound up spending five months in rehabilitation.[26][27][28] After trading Lucas to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Rick Barry,[29] the Rockets returned to the playoffs in 1978–79, with "The Chairman Of The Boards" Moses Malone receiving the 1979 MVP Award,[30] but the team was swept 2–0 by Atlanta in the first round.[31] Nissalke was let go, and assistant Del Harris was promoted to head coach.[32]
In 1979 George Maloof, a businessperson from Albuquerque, New Mexico, bought the Rockets for $9 million. He died the following year, and while the Maloof family expressed interest in selling the team, George's 24-year-old son Gavin took over the Rockets. A buyer was eventually found in 1982 as businessman Charlie Thomas purchased the franchise for $11 million. The Maloof period of ownership marked the first dominant period of the Rockets,[33][34] highlighted by the team's first NBA Finals appearance in 1981. Prior to the 1980–81 season, the arrival of the Dallas Mavericks led to an NBA realignment that sent the Rockets back to the Western Conference.[35] Houston qualified for the playoffs only in the final game of the season with a 40–42 record.[36] The post-season had the Rockets beat the Lakers, in-state rivals San Antonio Spurs, and the equally underdog Kansas City Kings to become only the second team in NBA history (after the 1959 Minneapolis Lakers) to have advanced to the Finals after achieving a losing record in the regular season.[37] In the final round facing Larry Bird's Boston Celtics in the finals round, the Rockets blew a late lead in Game 1 and won Game 2 at the Boston Garden. However, afterwards the team failed to capitalize on the early success against the favored Celtics, and eventually lost in six games.[38]
While new owner Charlie Thomas expressed interest in renewing with Moses Malone,[34] which had been again chosen as MVP in 1981–82,[30] the Rockets traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers for Caldwell Jones, as a declining regional economy made the Rockets unable to pay Malone's salary.[39] When the Rockets finished a league worst 14–68,[40] Celtics coach Bill Fitch was hired to replace outgoing Del Harris,[39] and the team won the first pick of the 1983 NBA draft,[39] used to select Ralph Sampson from the University of Virginia.[41] Sampson had good numbers and was awarded the NBA Rookie of the Year award,[42] but the Rockets still finished last overall, again getting the top pick at the upcoming 1984 NBA draft, used to select Hakeem Olajuwon from the University of Houston.[43]{{-}}
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