 The Houston Rockets began playing in San Diego in 1967, but quickly picked up and moved to Texas in 1971. The early squads struggled. The first draft pick, Pat Riley, would never emerge as more than a bench player. The Rockets made things right in 1968 when they picked Elvin Hayes. Hayes led the Houston Rockets to the playoffs that season. This playoff appearance would be the lone postseason while the team stayed in San Diego. The move to Houston came with a roster led by Hayes, Calvin Murphy, and Rudy Tomjanovich. The 1970s started slowly, but by 1974, the Rockets had become a true playoff team. Murphy and Tomjanovich played with Mike Newlin to finish .500 or better for the first time in franchise history in 1975. The real turning point came in 1976 when the Houston Rockets traded for Moses Malone. Malone, Tomjanovich, and Murphy were the leaders on the 1980-81 Houston Rockets. The team only went 40-42 during the regular season schedule, but managed to beat the Lakers, the Spurs, and the Kings on their way to the NBA Finals. There the Houston Rockets met the Boston Celtics, who beat them in six games. The Rockets returned to the NBA Finals in 1986, this time with Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson as the twin towers. Again Houston played the Celtics and again they lost in six games. While Sampson would end his promising career a few years later after injuries robbed him of reaching hi potential, Olajuwon remained a rock in Houston. The Rockets took advantage of Jordan's two year hiatus and won two NBA Championships, in 1994 and 1995. The first team featured Olajuwon, Kenny Smith, and a number of role players, but the second Houston Rockets championship squad won with Clyde Drexler, who was reunited with Olajuwon (they played together at the University of Houston). The Rockets added Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen to future rosters in the ‘90s, but they could not return to the NBA Finals. Houston started over. They drafted Yao Ming in 2002 and traded for Tracy McGrady. The two gave the Rockets an inside-outside combo few teams had ever seen. Houston built around them every year, trying to find the right mix of role players to support the stars and go back to the finals.
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