The Rockets 1995 title run is one of the most impressive in NBA history. During the cutting down of the net celebration, head coach Rudy Tomjanovich uttered the now famous line "Never underestimate the heart of a champion". The Rockets swept the Magic and won their second NBA title. The Rockets, however, proved to be too much for the young Magic.
#1994 and 1995 houston rockets roster series
Orlando had been impressive in the playoffs, and were the only team in the 1990s to win a playoff series vs Michael Jordan. The Magic were heavily favorited, and where the top team in the East that year. In the finals the Spurs would meet the upstart Orlando Magic. The Rockets would be the first team in the series to get a home win in game 6 closing out the top seeded Spurs in 6 games and advancing back to the NBA finals. The Rockets won both games in San Antonio, but the Spurs turned around and won both games in Houston only to have the Rockets grab a 3-2 series lead win a game 5 victory in San Antonio. The series was odd in that the first five games seen the road teams win. The Rockets would face the number 1 seed and best team in the NBA that year the San Antonio Spurs. The Rockets would become just the 5th in NBA history to win a series after being down 3-1. In game 7, Mario Elie hit a shot with 7 seconds left to seal the victory and the series for the Rockets. The Rockets somehow miraculously would win the next two games and force game 7. But the Suns rebounded and took game 4 and a 3-1 series lead. The Rockets would get blown out in games 1 and 2, but come back in game 3 with a blow out of their own. In the second round the Rockets would face the Phoenix Suns. The Rockets would eek out a stunning game 5 victory and advance to the second round. The Jazz rebounded in game 3 and the Rockets would take the series back to Salt Lake City with a game 4 victory. Houston would lose their opening game at the buzzer against the Jazz in Salt Lake City, but would trounce the Jazz in game 2. The team limped into the post season as the 6th seed, and would have to face a western conference loaded with elite teams. Going into the 1995 NBA playoffs, the defending champion Rockets, looked like a team that was about to face a first round exit.
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Never Underestimate the Heart of a Champion: He would lead his Knicks against the Rockets in the 1994 NBA finals, but fall to the team that drafted him in 7 games. Riley would have a solid career, but would go on to be one of the greatest coaches in NBA history. Riley would play 3 seasons with the Rockets before moving to Los Angeles. The first ever draft pick of the San Diego Rockets was Kentucky forward Pat Riley. Houston is home to NASA's Mission Control center and still plays a major part in American space advancements today. In 1971 the Rockets relocated to Houston and the name stuck because it fit better in Houston than it did in San Diego. Many space firms sprung up in and around San Diego, so the ownership of the team chose the name Rockets to reflect this burgeoning industry. In the 1960s the Space Age and Space Race was on every American's mind, and San Diego played a key part in the race. The Rockets originally began in San Diego, California in 1967.