The San Diego Rockets entered the NBA in 1967 as an expansion team in the same year the Seattle SuperSonics entered. They selected Pat Riley with their first draft pick in 1967, and proceeded to a then-NBA record 67-loss season.
1968-1971: The "Big E" coin toss
The Rockets won the coin toss versus the Baltimore Bullets, earning them the number one pick in the NBA Draft, selecting Elvin "the Big E" Hayes from the University of Houston. Hayes led the team to the franchise's first ever playoff appearance in 1969.
Move to Houston
In 1971, real estate broker Wayne Duddleston and banker Billy Goldberg bought the franchise for $5.6 million and relocated the team from San Diego, where there was a lack of fan support, to Houston, Texas, the home town of Hayes. The Rockets began playing at the Astrodome and AstroHall, both in Houston, the HemisFair Arena, in San Antonio, the Hofheinz Pavilion, on the University of Houston campus, and at Waco. However, fan support was also scarce in the football-dominated city, and the Rockets averaged less than 5000 fans per game the first season. A local legend has it that some days the local churches in Waco drew more people than the Rockets. Despite this, the team played well, acquiring two promising young players in Calvin Murphy and Rudy Tomjanovich.
ticketwood.com sells all Houston Rockets sports tickets, from the regular season to the NBA playoffs, including NBA West and East conference games tickets. To buy Houston Rockets Tickets, all what you have to do is to find your Rockets tickets and we will make sure you get an awesome buying experience.
We do also carry:
Boston Celtics vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
New Jersey Nets vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
New York Knicks vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Toronto Raptors vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
1972-74: Hayes traded
After trading Hayes to the Baltimore Bullets for Jack Marin, the Rockets went into a rebuilding mode for the next two seasons. The lack of winning did little to capture the city's attention.
1974-76: Playoffs
With Coach John Egan's guidance and Tomjanovich, Murphy, and Mike Newlin leading the way, the Rockets made their first appearance in the playoffs since arriving in Houston. The rockets defeated the New York Knicks (with Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, and Jerry Lucas) in the first round and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals before losing to the Boston Celtics.
We also offer other tickets in Houston such as all Houston centers and Houston arenas. View all Houston Sports Schedule for all Houston events. You can order Houston Rockets tickets either online or by just by picking up the phone. Click on the "Buy Rockets Tickets" link above to see the existing Rockets schedule, Rockets stadium map, or also to order any other Houston basketball tickets.
We do also carry:
New Orleans Hornets vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Chicago Bulls vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Houston Rockets Ticket.
Detroit Pistons vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Indiana Pacers vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
1976-77: A savior
At the insistence of new coach Tom Nissalke, a trade was completed with the Buffalo Braves to acquire Moses Malone, who as a high school star made the unprecedented decision of bypassing college basketball to sign on as a professional with the Utah Stars of the ABA in 1974. The Rockets, now led by Tomjanovich, Murphy, Newlin, Malone, Kevin Kunnert, and rookie guard John Lucas, took the Central Division title. Malone, then a novice 21-year old, outbattled Wes Unseld and Hayes to help the Rockets to a playoff victory in six games against the Washington Bullets. The Rockets' hopes ended against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals on a controversial charging call against Lucas in the final moments of Game 6.
1977-78: The punch felt 'round the world
In a December 9 game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Kunnert got into a fight with the Lakers' Kermit Washington. As Tomjanovich ran over to the two, Washington turned and blindly swung his fist. The powerful blow landed squarely on the face of a running Tomjanovich, causing massive jaw, eye, and cheek injuries; Tomjanovich's skull was also fractured when his head hit the floor. That shocking scene became the defining moment of not only the Rockets' 1977-78 season (a conference finals team the previous year, collapsed into last place with a 28-54 record) but also of two basketball players' professional careers. Tomjanovich, displaying the "heart of a champion", spent the next five months in rehab returning to play as an NBA all-star.
ticketwood.com sells Houston Rockets sports tickets online, from the regular-season to the playoffs, including Basketball championship games tickets, Basketball All Star tickets, Houston tournaments and other Houston sporting events. Looking to buy cheap Rockets tickets or Houston sports tickets – we have them all. Here you'll find important Basketball information about the major Rockets players in the Rockets sports scene: the Houston Basketball professional teams and the Houston’s top universities.
We do also carry:
Denver Nuggets vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Seattle Supersonics vs. Houston Rockets Ticket.
Utah Jazz vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Charlotte Bobcats vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
1978-80: Malone shines, slow playoff progress
Malone receives the league's MVP Award. Malone, not exceptionally big or quick, used subtle moves, perfect positioning, and bulldog determination to become a superb center. Malone, Murphy, and Tomjanovich (who had returned to average 19.0 points) all played in the 1979 NBA All-Star Game. Rick Barry also joined the team that year as a free agent, with the Rockets sending John Lucas to Golden State Warriors as compensation. The future Hall of Famer, now in the twilight of his career, averaged a modest 13.5 points. He did set a new NBA record, however, by posting a .947 free-throw percentage for the season. He would play one more year for the Rockets before retiring in 1980.The Rockets went 47-35 in 1978-79, Nissalke's last season as coach, finshing second in the Central Division losing two straight to Atlanta in a best-of-three first-round series.
Del Harris replaced Nissalke at the helm for the 1979-80 campaign. The Rockets finished the year at 41-41, tying the San Antonio Spurs for second place in the Central Division. After beating the Spurs, two games to one, in the first-round playoff series, they were swept by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The arrival of a third NBA team in Texas, the Dallas Mavericks, caused a reshuffling in 1980-81 that sent Houston to the Midwest Division of the Western Conference, which also included San Antonio, Kansas City, Denver, Utah, and Dallas.
Much more information can be found at the Rockets official website www.nba.com (Houston Rockets) and Rockets links are built-in our coverage. But for a quick look at the Rockets players, Rockets schedule, Rockets tickets inventory and outlook of Basketball pro or college teams, or for upcoming events in Houston, we have all your answers here!
We do also carry:
Miami Heat vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Orlando Magic vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Washington Wizards vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets Ticket.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Phoenix Suns vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
Sacramento Kings vs. Houston Rockets Tickets.
1980-81: The promised land
Malone carries the Rockets to NBA finals. Murphy, the shortest player in the league, sets two NBA records, sinking 78 consecutive free throws to break Rick Barry's mark of 60 set in 1976 achieving a free-throw percentage of .958 breaking Rick Barry's record set with the Rockets in 1979. Other members of the 80-81 team were Rudy Tomjanovich, Robert Reid, Mike Dunleavy, Sr., Allen Leavell, Billy Paultz, Bill Willoughby, Calvin Garrett, Tom Henderson, and Major Jones. Houston tied with Kansas City for second place in the Midwest behind San Antonio with regular season at 40-42.
Houston playoff run began by drawing the defending NBA-champion Lakers and Magic Johnson in the first round. The Rockets upset Los Angeles, two games to one, then got past the Spurs and George Gervin, four games to three, in the western conference semifinals. This set up an unlikely conference finals matchup with Kansas City. The Kings, led by Otis Birdsong, Scott Wedman, and Phil Ford fell to the Rockets in five games. The Houston Rockets finally made it to finals, the first time a team from Houston played for a championship in basketball, football, or baseball. The championship series with Boston was fought to six games. Unfortunately, the Celtics with Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Cedric Maxwell, and Kevin McHale were too strong.
Our pride in satisfying our Rockets customers comes from a long Houston experience in selling tickets. The Houston Rockets NBA tickets is matched only by our promise to providing a wide Houston Rockets tickets and sports information reserve for game schedules, and in depth we cover the Houston Basketball history information. If you would like to purchase any of Houston sports tickets, or to view online Houston Basketball schedules and Houston team’s information, ticketwood.com is the place to visit. Just click any event or team link below to find Houston sports information or buy Houston Rockets tickets.
We do also carry:
76ers vs. Rockets Tickets.
Celtics vs. Rockets Tickets.
Bobcats vs. Rockets Tickets.
Heat vs. Rockets Tickets.
Nets vs. Rockets Ticket.
Knicks vs. Rockets Tickets.
NBA Basketball Playoffs Tickets.
NBA Finals Tickets.
1993-94: Champions at Last!
With Hakeem Olajuwon as their center, the Rockets defeat the New York Knicks in seven games. After being down 3 games to 2 in the NBA Finals, the Rockets win the last two games on their home court, thanks to the misfortunes of New York's best shooter: Knicks guard John Starks misses what would have been a series-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer in Game 6 after the shot was blocked by Olajuwon, and he shoots a cold 2-for-18 from the field in Game 7, missing all six of his 3-point shot attempts.
1994-95: The Glide Comes Home
In a midseason trade with Portland, the Rockets obtain star guard Clyde Drexler, who had played alongside Olajuwon at the University of Houston. Houston struggles in the regular season, and they enter the playoffs as a sixth seed in the Western Conference. They are not expected to defeat the Utah Jazz in the first round, the Phoenix Suns in the second round, or the San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals. In fact, the Suns lead the second-round series 3 games to 1 (just as they did in the same round the year before). However, Houston comes back to win the last three games of the series, and then gets past the Spurs to reach the Finals, where they are matched up with the Orlando Magic. With Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, the Magic is expected to win the championship, but Houston sweeps the series in four straight games. Like his old friend Olajuwon did the previous year, Drexler experiences the joy of winning an NBA championship at last.
ticketwood.com has all major Houston sports events. You will find in this site your favorite Houston teams in all of the major sports. We have great Rockets Tickets, Houston NBA Tickets, and Houston College Basketball Tickets. Plus you can find more Houston NBA Tickets on our website other than these teams. Check out these great information that we have for a lot of great Houston sports teams.
We do also carry:
Magic vs. Rockets Tickets.
Wizards vs. Rockets Tickets.
Bucks vs. Rockets Tickets.
Bulls vs. Rockets Tickets.
Cavaliers vs. Rockets Tickets.
Hawks vs. Rockets Tickets.
2000-02: The Struggling Years
The Rockets during the this era were a total blowout, and in return brought loss of national respect they once had, the Rockets however in the year 2000 brought a 45-37, but it still didn't cut them into the playoffs. Then the aged Hakeem Olajuwon was traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2001 which only leaves Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley as their successors in being the head stars in the team, but the following 2001-2002 season was no success, as their team was moslty made up of young Rookies and bench players which made Steve and Cuttino's job of making the team a winning one more difficult. The first "Hakeem-less" season in almost 20 years was tied up at a disspointing record at 28-54.
All of our Houston Rockets Tickets are either shipped via Federal Express or available for pick up at one of our many ticketwood.com affiliate ticket broker’s offices around the world. Please note that we do not deliver Houston Rockets tickets on Saturday unless, that option is specially requested on your Houston Rockets order and there is an extra charge for Saturday Federal Express delivery.
We do also carry:
Hornets vs. Rockets Tickets.
Pacers vs. Rockets Tickets.
Pistons vs. Rockets Tickets.
Raptors vs. Rockets Tickets.
Grizzlies vs. Rockets Tickets.
Jazz vs. Rockets Tickets.
Mavericks vs. Rockets Tickets.
Nuggets vs. Rockets Tickets.
2002-Present: Yao Ming Era
The losing season of 2001-2002 brought dishonor and a total loss of faith of the Rockets nationally and locally in Houston. But then Yao Ming a tall 7 foot and 6 inches Chinese basketball player from the Shanghai Sharks decided to participate in the NBA draft of 2002, eventually he was picked and was ready for the job. People conidered him as the "New Hakeem" due to his height and the ability to shoot the ball easily, and his tough blocking defense. The 2002-2003 basketball season was a big clean up and a definite return of a winning team reputation which was lost during the turn of the century and a new "Rockets trio" (Yao Ming, Steve Francis, and Cuttino Mobley).
Make sure you have your Houston Rockets directions and schedules and also be sure you have your Houston Rockets address and your Houston Rockets seating chart. I m sure you will get an excellent experience with your Houston Rockets tickets. Another thing check that your Houston Rockets tickets are in your pockets ;) , make sure you have them because I m sure they will not let you in without your tickets .Also make sure you will come to us for any type of tickets we carry the cheapest Houston Rockets and the best Houston Rockets seats.
We do also carry:
Lakers vs. Rockets Tickets.
Spurs vs. Rockets Tickets.
Timberwolves vs. Rockets Tickets.
Clippers vs. Rockets Tickets.
Kings vs. Rockets Tickets.
Suns vs. Rockets Tickets.
Supersonics vs. Rockets Tickets.
Trailblazers vs. Rockets Tickets.
Warriors vs. Rockets Tickets.
NBA All Star Game Tickets.
