List of Houston Rockets seasons

The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The Rockets play in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before moving to Houston, Texas.^[1]

The Rockets moved into the Toyota Center at the start of the 2003–2004 season.^[1]

In the Rockets' debut season, their win–loss record was 15–67. After drafting Elvin Hayes first overall in the 1968 NBA draft, they made their first appearance in the playoffs in 1969. After Hayes was traded, Moses Malone replaced him. Malone won two Most Valuable Player awards during his time in Houston, and led the Rockets to the 1977 Eastern Conference finals in his first year with the Rockets. He also led the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981, but they were defeated in six games by the Boston Celtics. Two years after advancing to the finals, the Rockets won a franchise-low 14 games.^[2]

In 1984, the Rockets drafted future Hall-of-Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, who led them to the 1986 Finals in his second year, in which they lost again to Boston. In the next seven seasons, they lost in the first round of the playoffs five times. They did not win their first championship until 1994, when Olajuwon led them to a franchise-best 58 wins, and the championship. The Rockets repeated the feat in 1995, but have not advanced to the finals since. They missed the playoffs from 1999 to 2003, and did not reach the playoffs until after they drafted Yao Ming in 2003. They did not advance past the first round of the playoffs for 13 years, until the 2008–09 NBA season. After the arrival of James Harden in 2012 and Dwight Howard the following year, the Rockets had their best seasons since the Olajuwon days, culminating in the Southwest Division title and a return to the Western Conference finals in 2015. The 2017–18 Rockets made franchise history by becoming the first Houston team ever to win 60 or more games in a regular season, finishing at 65–17.

The Rockets have played 54 seasons, and advanced to the playoffs in 34 of those seasons. They also have regular season records of .500 or better in 38 of their 54 seasons, placing them well into the upper third of NBA franchises in overall win–loss records. They have won eight division titles, and have been conference champions four times. Their overall record is 2,444 wins and 2,328 losses.^[3]

Table key

ASG MVP	All-Star Game Most Valuable Player
COY	Coach of the Year
DPOY	Defensive Player of the Year
EOY	Executive of the Year
Finish	Final position in league or division standings
FMVP	Finals Most Valuable Player
GB	Games behind first-place team in division^[a]
L	Number of regular-season losses
JWKC	J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship
MVP	Most Valuable Player
ROY	Rookie of the Year
W	Number of regular-season wins

Seasons

Note: Statistics are correct as of the 2023–24 season.

NBA champions

Conference champions

Division champions

Playoff berth

Season	League	Conference	Finish	Division	Finish	Wins	Losses	Win%	GB	Playoffs	Awards	Head Coach
San Diego Rockets
1967–68	NBA	—	—	Western	6th	15	67	.183	41		—	Jack McMahon
1968–69	NBA	—	—	Western	4th	37	45	.451	18	Lost Division semifinals (Hawks) 4–2^[4]	—
1969–70	NBA	—	—	Western	7th	27	55	.329	21		—	Jack McMahon Alex Hannum
1970–71	NBA	Western	7th	Pacific^[b]	3rd	40	42	.488	8		—	Alex Hannum
Houston Rockets
1971–72	NBA	Western	7th	Pacific	4th	34	48	.415	35		—	Tex Winter
1972–73	NBA	Eastern	5th	Central	3rd	33	49	.402	19		—	Tex Winter Johnny Egan
1973–74	NBA	Eastern	6th	Central	3rd	32	50	.390	15		—	Johnny Egan
1974–75	NBA	Eastern	4th	Central	2nd	41	41	.500	19	Won First round (Knicks) 2–1 Lost conference semifinals (Celtics) 4–1^[7]	—
1975–76	NBA	Eastern	6th	Central	3rd	40	42	.488	9		—
1976–77	NBA	Eastern	2nd	Central	1st	49	33	.598	—	Won conference semifinals (Bullets) 4–2 Lost conference finals (76ers) 4–2^[8]	Tom Nissalke (COY) Ray Patterson (EOY)	Tom Nissalke
1977–78	NBA	Eastern	9th	Central	6th	28	54	.341	24		—
1978–79	NBA	Eastern	4th	Central	2nd	47	35	.573	1	Lost First round (Hawks) 2–0^[9]	Moses Malone (MVP) Calvin Murphy (JWKC)
1979–80	NBA	Eastern	4th	Central	2nd	41	41	.500	9	Won First round (Spurs) 2–1 Lost conference semifinals (Celtics) 4–0^[10]	—	Del Harris
1980–81	NBA	Western	6th	Midwest	3rd^[c]	40	42	.488	12	Won First round (Lakers) 2–1 Won conference semifinals (Spurs) 4–3 Won conference finals (Kings) 4–1 Lost NBA Finals (Celtics) 4–2^[12]	—
1981–82	NBA	Western	6th	Midwest	3rd^[d]	46	36	.561	2	Lost First round (SuperSonics) 2–1^[14]	Moses Malone (MVP)
1982–83	NBA	Western	12th	Midwest	6th	14	68	.171	39		—
1983–84	NBA	Western	12th	Midwest	6th	29	53	.354	16		Ralph Sampson (ROY)	Bill Fitch
1984–85	NBA	Western	3rd	Midwest	2nd	48	34	.585	4	Lost First round (Jazz) 3–2^[15]	Ralph Sampson (ASG MVP)
1985–86	NBA	Western	2nd	Midwest	1st	51	31	.622	—	Won First round (Kings) 3–0 Won conference semifinals (Nuggets) 4–2 Won conference finals (Lakers) 4–1 Lost NBA Finals (Celtics) 4–2^[16]	—
1986–87	NBA	Western	6th	Midwest	3rd	42	40	.512	13	Won First round (Trail Blazers) 3–1 Lost conference semifinals (SuperSonics) 4–2^[17]	—
1987–88	NBA	Western	6th	Midwest	4th	46	36	.561	8	Lost First round (Mavericks) 3–1^[18]	—
1988–89	NBA	Western	5th	Midwest	2nd	45	37	.549	6	Lost First round (SuperSonics) 3–1^[19]	—	Don Chaney
1989–90	NBA	Western	8th	Midwest	5th	41	41	.500	15	Lost First round (Lakers) 3–1^[20]	—
1990–91	NBA	Western	6th	Midwest	3rd	52	30	.634	3	Lost First round (Lakers) 3–0^[21]	Don Chaney (COY)
1991–92	NBA	Western	9th	Midwest	3rd	42	40	.512	13		—	Don Chaney Rudy Tomjanovich
1992–93	NBA	Western	2nd	Midwest	1st	55	27	.671	—	Won First round (Clippers) 3–2 Lost conference semifinals (SuperSonics) 4–3^[22]	Hakeem Olajuwon (DPOY)	Rudy Tomjanovich
1993–94	NBA	Western	2nd	Midwest	1st	58	24	.707	—	Won First round (Trail Blazers) 3–1 Won conference semifinals (Suns) 4–3 Won conference finals (Jazz) 4–1 Won NBA Finals (Knicks) 4–3^[23]	Hakeem Olajuwon (MVP, FMVP, DPOY)
1994–95	NBA	Western	6th	Midwest	3rd	47	35	.573	15	Won First round (Jazz) 3–2 Won conference semifinals (Suns) 4–3 Won conference finals (Spurs) 4–2 Won NBA Finals (Magic) 4–0^[24]	Hakeem Olajuwon (FMVP)
1995–96	NBA	Western	5th	Midwest	3rd	48	34	.585	11	Won First round (Lakers) 3–1 Lost conference semifinals (SuperSonics) 4–0^[25]	—
1996–97	NBA	Western	3rd	Midwest	2nd	57	25	.695	7	Won First round (Timberwolves) 3–0 Won conference semifinals (SuperSonics) 4–3 Lost conference finals (Jazz) 4–2^[26]	—
1997–98	NBA	Western	8th	Midwest	4th	41	41	.500	21	Lost First round (Jazz) 3–2^[27]	—
1998–99^[e]	NBA	Western	5th	Midwest	3rd	31	19	.620	6	Lost First round (Lakers) 3–1^[29]	—
1999–00	NBA	Western	11th	Midwest	6th	34	48	.415	21		Steve Francis^[f] (ROY)
2000–01	NBA	Western	9th	Midwest	5th	45	37	.549	13		—
2001–02	NBA	Western	11th	Midwest	5th	28	54	.341	30		—
2002–03	NBA	Western	9th	Midwest	5th	43	39	.524	17		—
2003–04	NBA	Western	7th	Midwest	5th	45	37	.549	13	Lost First round (Lakers) 4–1^[31]	—	Jeff Van Gundy
2004–05	NBA	Western	5th	Southwest	3rd	51	31	.622	8	Lost First round (Mavericks) 4–3^[32]	—
2005–06	NBA	Western	12th	Southwest	5th	34	48	.415	29		—
2006–07	NBA	Western	5th	Southwest	3rd	52	30	.634	15	Lost First round (Jazz) 4–3^[33]	—
2007–08	NBA	Western	5th	Southwest	3rd	55	27	.671	1	Lost First round (Jazz) 4–2^[34]	—	Rick Adelman
2008–09	NBA	Western	5th	Southwest	2nd	53	29	.646	1	Won First round (Trail Blazers) 4–2 Lost conference semifinals (Lakers) 4–3^[35]	Dikembe Mutombo (JWKC)
2009–10	NBA	Western	9th	Southwest	3rd	42	40	.512	13		Aaron Brooks (MIP)
2010–11	NBA	Western	9th	Southwest	5th	43	39	.524	18		—
2011–12^[g]	NBA	Western	9th	Southwest	4th	34	32	.515	16		—	Kevin McHale
2012–13	NBA	Western	8th	Southwest	3rd	45	37	.549	15	Lost First round (Thunder) 4–2^[37]	—
2013–14	NBA	Western	4th	Southwest	2nd	54	28	.659	8	Lost First round (Trail Blazers) 4–2^[38]	—
2014–15	NBA	Western	2nd	Southwest	1st	56	26	.683	—	Won First round (Mavericks) 4–1 Won conference semifinals (Clippers) 4–3 Lost conference finals (Warriors) 4–1^[39]	—
2015–16	NBA	Western	8th	Southwest	4th	41	41	.500	26	Lost First round (Warriors) 4–1^[40]	—	Kevin McHale J. B. Bickerstaff
2016–17	NBA	Western	3rd	Southwest	2nd	55	27	.671	6	Won First round (Thunder) 4–1 Lost conference semifinals (Spurs) 4–2^[41]	Eric Gordon (SIX) Mike D'Antoni (COY)	Mike D'Antoni
2017–18	NBA	Western	1st	Southwest	1st	65	17	.793	—	Won First round (Timberwolves) 4–1 Won conference semifinals (Jazz) 4–1 Lost conference finals (Warriors) 4–3^[42]	James Harden (MVP) Daryl Morey (EOY)
2018–19	NBA	Western	4th	Southwest	1st	53	29	.646	—	Won First round (Jazz) 4–1 Lost conference semifinals (Warriors) 4–2^[43]	—
2019–20^[h]	NBA	Western	4th	Southwest	1st	44	28	.611	—	Won First round (Thunder) 4–3 Lost conference semifinals (Lakers) 4–1^[45]	—
2020–21	NBA	Western	15th	Southwest	5th	17	55	.236	25		—	Stephen Silas
2021–22	NBA	Western	15th	Southwest	5th	20	62	.244	44		—
2022–23	NBA	Western	14th	Southwest	4th	22	60	.268	30.5		—
2023–24	NBA	Western	11th	Southwest	3rd	41	41	.500	9		—	Ime Udoka
Total (57 seasons)						2,369	2,237	.514	2 NBA Championships			16 Head Coaches

All-time records

Complete through the 2023–24 regular season

Statistic	Wins	Losses	Win%
San Diego Rockets regular season record (1968–1971)	119	209	.363
Houston Rockets regular season record (1971–present)	2,250	2,028	.526
All-time regular season record (1968–present)	2,369	2,237	.514
San Diego Rockets post-season record (1969)	2	4	.333
Houston Rockets post-season record (1975–present)	156	160	.494
All-time post-season record (1969–present)	158	164	.491
All-time regular and post-season record	2,527	2,401	.513

Notes

1. The formula is: ${\displaystyle \mathrm {Games} \ \mathrm {behind} ={\frac {(\mathrm {TeamA's} \ \mathrm {wins} -\mathrm {TeamB's} \ \mathrm {wins} )+(\mathrm {TeamB's} \ \mathrm {losses} -\mathrm {TeamA's} \ \mathrm {losses} )}{\mathrm {2} }}}$ 
2. The Western Division was renamed to the Western Conference and split into the Midwest and Pacific divisions.^[5][6]
3. Though the Rockets had the same record as the Kansas City Kings in the Midwest Division, the Rockets lost the tiebreaker and finished third.^[11]
4. Though the Rockets had the same record as the Denver Nuggets in the Midwest Division, the Rockets lost the tiebreaker and finished third.^[13]
5. Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999, and all 29 teams played a shortened 50-game regular season schedule.^[28]
6. Francis shared Rookie of the Year honors with Elton Brand of the Chicago Bulls.^[30]
7. Due to a lockout, the season did not start until December 25, 2011 and all 30 teams played a shortened 66 game regular season schedule.^[36]
8. Season suspended mid-season due to the global COVID-19 pandemic^[44]

References

General

• "Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
• "Team Index". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
• "Playoff Index". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
• "Awards and Honors Index". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 7, 2008.

Specific

1. "Owners, fans waited years before Rockets took off". Houston Chronicle. September 20, 2001. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
2. "Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
3. "Team Index". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
4. "1968–69 San Diego Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
5. "1969–70 NBA Season Summary". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
6. "1970–71 NBA Season Summary". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
7. "1974–75 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
8. "1976–77 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
9. "1978–79 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
10. "1979–80 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
11. "1980–81 NBA Season Summary". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
12. "1980–81 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
13. "1981–82 NBA Season Summary". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
14. "1981–82 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
15. "1984–85 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
16. "1985–86 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
17. "1986–87 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
18. "1987–88 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
19. "1988–89 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
20. "1989–90 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
21. "1990–91 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
22. "1992–93 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
23. "1993–94 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
24. "1994–95 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
25. "1995–96 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
26. "1996–97 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
27. "1997–98 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
28. Donovan, John (February 4, 1999). "Let the semi-season begin: Expect injuries, intensity and a new champion in '99". CNN Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
29. "1998–99 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
30. "Rookie of the Year Award Winners". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
31. "2003–04 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
32. "2004–05 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
33. "2006–07 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
34. "2007–08 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
35. "2008–09 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
36. Beck, Howard (November 28, 2011). "Two Exhibition Games for N.B.A. Teams". The New York Times. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
37. "2012–13 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
38. "2013–14 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
39. "2014–15 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
40. "2015–16 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
41. "2016–17 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
42. "2017–18 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
43. "2018–19 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
44. Aschburner, Steve (March 12, 2020). "Coronavirus pandemic causes NBA to suspend season after player tests positive". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
45. "2019–20 Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 15, 2022.