The 1994–95 NBA year was the Rockets’ 28th season in the National Basketball Association, also 24th year in Houston. [1] After winning their first tournament, the Rockets went on to win their first nine games of the season. But with greater competition from the West, direction felt that a change was required to win another name. On February 14, the Rockets traded Otis Thorpe into the Portland Trail Blazers to get All-Star guard Clyde Drexler, a former teammate of Hakeem Olajuwon in the University of Houston. However, after the trade, the Rockets fought in the second half of the season posting a record of 17–18 on their way to finishing third at the Midwest Division with a 47–35 record. Olajuwon was chosen for the 1995 NBA All-Star Game.
In the playoffs, the Rockets confronted the 3rd-seeded Utah Jazz in the first round. The Jazz would require a 2–1 series lead, but the Rockets went on to win the series in five matches. In the semifinals, they faced the Phoenix Suns for the second consecutive year. The Rockets was able to conquer the Suns in seven matches ahead of the Western Conference Finals. In all Texas Western Conference, they faced the San Antonio Spurs. The two teams lacked home court advantage in the series, only winning on the road until the Rockets won Game 6 in The Summit and advanced to the NBA Finals. From the Finals, they swept the Orlando Magic in four straight matches, and won their second consecutive championship. Following the year, Vernon Maxwell signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers, and Tracy Murray left in the 1995 NBA Expansion Draft.
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