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Jazz–Rockets rivalry
The Jazz–Rockets rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets. The rivalry began in the 1990s when the Rockets, led by dominant center Hakeem Olajuwon and college teammate Clyde Drexler, and the Jazz, led by the pick-and-roll duo of Karl Malone and John Stockton, were playoff powers in the Midwest Division. The teams faced each other four times in the NBA playoffs during the decade. In all four instances, the winner was the eventual Western Conference champion and played in the NBA Finals. In 2007, the rivalry was restored as the two teams met again in the playoffs and a showdown of two of the best 1–2 combos of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming of the Rockets and Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer of the Jazz. In 2018, the rivalry was once again restored as the two teams met in the Western Conference Semifinals, where the Rockets won the series 4–1. In 2019, the two teams met once again in the playoffs, but in the First Round, with the Rockets once again winning the series 4–1.
The major players of both squads, Olajuwon, Drexler, Malone, and Stockton, were all drafted in the mid-1980s, an era in which many other great players were drafted, mostly in the same years as each other. Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde 'the Glide' Drexler led the University of Houston's "Phi Slama Jama" squad to three Final Four appearances. Drexler was drafted in 1983 by Portland, and traded to Houston during their championship run. Olajuwon was drafted first overall by Houston in 1984. John Stockton, on the other hand, was drafted sixteenth by Utah from Gonzaga in the same year and was relatively unknown at the time. The Jazz pulled off another draft steal when they selected Karl Malone thirteenth overall from Louisiana Tech University the next year.
The first meeting in the playoffs between the Rockets and the Jazz was in the 1985 NBA playoffs. Houston, led by its "Twin Towers" of Ralph Sampson and Olajuwon, amassed a 48–34 record in 1984–85, earning a second-place finish in the Midwest Division and the third seed in the playoffs. Utah, tied for fourth in the Midwest with San Antonio, wound up as the sixth seed, reaching the postseason for only the second time in franchise history. Utah, with Stockton, Adrian Dantley, and shot-blocking center Mark Eaton (who won the shot-blocking title and set all-time league records for total blocks (456) and blocks per game (5.6), defeated Houston and its Twin Towers in 5 games despite losing Eaton to an injured right knee.
The teams met in their first major clash with each other in the 1994 NBA playoffs. Olajuwon was widely considered not only the best post player in the league during an era of great centers, but ever since Michael Jordan's first retirement from the NBA, the best player in the league, winning both the NBA Most Valuable Player Award and his second consecutive NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award for the 1993–94 season. Along with Otis Thorpe, Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell, Robert Horry, Mario Elie, and Sam Cassell, the Rockets proved to be a force in the Western Conference. They won the Midwest Division Title with a record of 58–24. As the second seed in the Western Conference, they ousted the Clyde Drexler-led Blazers three games to one, but had trouble with Charles Barkley's Suns, who won the first two games in Houston. The Rockets won the series, four games to three.
The Jazz, with their established duo of Malone (who finished fifth in the league with 25.2 points per game and topped 19,000 career points to move into 25th place on the all-time list) and Stockton (who led the league in assists for the seventh straight season with 12.6 assists per game) and the pick and roll offense, also had Jeff Hornacek (acquired in a trade with Philadelphia for Jeff Malone), veteran forward Tom Chambers, and center Felton Spencer to complement the two leaders. The team posed a challenge to the Rockets for the Midwest Division Title when it won ten straight games from late February to early March and then eight of nine games to finish the season 53–29. Utah defeated San Antonio three games to one, but received a scare from the Denver Nuggets (the eighth seed that upset first-seeded Seattle in the first round) when a 3–0 series lead for the Jazz evaporated into a 3–3 series tie. The Jazz advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three years to face Houston.
The Rockets won the first two games in Houston, then the teams split two games in the Delta Center in Salt Lake City; the Jazz won the first of the two. Game 5 was held in Houston on May 31, 1994. The Rockets hit eight three-pointers in the first three quarters to build a 24-point lead, but the Jazz came back in the fourth quarter and cut the lead to eight. Robert Horry and Olajuwon made clutch shots down the stretch to win it for the Rockets, 94–83, claiming the Western Conference Title and sent the Rockets to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1986. The Rockets won the Championship against Olajuwon's old college rival, Patrick Ewing, and the New York Knicks in a 7-game series. Knicks home court hosted the New York Rangers' first Stanley Cup celebration in 54 years; the Rockets also denied New York City the distinction of having both NBA and NHL championships in the same year.
The next year, the two faced off again, this time in the first round of the 1995 NBA playoffs. Houston struggled throughout much of the season, and finished with a record of 47–35 for the sixth seed in the West. On February 14, 1995, the Rockets traded Otis Thorpe to the Blazers for Clyde Drexler and Tracy Murray. An injury to Carl Herrera forced him to miss most of the second half of the season and the entire postseason and left the power forward position vulnerable. The addition of Drexler as a starter made former starter Vernon Maxwell frustrated enough to take a leave of absence. These issues provided fuel for critics of the Thorpe-Drexler deal.
The Jazz, ended the season on a high note with a record of 60–22, then a franchise record thanks partly to a 15-game winning streak on the road in December and January, the second-longest such streak in NBA history. The starting five of Malone, Stockton, Hornacek, David Benoit, and Felton Spencer, was solid, and the bench possessed key contributors in Adam Keefe, Antoine Carr, James Donaldson, Tom Chambers, and Blue Edwards. The major setback came on January 13, when Spencer suffered a torn left Achilles tendon, which took him out for the rest of the season and the entire postseason. Spencer was not an All-Star, but he was still crucial to the Jazz's championship chances because he was a big body who could hold his own against the great centers in the Western Conference, especially against Hakeem Olajuwon. With the second best record in the Midwest Division to the San Antonio Spurs, the Jazz ended up with the third seed in the West.
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Jazz–Rockets rivalry
The Jazz–Rockets rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets. The rivalry began in the 1990s when the Rockets, led by dominant center Hakeem Olajuwon and college teammate Clyde Drexler, and the Jazz, led by the pick-and-roll duo of Karl Malone and John Stockton, were playoff powers in the Midwest Division. The teams faced each other four times in the NBA playoffs during the decade. In all four instances, the winner was the eventual Western Conference champion and played in the NBA Finals. In 2007, the rivalry was restored as the two teams met again in the playoffs and a showdown of two of the best 1–2 combos of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming of the Rockets and Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer of the Jazz. In 2018, the rivalry was once again restored as the two teams met in the Western Conference Semifinals, where the Rockets won the series 4–1. In 2019, the two teams met once again in the playoffs, but in the First Round, with the Rockets once again winning the series 4–1.
The major players of both squads, Olajuwon, Drexler, Malone, and Stockton, were all drafted in the mid-1980s, an era in which many other great players were drafted, mostly in the same years as each other. Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde 'the Glide' Drexler led the University of Houston's "Phi Slama Jama" squad to three Final Four appearances. Drexler was drafted in 1983 by Portland, and traded to Houston during their championship run. Olajuwon was drafted first overall by Houston in 1984. John Stockton, on the other hand, was drafted sixteenth by Utah from Gonzaga in the same year and was relatively unknown at the time. The Jazz pulled off another draft steal when they selected Karl Malone thirteenth overall from Louisiana Tech University the next year.
The first meeting in the playoffs between the Rockets and the Jazz was in the 1985 NBA playoffs. Houston, led by its "Twin Towers" of Ralph Sampson and Olajuwon, amassed a 48–34 record in 1984–85, earning a second-place finish in the Midwest Division and the third seed in the playoffs. Utah, tied for fourth in the Midwest with San Antonio, wound up as the sixth seed, reaching the postseason for only the second time in franchise history. Utah, with Stockton, Adrian Dantley, and shot-blocking center Mark Eaton (who won the shot-blocking title and set all-time league records for total blocks (456) and blocks per game (5.6), defeated Houston and its Twin Towers in 5 games despite losing Eaton to an injured right knee.
The teams met in their first major clash with each other in the 1994 NBA playoffs. Olajuwon was widely considered not only the best post player in the league during an era of great centers, but ever since Michael Jordan's first retirement from the NBA, the best player in the league, winning both the NBA Most Valuable Player Award and his second consecutive NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award for the 1993–94 season. Along with Otis Thorpe, Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell, Robert Horry, Mario Elie, and Sam Cassell, the Rockets proved to be a force in the Western Conference. They won the Midwest Division Title with a record of 58–24. As the second seed in the Western Conference, they ousted the Clyde Drexler-led Blazers three games to one, but had trouble with Charles Barkley's Suns, who won the first two games in Houston. The Rockets won the series, four games to three.
The Jazz, with their established duo of Malone (who finished fifth in the league with 25.2 points per game and topped 19,000 career points to move into 25th place on the all-time list) and Stockton (who led the league in assists for the seventh straight season with 12.6 assists per game) and the pick and roll offense, also had Jeff Hornacek (acquired in a trade with Philadelphia for Jeff Malone), veteran forward Tom Chambers, and center Felton Spencer to complement the two leaders. The team posed a challenge to the Rockets for the Midwest Division Title when it won ten straight games from late February to early March and then eight of nine games to finish the season 53–29. Utah defeated San Antonio three games to one, but received a scare from the Denver Nuggets (the eighth seed that upset first-seeded Seattle in the first round) when a 3–0 series lead for the Jazz evaporated into a 3–3 series tie. The Jazz advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three years to face Houston.
The Rockets won the first two games in Houston, then the teams split two games in the Delta Center in Salt Lake City; the Jazz won the first of the two. Game 5 was held in Houston on May 31, 1994. The Rockets hit eight three-pointers in the first three quarters to build a 24-point lead, but the Jazz came back in the fourth quarter and cut the lead to eight. Robert Horry and Olajuwon made clutch shots down the stretch to win it for the Rockets, 94–83, claiming the Western Conference Title and sent the Rockets to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1986. The Rockets won the Championship against Olajuwon's old college rival, Patrick Ewing, and the New York Knicks in a 7-game series. Knicks home court hosted the New York Rangers' first Stanley Cup celebration in 54 years; the Rockets also denied New York City the distinction of having both NBA and NHL championships in the same year.
The next year, the two faced off again, this time in the first round of the 1995 NBA playoffs. Houston struggled throughout much of the season, and finished with a record of 47–35 for the sixth seed in the West. On February 14, 1995, the Rockets traded Otis Thorpe to the Blazers for Clyde Drexler and Tracy Murray. An injury to Carl Herrera forced him to miss most of the second half of the season and the entire postseason and left the power forward position vulnerable. The addition of Drexler as a starter made former starter Vernon Maxwell frustrated enough to take a leave of absence. These issues provided fuel for critics of the Thorpe-Drexler deal.
The Jazz, ended the season on a high note with a record of 60–22, then a franchise record thanks partly to a 15-game winning streak on the road in December and January, the second-longest such streak in NBA history. The starting five of Malone, Stockton, Hornacek, David Benoit, and Felton Spencer, was solid, and the bench possessed key contributors in Adam Keefe, Antoine Carr, James Donaldson, Tom Chambers, and Blue Edwards. The major setback came on January 13, when Spencer suffered a torn left Achilles tendon, which took him out for the rest of the season and the entire postseason. Spencer was not an All-Star, but he was still crucial to the Jazz's championship chances because he was a big body who could hold his own against the great centers in the Western Conference, especially against Hakeem Olajuwon. With the second best record in the Midwest Division to the San Antonio Spurs, the Jazz ended up with the third seed in the West.