A couple of issues with this list: Namely, Utah, Indiana, and Portland. Zero championships and 1. 10. HOUSTON ROCKETS: 50.64 POINTS PER SEASON (1967-2009) Wins: 1,737 Playoff wins: 116 Series wins: 24 Titles: 2 All-Stars: 51 Best player: Hakeem Olajuwon Best coach: Rudy Tomjanovich Best team: 1993-94 (58-24, won NBA title) While we bemoan the nicknames L.A. and Utah were stuck with because the relocated teams carried a nickname to a city where it no longer made sense, Houston was a bit more fortunate. The Rockets left San Diego after only four years but brought the Rockets name to Houston --- the home of NASA headquarters. It was a perfect fit. The club has been synonymous with great centers ever since. Moses Malone and Hakeem Olajuwon both won MVP awards and conference championships here, while Yao Ming has become a worldwide icon. FRANCHISE HISTORY Houston Rockets (1971-Present) San Diego Rockets (1967-71) The team's first decade was a miserable one, with just two playoff appearances, but the Rockets broke through behind forward Rudy Tomjanovich and a 21-year-old Malone to win the Central Division and reach the Eastern Conference finals in 1977. Four years later Malone would deliver them a playoff upset of the Lakers and a trip to the Finals after a 40-42 regular season, where they lost to Boston in a surprisingly tough six games. Moses left two years later, but his departure put Houston in position to draft Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson in consecutive years. That duo reached the 1986 Finals thanks to a miraculous spinning shot by Sampson that beat the Lakers in the conference finals before, again, Houston lost to Boston in six games. Despite seven straight nonlosing seasons with Olajuwon, the Rockets couldn't seem to get over the hump, winning between 41 and 52 games and losing in the first or second round every year. That changed in 1994, when Tomjanovich -- now coaching -- set a series of 3-point shooting role players around Olajuwon and relied on Hakeem's dominant low-post skills to do the rest. Houston became known as Clutch City after the Rockets won consecutive titles with this group, the second coming in 1995 as the conference's sixth seed following a midseason trade for Clyde Drexler. In those two seasons the Rockets went 8-0 in elimination games and twice came back from 2-0 deficits in the second round against Phoenix. And with three great centers, 26 playoff seasons, four trips to the Finals and nine 50-win seasons -- including four in the past five years -- they've given their fans plenty to cheer since coming from San Diego.
TOP 10 No. 1: Los Angeles Lakers No. 2: Boston Celtics No. 3: San Antonio Spurs No. 4: Chicago Bulls No. 5: Phoenix Suns No. 6: Philadelphia 76ers No. 7: Utah Jazz No. 8: Portland Trail Blazers No. 9: Indiana Pacers No. 10: Houston Rockets
You left Phoenix off of your list. We beat two of their best teams ever in the playoffs in consecutive years and they're ahead of us in part because they got bonus points for being fun to watch. Also, should it really count against a team when they relocate after only four years in the league?
did you guys even read the other profiles? All of the teams ahead of the Rockets have really impressive resumes. If you only care about championships then stop posting about the article, make your own thread, and list NBA teams by championships. Being ranked 10th in a 30 team league is not bad at all especially when the Rockets rank 9th in number of titles won.
this article is a ****ing joke. jazz at 7 despite never winning anything. suns never won anything either. i can't believe they rated the spurs over the bulls (LOL). are you serious. the spurs have never been the face of the NBA, the bulls DEFINED a whole decade of basketball.
i dont understand why people are complaining about this list - its based on a FORMULA that he clearly lays out. your criticisms should be focused at the point system, like maybe all star appearances should have been counted differently or something. i think the pt. system makes sense and the list came out the way it was. now am i glad to be a rockets fan and NOT a suns pacers or jazz fan? HELL YES. but if you use his formula, this is an interesting take on all the franchises. just take it for what it is.
