Just curious to see how individuals would rank the Rockets among the all-time great franchises. I have them at #6 based on the following: + Number of championships & Finals appearances + Number of WCFs and playoff appearances + Number of HOF players/coaches + Number of "classic moment" items (Sampson's shot, Clutch City, Elie's Kiss of Death, etc.) I would rank teams in this order: 1. Celtics 2. Lakers 3. Bulls 4. Knicks 5. 76ers 6. Rockets 7. Pistons ??
Surprise, surprise.... someone else started a thread exactly like this about two months ago. The real surprise is how similar the results were.
Weren't the Pistons one of the original NBA teams?? I'd say 25+ more years of history puts them ahead of the Rockets. Heck, I hate to say it, but the Spurs have the same number of NBA titles plus three times as many division titles and a better overall record
The Pistons were 1 of the original teams, but not in Detroit. They were originally in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. I don't remember if the team name was Pistons or not.
Yeah, but the Spurs suck. You know this, man. PS: Screw Duncan and Iceman, it's all about Hakeem and the Dream.
i hate to say it, but it's true.. detroit probably should be in front of houston, IMO. they were the bad boys! plus, the longer history thing helps. oh for those who discredit them because they aren't originally from detroit, the rockets were from san diego. aren't you gonna push the rocks down for that? neither team made their names in their original cities.. well, i think the pistons might have been good in fort wayne. couldn't have been worse than the SD rox. the toughest opponents were in the east back in the pistons' day... just as tough (or perhaps tougher) compared to the toughest teams the rockets beat out in the West for the championship runs. i'm pretty sure the pistons have been to more eastern conference finals than the Rockets have, and they beat the REAL SHOWTIME LA Lakers in the NBA finals . Magic! Worthy! The Rockets beat the Knicks and the lowly "cinderalla" magic, not the Bulls. the pistons trashed the bulls in the east, albeit a team with a younger, inexperienced MJ... I can't think of any HOF-caliber coaches the Rox had except for bill fitch (who wasn't all that in Houston), but the pistons had chuck daily (who will be in the Hall before Rudy or Chaney). hmm, i'm not sure if 'classic moments' should really be considered criterium for a great franchise, but don't you guys remember isaiah grabbing the ball, tucking it under one arm, and dancing in circles? I'm sure they're are at least as many Detroit moments as Houston moments, but I'm not from Detroit so i wouldn't know them as well as someone from there... Sorry, the Pistons are definitely ahead of the Rockets in the greatest franchises department.. Clutch City is a memory to Houstonians mostly, but the Bad Boys is known throughout the league.. I don't hear anybody calling any teams the second coming of CC (too soon maybe?), but there were BB comparisons made to teams with players who got in fights (pacers artest is the latest example). I'm crazy about the Rockets' championship years, but i'm trying to be objective about this.. fire away.
The Rockets made it to the NBA Finals and WCF with four dramatically different lineups. The only thing Detroit has to speak of is the Bad Boys era (3-4 year period) and possibly this past year. No, the Rockets have equal number of rings, more appearances in the Finals, more HOF players having played for the franchise, a better overall winning percentage, etc. Nope, Rockets come out on top.
What have the Knicks ever done to deserve the number 4 spot? They've been in the league since the very first game and have only two rings, both of which came during the Nixon administration. They've had exactly one great team, which stayed together for a few years in the early 1970s. They were competitive for the most part during the Patrick Ewing years, with two trips to the NBA Finals, though the 1999 Eastern Conference title was extremely fluky. Outside of those two eras, the Knicks have been terrible. The late '70s were a disaster, with poor deals for Bob McAdoo and Spencer Haywood; they never got a second top-flight player in the Ewing era; and the current team is an embarrassment. I wouldn't put them higher than sixth on this list.
