# 1994–95 Houston Rockets season
The 1994–95 [Houston Rockets](https://www.edgepedia.org/houston-rockets) season was the [National Basketball Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-basketball-association) (NBA) campaign in which the defending-champion Rockets won a second consecutive NBA title, defeating the [Orlando Magic](https://www.edgepedia.org/orlando-magic) 4–0 in the 1995 NBA Finals despite finishing the regular season only 47–35 and entering the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Western Conference.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1994-95) • [2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/1995.html) • [3](https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1995.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regular-season record | 47–35 (.573), 3rd of 6 in the NBA Midwest Division[2](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/1995.html) |
| Playoff seed | 6th in the Western Conference; the first No. 6 seed to win an NBA championship[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1994-95) |
| Finals result | Houston over Orlando, 4–0; only the sixth Finals sweep in league history[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1994-95) • [3](https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1995.html) |
| Key trade | February 14, 1995: Otis Thorpe, Marcelo Nicola, and a 1995 first-round pick to Portland for Clyde Drexler and Tracy Murray[4](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/1995_transactions.html) |
| Leading player | Hakeem Olajuwon, 27.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.36 blocks per game in the regular season; second straight Finals MVP[5](https://www.sportslookback.com/sports-history-articles/basketball/western-conference-nba/southwest/houston-rockets/houston-rockets-finally-lifting-off/) • [1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1994-95) |
| Finals scoring | Olajuwon 32.8 points per game to Shaquille O'Neal's 28[5](https://www.sportslookback.com/sports-history-articles/basketball/western-conference-nba/southwest/houston-rockets/houston-rockets-finally-lifting-off/) |
| Franchise milestone | With the 1995 title the Rockets became the fifth franchise in NBA history with back-to-back championships[6](https://ak-static-int.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/10/2016-17-Media-Guide-Rockets.pdf) |
## Regular season
Houston entered the season seeking to join the last four champions, all of whom had repeated as back-to-back NBA champions. By midseason the team hardly looked like a serious contender and needed a spark for its transition game.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1994-95) The record fell well short of the previous season's 58–24 championship campaign.[7](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/)
**The Drexler trade.** At the February trade deadline the Rockets shipped power forward Otis Thorpe to the [Portland Trail Blazers](https://www.edgepedia.org/portland-trail-blazers) in a deal that brought guard [Clyde Drexler](https://www.edgepedia.org/clyde-drexler) back to Houston. Drexler and center [Hakeem Olajuwon](https://www.edgepedia.org/hakeem-olajuwon) had been teammates in college at the University of Houston, and the pairing took up where it had left off years earlier.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1994-95) The full transaction sent Thorpe, Marcelo Nicola, and a 1995 first-round draft pick (used on Randolph Childress) to Portland for Drexler and Tracy Murray.[4](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/1995_transactions.html) In 35 regular-season games with Houston, Drexler averaged 21.4 points on .506 shooting with 7.0 rebounds.[6](https://ak-static-int.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/10/2016-17-Media-Guide-Rockets.pdf)
Olajuwon carried the load throughout, averaging 27.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.36 blocks per game.[5](https://www.sportslookback.com/sports-history-articles/basketball/western-conference-nba/southwest/houston-rockets/houston-rockets-finally-lifting-off/) The season also coincided with [Michael Jordan](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jordan)'s return to the [Chicago Bulls](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-bulls) in March 1995 after 17 months away from basketball, first wearing jersey No. 45 before switching back to No. 23 in the playoffs.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1994-95)
## Playoffs
The Rockets won four consecutive series without home-court advantage in any of them:[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1994-95)
- **First round vs. Utah (3–2).** Houston trailed the Jazz 2–1 before rallying to win the series in Game 5.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1994-95)
- **Conference semifinals vs. Phoenix (4–3).** The Rockets fell into a 3–1 hole against the Suns, pushed the series to the brink, and advanced in Game 7.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1994-95)
- **Western Conference finals vs. San Antonio (4–2).** Olajuwon's footwork and quickness proved too much for regular-season MVP David Robinson and the Spurs.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1994-95)
- **NBA Finals vs. Orlando (4–0).** Houston swept the Magic, who had eliminated Jordan's Bulls 4–2 in the East semifinals and topped the Pacers in seven games to reach their first Finals.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1994-95)
**Finals Game 1.** Houston trailed Orlando by as many as 20 points before forcing overtime on [Kenny Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenny-smith)'s 3-pointer and winning on Olajuwon's tip-in with 0.3 seconds left, one of the defining Finals games of the 1990s.[8](https://www.nba.com/watch/list/collection/nba-id-1995-nba-finals-rockets-vs-magic) Orlando guard Nick Anderson had missed four straight free throws in the final seconds of regulation, and Smith's game-tying shot came with 1.6 seconds remaining.[5](https://www.sportslookback.com/sports-history-articles/basketball/western-conference-nba/southwest/houston-rockets/houston-rockets-finally-lifting-off/) Houston took a 2–0 series lead in Game 2, survived big nights from [Shaquille O'Neal](https://www.edgepedia.org/shaquille-oneal) and Anfernee Hardaway, and [Robert Horry](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-horry)'s late 3-pointer in Game 3 pushed Orlando into an 0–3 hole; Olajuwon and Drexler then completed the sweep in Game 4.[8](https://www.nba.com/watch/list/collection/nba-id-1995-nba-finals-rockets-vs-magic)
## Records and significance
The championship run set several league precedents. In winning four series without home-court advantage, the Rockets achieved a first, as did their status as the lowest-seeded champion to that point, entering the playoffs at [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6), and they were also unprecedented in beating four teams with 50 victories on the way to the championship; their four-game Finals win marked just the sixth sweep in NBA history.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1994-95) The team also set an NBA record with 9 road wins in a single postseason.[5](https://www.sportslookback.com/sports-history-articles/basketball/western-conference-nba/southwest/houston-rockets/houston-rockets-finally-lifting-off/) Olajuwon claimed his second straight Finals MVP, outplaying O'Neal in a finals framed as youth versus experience.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1994-95)
The franchise did not reach the Finals again in the decade; the following season Houston was swept 0–4 in its opening playoff series, and the Rockets' title era was later sandwiched between the Chicago Bulls' two three-peats.[9](https://s3.grizzliesapp.com/assets/media_guides/25-26/MG_25-26_MediaGuide.pdf) • [5](https://www.sportslookback.com/sports-history-articles/basketball/western-conference-nba/southwest/houston-rockets/houston-rockets-finally-lifting-off/)
## References
1. [Season Review: 1994-95, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1994-95)
2. [1994-95 Houston Rockets Roster and Stats, Basketball-Reference.com](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/1995.html)
3. [1995 NBA Playoffs Summary, Basketball-Reference.com](https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1995.html)
4. [1994-95 Houston Rockets Transactions, Basketball-Reference.com](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/1995_transactions.html)
5. [Rockets' Road to a Championship, SportsLookBack.com](https://www.sportslookback.com/sports-history-articles/basketball/western-conference-nba/southwest/houston-rockets/houston-rockets-finally-lifting-off/)
6. [Houston Rockets 2016-17 Media Guide](https://ak-static-int.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/10/2016-17-Media-Guide-Rockets.pdf)
7. [houston rockets historical statistics and all-time top leaders | basketball-reference.com](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/)
8. [NBA Finals 1995 collection, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/watch/list/collection/nba-id-1995-nba-finals-rockets-vs-magic)
9. [Houston Rockets Media Guide (2025-26)](https://s3.grizzliesapp.com/assets/media_guides/25-26/MG_25-26_MediaGuide.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › NBA and WNBA (North American professional basketball) › NBA and WNBA seasons, champions, and records*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license