The
1981–82 NBA season was the Rockets' 15th season in the
NBA and 11th season in the city of
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
.
1981-82 Houston Rockets
/ref> The Rockets entered the season as runner-ups in the 1981 NBA Finals
The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1980–81 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It pitted the 62–20 Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics a ...
, having lost to the Boston Celtics in six games.
In the playoffs, the Rockets lost to the Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...
in three games in the First Round.
Draft picks
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
:z – clinched division title
:y – clinched division title
:x – clinched playoff spot
Record vs. opponents
Game log
Regular season
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 1
, October 30, 1981
, @ Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
W 113–112 (2OT)
,
,
,
, The Forum
, 1–0
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 7
, November 11, 1981
, Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
L 93–95
,
,
,
, The Summit
, 2–5
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 13
, November 21, 1981
, @ Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
L 106–135
,
,
,
, The Spectrum
, 6–7
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 17
, November 29, 1981
, @ Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
L 104–122
,
,
,
, The Forum
, 6–11
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 43
, January 28, 1982
, Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
W 109–101
,
,
,
, The Summit
, 21–22
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 68
, March 21, 1982
, @ Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
L 102–107
,
,
,
, The Forum
, 36–32
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 76
, April 6, 1982
, Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
L 97–108
,
,
,
, The Summit
, 43–33
Playoffs
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 1
, April 21
, @ Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
L 87–102
, Moses Malone
Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A cen ...
(20)
, Moses Malone
Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A cen ...
(15)
, Tom Henderson (7)
, Kingdome
14,071
, 0–1
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
, 2
, April 23
, Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
W 91–70
, Moses Malone
Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A cen ...
(28)
, Moses Malone
Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A cen ...
(23)
, Allen Leavell
Allen Frazier Leavell (born May 27, 1957) is a retired American professional basketball player from Muncie, Indiana.
Career Amateur
At Muncie Central High School, Leavell averaged 18 points per game in his final year. A 6'1" (1.85 m), 170 l ...
(6)
, The Summit
15,676
, 1–1
, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
, 3
, April 25
, @ Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
L 83–104
, Moses Malone
Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A cen ...
(24)
, Moses Malone
Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A cen ...
(13)
, Mike Dunleavy (5)
, Kingdome
14,071
, 1–2
, -
Player statistics
Season
Playoffs
Awards and records
*Moses Malone
Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A cen ...
, NBA Most Valuable Player Award
The National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Starting with the 2022–23 ...
*Moses Malone
Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A cen ...
, All-NBA First Team
The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...
Transactions
*June 8, 1981: Traded a 1981 2nd round draft pick ( Charles Davis) and a 1983 2nd round draft pick to the Washington Bullets
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
for Elvin Hayes
Elvin Ernest Hayes (born November 17, 1945), nicknamed "the Big E", is an American former professional basketball player and radio analyst for his alma-mater Houston Cougars. He is a member of the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and a ...
.
References
See also
* 1981–82 NBA season
{{DEFAULTSORT:1981-82 Houston Rockets season
Houston Rockets seasons
H