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1996–97 Houston Rockets Season
The 1996–97 NBA season was the 30th season for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association, and their 26th season in Houston, Texas. During the off-season, the Rockets acquired All-Star forward Charles Barkley from the Phoenix Suns, and signed free agents Kevin Willis, Brent Price, undrafted rookie guard Matt Maloney, and re-signed former Rockets forward and three-point specialist Matt Bullard, who was a member of the championship team from the 1994 NBA Finals. The Rockets began the regular season with a 21–2 start, but later on struggled posting a six-game losing streak between January and February, and held a 32–16 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team signed free agents Eddie Johnson and Sedale Threatt, as the Rockets won 14 of their final 17 games of the season, finishing in second place in the Midwest Division with a 57–25 record, earning the #3 seed in the Western Conference, and qualifying for the NBA playoffs for the fifth con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rudy Tomjanovich
Rudolph Tomjanovich Jr. (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He won two NBA Championships with the Houston Rockets (1994, 1995) and coached Team USA to the gold medal in men's basketball at the 2000 Summer Olympics. His professional playing career, which lasted between 1970 and 1981, was entirely spent with the San Diego / Houston Rockets. Tomjanovich was a 5-time NBA All-Star forward; four consecutive times between 1974 and 1977, and again in 1979. He also made the playoffs five times: in 1975, 1977, and consecutively between 1979 and 1981. On December 9, 1977, during a game between the Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers, Tomjanovich was the victim of a life-threatening punch to his face brought upon him by Lakers power forward Kermit Washington. This ended his season after 23 games; after fully recovering, Tomjanovich played in the NBA for three more seasons. After about eight years of being an assistant coach, Tomjanovich ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matt Maloney
Matthew Patrick Maloney (born December 6, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early years Maloney was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, but grew up in Haddonfield, New Jersey. College career Maloney began his basketball career at Vanderbilt University, transferring after his freshman year to the University of Pennsylvania, and played three seasons as a Penn Quaker. During Maloney's three seasons as a Penn Quaker, the team went 42–0 in the Ivy League with him as a starting guard, including three Ivy League championships and subsequently three bids to the NCAA tournament. The Penn Quakers went 69–14 during Maloney's career. He was also a three-time first-team All-Ivy selection, and was the Ivy League's Player of the Year his senior season. Maloney holds several Quaker records, including a 37-point game (sophomore year vs. American; tied for fourth-best single game scoring performanc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NBA All-Rookie Team
The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for players on their own team. The All-Rookie Team is generally composed of two five-man lineups: a first team and a second team. The players each receive two points for each first team vote and one point for each second team vote. The top five players with the highest point total make the first team, with the next five making the second team. In the case of a tie at the fifth position of either team, the roster is expanded. If the first team consists of six players due to a tie, the second team will still consist of five players with the potential for more expansion in the event of additional ties. Ties have occurred several times, most recently in 2012, when Kawhi Leonard, Iman Shumpert, and Brandon Knight tied in votes received. No respect is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mario Elie
Mario Antoine Elie (born November 26, 1963) is an American former professional basketball coach and player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Elie grew up in New York City and played college basketball for the American International Yellow Jackets men's basketball, before being selected in the seventh round of the 1985 NBA draft with the 160th overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks. Elie began his professional basketball career with Ireland's Killester in 1986. He went on to play in Portugal and Argentina, as well as in the USBL, CBA and WBL. Elie first played in the NBA in 1990 for the Philadelphia 76ers and went on to play for the Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns. A role player known for his defense and toughness, Elie won three NBA championships: two with the Rockets in 1994 and 1995, and one with the Spurs in 1999. Elie began his coaching career in 2003 as an assistant with the Spurs, and late ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clyde Drexler
Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player who currently works as the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), spending a majority of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers before finishing with the Houston Rockets. He was a ten-time NBA All-Star, five time All-NBA Selection, and was named to the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams. Drexler won an NBA championship with Houston in 1995, and earned a gold medal on the 1992 United States Olympic team known as "The Dream Team". He was inducted twice into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in 2004 for his individual career and in 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team". Drexler is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players and greatest shooting guards of all time. Early years Drexler was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and lived in the South Pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NBA All-Defensive Team
The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two five-man lineups, a first and a second team. Voting is conducted by a panel of 123 writers and broadcasters. Prior to the 2013–14 NBA season, voting was performed by the NBA head coaches, who were restricted from voting for players on their own team. The players each receive two points for each first team vote and one point for each second team vote. The top five players with the highest point total make the first team, with the next five making the second team. In the case of a tie at the fifth position of either team, the roster is expanded. If the first team consists of six players due to a tie, the second team will still consist of five players with the potential for more expansion in the event of additional ties. Ties have occurre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
All-NBA 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 selected in every season of the league's existence, dating back to its inaugural season in 1946. The All-NBA Team originally had two teams, but since 1988 it is typically composed of three five-man lineups—a first, second, and third team. From 1956 through 2023, voters selected two guards, two forwards, and one center for each team. This contrasts with the voting for starters of the NBA All-Star Game, which has chosen two backcourt and three frontcourt players since 2013. The NBA's sister league, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), announced late in its 2022 season that it was changing the composition of its All-WNBA Teams from the All-NBA format to a "positionless" format in which members are selected without rega ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon ( ; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Houston Rockets, and in his last season, the Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. Olajuwon was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest centers of all time. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Olajuwon traveled from his home country to play for the University of Houston under head coach Guy Lewis. His college career for the Houston Cougars men's basketball, Cougars included three trips to the Final Four. Olajuwon was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the first overall selection of the 1984 NBA draft, a draft well known for its immense talent, which also included players such as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NBA Playoffs
The NBA playoffs is the annual Playoffs, postseason Tournament#Knockout tournaments, tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held to determine the league champion. Since 1949, the four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held after the league's regular season and its preliminary postseason tournament, the NBA play-in tournament. Six teams from each of the two conferences automatically advance to the playoffs based on regular season winning percentage. As of 2021, those teams finishing seven through 10 from each conference compete in the play-in tournament to determine the final two playoff Seed (sports), seeds. The playoffs culminate with the NBA Finals, where both conference champions from the NBA conference finals play each other. Format The top six teams in both the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, ranked by winning percentage, directly advance to the playoffs. Teams ranked seventh through tenth comp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Conference (NBA)
The Western Conference is one of two conferences that make up the National Basketball Association (NBA), the other being the Eastern Conference. Both conferences consist of 15 teams organized into three divisions. The Western Conference comprises the Northwest, Pacific, and Southwest Divisions. The current divisional alignment was adopted at the start of the 2004–05 season, when the now Charlotte Hornets began play as the NBA's 30th franchise. This necessitated the move of the New Orleans Pelicans (named New Orleans Hornets at the time) from the Eastern Conference's Central Division to the newly created Southwest Division of the Western Conference. The NBA first started awarding a Western Conference championship trophy during the 2000–01 season, renaming it after Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson in the 2021–22 season. Also in 2021–22, the league began awarding the Earvin "Magic" Johnson Trophy to the Western Conference Finals Most Valuable Player, named afte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midwest Division (NBA)
The Midwest Division was a division in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The division was created at the start of the 1970–71 season, when the league expanded from 14 to 17 teams with the addition of the Buffalo Braves, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers. The league realigned itself into two conferences, the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference, with two divisions in each conference. The Midwest Division began with four inaugural members, the Chicago Bulls, the Detroit Pistons, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns. The Bulls and the Suns joined from the Western Division, while the Pistons and the Bucks joined from the Eastern Division. The division was disbanded when the league expanded from 29 to 30 teams with the addition of the Charlotte Bobcats at the start of the 2004–05 season. The league realigned itself into two conferences with three divisions each. The Midwest Division was replaced with two n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sedale Threatt
Sedale Eugene Threatt ( ; born September 10, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Threatt played college basketball at the West Virginia Institute of Technology from 1979 to 1983. Nicknamed "the Thief" for his ability to steal the basketball, Threatt has the distinction of being the last sixth round pick to play in the NBA (the NBA draft was shortened to the now-current two rounds in 1989). He is also notable as the only player in NBA history who was a teammate of Julius Erving, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. He played in the NBA from 1983–1997 and finished his basketball career overseas. Professional career Threatt was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the sixth round of the 1983 NBA draft, and is the only player from West Virginia Tech to have ever played in the NBA. During the 1986 NBA playoffs, Threatt played a key role for the 76ers, averaging then career-highs of 13.7 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
