The

1981–82 NBA season The 1981–82 NBA season was the 36th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the 1982 NBA Finals, NBA Finals. Nota ...

was the Rockets' 15th season in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

and 11th season in the city of

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

.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 ...

, having lost to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

in six games. In the playoffs, the Rockets lost to the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and ...

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, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

W 113–112 (2OT)
, , , , The Forum , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 7 , November 11, 1981 ,

L 93–95
, , , , The Summit , 2–5 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 13 , November 21, 1981 , @

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

L 106–135
, , , , The Spectrum , 6–7 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 17 , November 29, 1981 , @

L 104–122
, , , , The Forum , 6–11 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 43 , January 28, 1982 ,

W 109–101
, , , , The Summit , 21–22 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 68 , March 21, 1982 , @

L 102–107
, , , , The Forum , 36–32 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 76 , April 6, 1982 ,

L 97–108
, , , , The Summit , 43–33

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , April 21 , @

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

L 87–102
,

Moses Malone Moses Eugene Malone Sr. (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 ...

(20) ,

(15) , Tom Henderson (7) ,

Kingdome The Kingdome (officially the King County Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Industrial District, Seattle, Industrial District (later SoDo, Seattle, SoDo) neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States. O ...

14,071 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 23 ,

W 91–70
,

(28) ,

(23) , Allen Leavell (6) , The Summit
15,676 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , April 25 , @

L 83–104
,

(24) ,

(13) , Mike Dunleavy (5) ,

14,071 , 1–2 , -

Player statistics

Season

Playoffs

Awards and records

NBA Most Valuable Player Award The NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Since the 2022–23 season, winners receive the Michael Jor ...

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 Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

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 ...

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Regular season

Playoffs

Player statistics

Season

Playoffs

Awards and records

Transactions

References

See also