1997–98 Houston Rockets season

1997–98 Houston Rockets season
Head coachRudy Tomjanovich
General managerCarroll Dawson
OwnerLeslie Alexander
ArenaThe Summit
Results
Record41–41 (.500)
PlaceDivision: 4th (Midwest)
Conference: 8th (Western)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to Jazz 2–3)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionKHTV
Fox Sports Southwest
RadioKTRH

The 1997–98 Houston Rockets season was the 31st season for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association, and their 27th season in Houston, Texas.[1] The Rockets had the 24th overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard Rodrick Rhodes from the University of Southern California.[2][3][4]

The Rockets got off to a slow 3–5 start to the regular season, but then posted a nine-game winning streak afterwards, winning 12 of their first 17 games of the season. However, Hakeem Olajuwon suffered a left knee injury in November and only played just 47 games.[5][6][7] Without Olajuwon for most of the first half of the season, and with aging players on the team, the Rockets struggled and fell below .500 in winning percentage, holding a 22–24 record at the All-Star break.[8] In February, head coach Rudy Tomjanovich changed the team's starting lineup, replacing Charles Barkley at power forward with Kevin Willis, as Barkley played a sixth man role off the bench for the remainder of the season; Willis had previously started at center in Olajuwon's absence.[9][10][11] Olajuwon eventually returned as the Rockets finished in fourth place in the Midwest Division with a mediocre 41–41 record, and earned the eighth seed in the Western Conference;[12] the team qualified for the NBA playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.[1]

Clyde Drexler averaged 18.4 points, 5.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and contributed 106 three-point field goals, while Willis averaged 16.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, and Olajuwon provided the team with 16.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.0 blocks per game. In addition, Barkley provided with 15.2 points and 11.7 rebounds per game, while second-year guard, and three-point specialist Matt Maloney contributed 8.6 points per game, and led the Rockets with 126 three-point field goals, and Mario Elie and Eddie Johnson both averaged 8.4 points per game each. Meanwhile, three-point specialist Matt Bullard provided with 7.0 points per game, second-year forward Othella Harrington averaged 6.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, Rhodes contributed 5.8 points per game, and Brent Price provided with 5.6 points and 2.7 assists per game.[13]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Drexler won the inaugural NBA 2Ball Competition, along with Cynthia Cooper of the WNBA's Houston Comets.[14][15][16] Meanwhile, Rhodes was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Western Conference Rookie team.[17][18] Neither Drexler, Olajuwon or Barkley were selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game.[19]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1998 NBA playoffs, and for the second consecutive year, and the fourth time in five years, the Rockets faced off against the top–seeded, and Midwest Division champion Utah Jazz, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward Karl Malone, All-Star guard John Stockton, and Jeff Hornacek. In a rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals, and with the series tied at 1–1, the Rockets won Game 3 over the Jazz at home, 89–85 at The Summit to take a 2–1 series lead.[20][21][22] However, Barkley suffered a torn triceps muscle injury in Game 4, in which the Rockets lost to the Jazz at home, 93–71.[23][24][25] Without Barkley, the Rockets lost Game 5 to the Jazz on the road, 84–70 at the Delta Center, thus losing in a hard-fought five-game series.[26][27][28] It was the first time that the Rockets lost in the opening round of the NBA playoffs since the 1990–91 season. The Jazz would go on to lose in six games to the 2-time defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls in the 1998 NBA Finals for the second straight year.[29][30][31]

The Rockets finished 17th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 670,117 at The Summit during the regular season.[13][32] This was the final season for Drexler, who received a standing ovation after the Rockets' Game 5 loss to the Jazz at the Delta Center; he then retired to take over the head coaching job at the University of Houston, where he had played college basketball along with Olajuwon, ending his 15-year career in the NBA.[26][33][34] Also following the season, Willis was traded to the Toronto Raptors,[35][36][37] while Elie signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs,[38][39][40] and reserve defensive center Charles Jones, the oldest player in the league during the season, retired at age 41.[35]

One notable highlight of the regular season occurred on December 6, 1997, in which the Rockets traveled to Mexico City, Mexico to play against the Dallas Mavericks at the Palacio de los Deportes (Sports Palace). Despite the Mavericks being the home team, the fans cheered for the Rockets. The Rockets defeated the Mavericks by a score of 108–106, in front of a sellout crowd of 20,635 fans in attendance; Barkley led the team with 19 points, 17 rebounds and 6 assists. It was the first ever NBA regular season game played in Mexico.[41][42][43]

Offseason

Draft picks

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
124Rodrick RhodesSG United StatesUSC
229Serge ZwikkerC NetherlandsNorth Carolina

Roster

1997–98 Houston Rockets roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
F 4 Charles Barkley 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 252 lb (114 kg) 1963–02–20 Auburn
F 50 Matt Bullard 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1967–06–05 Iowa
G 15 Emanual Davis 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1968–08–27 Delaware State
G 22 Clyde Drexler 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1962–06–22 Houston
G/F 17 Mario Elie 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1963–11–26 American International
F/C 32 Othella Harrington 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1974–01–31 Georgetown
F 8 Eddie Johnson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1959–05–01 Illinois
F/C 27 Charles Jones 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1957–04–03 Albany State
G 12 Matt Maloney 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 1971–12–06 Penn
C 34 Hakeem Olajuwon 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1963–01–21 Houston
G 20 Brent Price 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1968–12–09 Oklahoma
G/F 1 Rodrick Rhodes 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1973–09–24 USC
F 41 Joe Stephens 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1973–01–28 Little Rock
F/C 42 Kevin Willis 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1962–09–06 Michigan State
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster

Roster Notes

  • Rookie center Serge Zwikker was placed on the inactive list, and never played for the Rockets.

Regular season

Season standings

Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
z-Utah Jazz 6220.756–36–526–1522–2
x-San Antonio Spurs 5626.683631–1025–1618–6
x-Minnesota Timberwolves 4537.5491726–1519–2214–10
x-Houston Rockets 4141.5002124–1717–2414–10
Dallas Mavericks 2062.2444213–287–349–15
Vancouver Grizzlies 1963.2324314–275–364–20
Denver Nuggets 1171.134519–322–393–21
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Utah Jazz6220.756–
2 y-Seattle SuperSonics6121.7441
3 x-Los Angeles Lakers6121.7441
4 x-Phoenix Suns5626.6836
5 x-San Antonio Spurs5626.6836
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers4636.56116
7 x-Minnesota Timberwolves4537.54917
8 x-Houston Rockets4141.50021
9 Sacramento Kings2755.32935
10 Dallas Mavericks2062.24442
11 Vancouver Grizzlies1963.23243
12 Golden State Warriors1963.23243
13 Los Angeles Clippers1765.20745
14 Denver Nuggets1171.13451
z – clinched division title
y – clinched division title
x – clinched playoff spot

Game log

Playoffs

1998 playoff game log
First Round: 2–3 (home: 1–1; road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 23 @ Utah W 103–90 Clyde Drexler (22) Kevin Willis (14) Clyde Drexler (6) Delta Center
19,911		 1–0
2 April 25 @ Utah L 90–105 Hakeem Olajuwon (16) Kevin Willis (12) Matt Maloney (6) Delta Center
19,911		 1–1
3 April 29 Utah W 89–85 Hakeem Olajuwon (28) Hakeem Olajuwon (12) Drexler, Maloney (5) The Summit
16,285		 2–1
4 May 1 Utah L 71–93 Hakeem Olajuwon (27) Hakeem Olajuwon (15) Clyde Drexler (5) The Summit
16,285		 2–2
5 May 3 @ Utah L 70–84 Kevin Willis (16) Kevin Willis (11) three players tied (3) Delta Center
19,911		 2–3
1998 schedule

Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Charles Barkley 684133.0.485.214.74611.73.21.0.415.2
Matt Bullard 672417.8.450.416.7412.2.9.5.47.0
Emanual Davis 45013.3.444.375.8381.01.3.4.14.1
Clyde Drexler 707035.3.427.317.8014.95.51.8.618.4
Mario Elie 735927.2.452.291.8332.13.01.1.18.4
Othella Harrington 58315.6.485.000.7543.6.4.2.56.0
Eddie Johnson 75119.9.417.333.8312.01.2.4.08.4
Charles Jones 2405.3.700.5001.0.2.0.3.6
Matt Maloney 787828.4.408.364.8331.82.8.8.18.6
Hakeem Olajuwon 474534.7.483.000.7559.83.01.82.016.4
Brent Price 72218.5.413.390.7861.52.7.7.15.6
Rodrick Rhodes 581318.4.367.250.6171.21.91.1.25.8
Joe Stephens 705.3.357.300.667.9.1.3.03.9
Kevin Willis 817431.2.510.143.7938.41.0.7.516.1

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Charles Barkley 4021.8.522.000.5715.31.01.3.09.0
Matt Bullard 5414.0.333.3001.0001.61.0.2.03.4
Clyde Drexler 5536.4.309.192.7575.44.61.6.615.0
Mario Elie 5126.6.444.333.6672.61.2.4.06.6
Othella Harrington 307.7.500.000.8002.3.0.0.35.3
Eddie Johnson 5017.8.333.300.8751.6.2.0.05.6
Charles Jones 402.81.000.8.3.0.0.5
Matt Maloney 5533.0.333.250.8891.63.6.4.46.6
Hakeem Olajuwon 5538.0.394.000.72710.82.41.03.220.4
Brent Price 5015.0.400.385.6671.81.2.8.03.8
Rodrick Rhodes 302.3.667.500.3.0.3.02.0
Kevin Willis 5533.6.400.000.75010.61.01.6.611.2

Player statistics citation:[13]

Awards and records

Transactions

References

  1. 1 2 "Houston Rockets". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  2. ↑ Wise, Mike (June 26, 1997). "After Duncan, Utah Forward Steals Show". The New York Times. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  3. ↑ Heisler, Mark (June 26, 1997). "Draft Over, But Not Finished". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  4. ↑ "1997 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Olajuwon May Need Surgery on Bad Knee". Deseret News. November 24, 1997. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  6. ↑ Wise, Mike (November 25, 1997). "PRO BASKETBALL; O'Neal, Olajuwon Lengthen Injury List". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Olajuwon Has Knee Surgery". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 25, 1997. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  8. ↑ "NBA Games Played on February 5, 1998". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Rockets Use Super Sub to Drub Sonics, Barkley Comes Off Bench to Grab 21 Rebounds, Score 12 in 97-83 Win". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. February 11, 1998. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  10. ↑ Wise, Mike (February 23, 1998). "PRO BASKETBALL; Starks's Offense Meshes with a Stifling Defense". The New York Times. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Rockets Leap Over Kings, 97-85". CBS News. Associated Press. April 11, 1998. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  12. ↑ "1997–98 Houston Rockets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  13. 1 2 3 "1997–98 Houston Rockets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  14. ↑ Popper, Steve (February 8, 1998). "N.B.A. ALL-STAR WEEKEND: Kids Slam and Ham, but a Grown-Up Shoots for Dough; Houston Pair Win in 2Ball". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Malone, Reiss Finish 2nd in 2Ball". Deseret News. February 8, 1998. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  16. ↑ Bender, Patricia. "1997–98 All-Star Events and Contestants - in New York". Eskimo.com. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  17. ↑ "1998 NBA Rookie Game Roster". Times-Union. Associated Press. February 6, 1998. p. 4B. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  18. ↑ "1998 NBA Rising Stars: East 85, West 80". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  19. ↑ "1998 NBA All-Star Game: East 135, West 114". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  20. ↑ "NBA: PLAYOFFS; Utah Loses and Nears Elimination". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 30, 1998. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  21. ↑ Jorgensen, Loren (April 30, 1998). "Dream Turns Into Jazz's Nightmare". Deseret News. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  22. ↑ "1998 NBA Western Conference First Round Game 3: Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets Box Score, April 29, 1998". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  23. ↑ "N.B.A.: PLAYOFFS -- HOUSTON; Injury Ends Barkley's Season". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 3, 1998. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  24. ↑ Facer, Dirk (May 3, 1998). "Barkley's Out With Muscle Tear". Deseret News. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  25. ↑ "1998 NBA Western Conference First Round Game 4: Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets Box Score, May 1, 1998". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  26. 1 2 Drape, Tom (May 4, 1998). "THE N.B.A. PLAYOFFS; Youthful Sprint Wears Out Houston". The New York Times. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  27. ↑ Heisler, Mark (May 4, 1998). "Resurgent Ostertag Helps Jazz Play On". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  28. ↑ "1998 NBA Western Conference First Round: Rockets vs. Jazz". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  29. ↑ Araton, Harvey (June 15, 1998). "Sports of the Times; At the End, Jordan Lifts Bulls to Their Sixth N.B.A. Title". The New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  30. ↑ Howard-Cooper, Scott (June 15, 1998). "A Rousing Six-cess". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  31. ↑ "1998 NBA Finals: Bulls vs. Jazz". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  32. ↑ "1997–98 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  33. ↑ Rhoden, William C. (May 9, 1998). "Sports of the Times; 30-Something Nears an End in the N.B.A." The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  34. ↑ White, Lonnie (November 29, 1998). "Shifting Into Overglide". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  35. 1 2 "Rockets' Willis Dealt to Toronto". CBS News. Associated Press. June 9, 1998. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  36. ↑ "N.B.A.: HOUSTON; Rockets Trade Willis to Raptors". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 10, 1998. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  37. ↑ Shapiro, Mark (June 10, 1998). "Raptors Get Willis for Rogers, 2 Draft Picks". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  38. ↑ "NBA DEALINGS: McDyess, Divac and Smith Sign". Kitsap Sun. Associated Press. January 23, 1999. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  39. ↑ Wise, Mike (February 4, 1999). "PRO BASKETBALL; A Scrum for the Title". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  40. ↑ "Elie Provides Spurs with a Much-Needed Edge". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 31, 1999. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  41. ↑ "N.B.A.: YESTERDAY; Rockets Win as N.B.A. Makes Debut in Mexico". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 7, 1997. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  42. ↑ "20,635 See Rockets Win in Mexico". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. December 7, 1997. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  43. ↑ "Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks Box Score, December 6, 1997". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved March 4, 2026.

See also

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