2002–03 Houston Rockets season

2002–03 Houston Rockets season
Head coachRudy Tomjanovich
ArenaCompaq Center
Results
Record43–39 (.524)
PlaceDivision: 5th (Midwest)
Conference: 9th
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionKNWS-TV
KHWB
Fox Sports Net Southwest
RadioKILT

The 2002–03 Houston Rockets season was the 36th season for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association, and their 32nd season in Houston, Texas.[1] This was also the team's final season in which they played their home games at the Compaq Center. After finishing with a 28–54 record the previous season, the Rockets won the NBA draft lottery,[2] and selected 7'6" center, and Chinese basketball star Yao Ming with the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft.[3][4][5] In December, the Rockets traded Kenny Thomas to the Philadelphia 76ers, and acquired James Posey from the Denver Nuggets in a three-team trade.[6][7]

With the addition of Yao, the Rockets got off to a 9–6 start to the regular season, and played .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the season, holding a 26–22 record at the All-Star break.[8] The team posted a five-game winning streak in March, and won five of their final seven games of the season. The Rockets finished in fifth place in the Midwest Division with a 43–39 record, which was a 15-game improvement over the previous season; however, the team missed the NBA playoffs by finishing just one game behind the 8th–seeded Phoenix Suns.[9]

Yao averaged 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while Francis averaged 21.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and Cuttino Mobley provided the team with 17.5 points per and 1.3 steals game, and also led them with 118 three-point field goals. In addition, Posey provided with 9.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in 58 games after the trade, while Glen Rice contributed 9.0 points per game and 101 three-point field goals, and second-year forward Eddie Griffin provided with 8.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Meanwhile, Maurice Taylor averaged 8.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, Kelvin Cato provided with 5.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, and Moochie Norris contributed 4.4 points and 2.4 assists per game.[10]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Francis and Yao were both selected for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was Yao's first ever All-Star appearance.[11][12][13] Yao also finished in second place in Rookie of the Year voting, behind Amar'e Stoudemire of the Suns,[14][15] while head coach Rudy Tomjanovich finished tied in 15th place in Coach of the Year voting.[15] One notable highlight of the regular season occurred on January 17, 2003, in a home game against the 3-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers at the Compaq Center. Francis posted a double-double of 44 points and 11 assists, and also made 6 out of 8 three-point field-goal attempts, as the Rockets defeated the Lakers in overtime, 108–104.[16][17][18]

The Rockets finished 27th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 565,166 at the Compaq Center during the regular season, which was the third-lowest in the league.[10][19] Following the season, Tomjanovich resigned as head coach due to health issues,[20][21] although he would return to coach the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004. Meanwhile, Posey signed as a free agent with the Memphis Grizzlies,[22][23] while Griffin was released to free agency, and Rice was traded to the Utah Jazz,[24] but was released and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Draft picks

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 1 Yao Ming C  China Shanghai Sharks (China)
1 15 Boštjan Nachbar (from Toronto) SF  Slovenia Benetton Treviso (Italy)
2 37 Tito Maddox PG  United States Fresno State So.

Roster

2002–03 Houston Rockets roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
F/C 13 Kelvin Cato 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Iowa State
C 52 Jason Collier 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Georgia Tech
G 3 Steve Francis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Maryland
F/C 33 Eddie Griffin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Seton Hall
G 1 Juaquin Hawkins 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Long Beach State
G 6 Tito Maddox 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fresno State
G/F 5 Cuttino Mobley 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Rhode Island
F 44 Terence Morris 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 221 lb (100 kg) Maryland
F 9 Boštjan Nachbar 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 221 lb (100 kg) Slovenia
G 12 Moochie Norris 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) West Florida
G/F 55 James Posey 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Xavier
F 41 Glen Rice 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Michigan
F/C 2 Maurice Taylor 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Michigan
C 11 Yao Ming 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) 310 lb (141 kg) China
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster

Note

Bold = All-Star selection

Regular season

Season standings

Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-San Antonio Spurs 6022.732–33–827–1417–7
x-Dallas Mavericks 6022.732–33–827–1418–6
x-Minnesota Timberwolves 5131.622933–818–2315–9
x-Utah Jazz 4735.5731329–1218–2315–9
e-Houston Rockets 4339.5241728–1315–2611–13
e-Memphis Grizzlies 2854.3413220–218–335–17
e-Denver Nuggets 1765.2074313–284–373–21
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-San Antonio Spurs6022.732–
2 y-Sacramento Kings5923.7201
3 x-Dallas Mavericks6022.732–
4 x-Minnesota Timberwolves5131.6229
5 x-Los Angeles Lakers5032.61010
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers5032.61010
7 x-Utah Jazz4735.57313
8 x-Phoenix Suns4438.53716
9 e-Houston Rockets4339.52417
10 e-Seattle SuperSonics4042.48820
11 e-Golden State Warriors3844.46322
12 e-Memphis Grizzlies2854.34132
13 e-Los Angeles Clippers2755.32933
14 e-Denver Nuggets1765.20743

Game log

GameDateOpponentResultRockets scoreOpponentsRecordStreakOT
1October 30@ IndianaLoss82910-1Lost 1
2November 1@ DenverWin83741-1Won 1
3November 2TorontoWin88762-1Won 2
4November 5SeattleLoss971042-2Lost 1
5November 9Golden StateWin1111043-2Won 1
6November 12PortlandWin86834-2Won 2
7November 15@ PhoenixLoss87884-3Lost 1
8November 17@ LA LakersWin93895-3Won 1
9November 19ClevelandWin97806-3Won 2
10November 21@ DallasLoss901036-4Lost 1
11November 22WashingtonWin93867-4Won 1
12November 24@ LA ClippersLoss89907-5Lost 1
13November 26@ PortlandLoss71777-6Lost 2
14November 27@ Golden StateWin91848-6Won 1
15November 29@ SeattleWin83729-6Won 2
16December 1@ SacramentoLoss841039-7Lost 1
17December 3San AntonioWin897510-7Won 1
18December 6@ New OrleansLoss969810-8Lost 1OT
19December 7PhiladelphiaWin977211-8Won 1
20December 10SacramentoWin1039612-8Won 2
21December 13@ MemphisLoss10911412-9Lost 1OT
22December 14LA ClippersLoss839412-10Lost 2
23December 16@ MiamiWin10510013-10Won 1OT
24December 18IndianaWin958314-10Won 2
25December 20AtlantaWin1018215-10Won 3
26December 21@ MinnesotaLoss869815-11Lost 1
27December 23UtahLoss919615-12Lost 2
28December 27New YorkLoss839915-13Lost 3
29December 29New OrleansWin978516-13Won 1
30December 31MilwaukeeWin1038017-13Won 2
31January 4Golden StateLoss848617-14Lost 1
32January 7MinnesotaWin948618-14Won 1
33January 8@ OrlandoWin918119-14Won 2
34January 10@ AtlantaLoss758419-15Lost 1
35January 11DenverWin878520-15Won 1
36January 13BostonWin1019221-15Won 2
37January 15PhoenixWin1029622-15Won 3
38January 17LA LakersWin10810423-15Won 4OT
39January 20@ San AntonioLoss828723-16Lost 1
40January 21@ DallasLoss8610723-17Lost 2
41January 24DetroitLoss749823-18Lost 3
42January 26@ ChicagoLoss9810023-19Lost 4
43January 27@ MemphisWin1009524-19Won 1
44January 29DallasLoss8110424-20Lost 1
45January 31MinnesotaWin12110125-20Won 1
46February 2SacramentoWin1058926-20Won 2
47February 4@ MinnesotaLoss8910326-21Lost 1
48February 5@ ClevelandLoss10210526-22Lost 2
49February 11UtahLoss10110326-23Lost 3OT
50February 12@ UtahWin1067627-23Won 1
51February 14MiamiLoss829427-24Lost 1
52February 18@ LA LakersLoss9910627-25Lost 22OT
53February 19@ PhoenixWin1078928-25Won 1
54February 21DallasLoss8510028-26Lost 1
55February 22MemphisWin938229-26Won 1
56February 24@ BostonWin1019530-26Won 2OT
57February 25@ New YorkLoss9510230-27Lost 1
58February 27@ WashingtonLoss9810030-28Lost 2OT
59March 2San AntonioLoss889730-29Lost 3
60March 4@ DetroitLoss839630-30Lost 4
61March 5@ TorontoWin979531-30Won 1
62March 8New JerseyWin837132-30Won 2
63March 12LA ClippersWin11811433-30Won 3OT
64March 14ChicagoWin1219134-30Won 4
65March 16PhoenixWin857535-30Won 5
66March 18@ SeattleLoss9410035-31Lost 1
67March 19@ PortlandLoss839435-32Lost 2
68March 21@ Golden StateWin11710736-32Won 1
69March 23@ SacramentoLoss10810936-33Lost 1
70March 24@ LA ClippersWin1089037-33Won 1
71March 26LA LakersLoss939637-34Lost 1
72March 27@ San AntonioLoss859837-35Lost 2
73March 29DenverWin1028938-35Won 1
74March 31@ New JerseyLoss8611038-36Lost 1
75April 2@ MilwaukeeLoss9910638-37Lost 2
76April 4@ PhiladelphiaWin887939-37Won 1
77April 6OrlandoWin1149340-37Won 2
78April 8PortlandLoss668140-38Lost 1
79April 9@ UtahLoss739440-39Lost 2
80April 12SeattleWin1018641-39Won 1
81April 15MemphisWin978642-39Won 2
82April 16@ DenverWin898443-39Won 3

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

Regular season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kelvin Cato 73517.1.520.000.5325.9.3.51.24.5
Jason Collier 1338.0.4721.0002.2.1.2.12.8
Steve Francis 818141.0.435.354.8006.26.21.7.521.0
Eddie Griffin 776624.5.400.333.6176.01.1.71.48.6
Juaquin Hawkins 581011.8.385.417.5001.3.8.5.12.3
Tito Maddox 903.9.250.000.625.8.6.3.11.2
Yao Ming 827229.0.498.500.8118.21.7.41.813.5
Cuttino Mobley 737341.7.434.352.8584.22.81.3.517.5
Terence Morris 49012.9.466.219.7862.6.5.2.33.7
Boštjan Nachbar 1415.5.355.200.500.8.2.1.12.1
Moochie Norris 82316.8.406.244.6841.92.4.7.04.4
James Posey† 584728.4.439.326.8264.81.81.3.29.3
Glen Rice 622624.7.429.398.7592.51.0.4.19.0
Maurice Taylor 67920.6.432.000.7253.61.0.3.38.4
Kenny Thomas† 201429.3.432.7336.92.0.8.39.9

Player statistics citation:[10]

Awards and records

Awards

Transactions

Free agents

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Houston Rockets". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  2. ↑ Broussard, Chris (May 20, 2002). "PRO BASKETBALL; Rockets Win Lottery with a Francis Assist". The New York Times. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  3. ↑ Passan, Jeff (June 27, 2002). "Rockets Select Yao No. 1 Overall in Draft". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Rockets Make Yao Ming First Overall Pick". ESPN. June 26, 2002. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  5. ↑ "2002 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Posey Involved in Three-Team Trade". United Press International. December 18, 2002. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Nuggets, Rockets, 76ers Agree to 3-Way Trade". Arizona Daily Sun. December 18, 2002. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  8. ↑ "NBA Games Played on February 6, 2003". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  9. ↑ "2002–03 Houston Rockets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 "2002–03 Houston Rockets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  11. ↑ Sheridan, Chris (February 9, 2003). "Something Old, Something New on Court at All-Star Game". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  12. ↑ "2003 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  13. ↑ "2003 NBA All-Star Game: West 155, East 145 (2OT)". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  14. ↑ "PLUS: N.B.A.; Stoudemire Named Rookie of the Year". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 25, 2003. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  15. 1 2 "2002–03 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  16. ↑ Brown, Tim (January 18, 2003). "Rockets Take Center Stage". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  17. ↑ Nichols, Rachel (January 19, 2003). "Francis on Centers' Stage". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Los Angeles Lakers at Houston Rockets Box Score, January 17, 2003". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  19. ↑ "2002–03 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Rockets' Tomjanovich Resigns". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 24, 2003. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Grateful Tomjanovich Says He's Cancer-Free". Los Angeles Times. October 14, 2003. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Sprewell Is Part of 4-Team Trade". Los Angeles Times. Times Wire Services. July 24, 2003. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Posey Signs Offer Sheet". United Press International. July 23, 2003. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  24. ↑ "SPORTS BRIEFING: PRO BASKETBALL; Rockets Trade Rice to Jazz for Amaechi". The New York Times. Associated Press. October 1, 2003. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
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