Rockets–Spurs rivalry

The Rockets–Spurs rivalry is an NBA rivalry between the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs. It is also known as the I-10 Rivalry since San Antonio and Houston lie on Interstate 10, it is one of the three National Basketball Association rivalries between teams from Texas, the others featuring Houston and San Antonio versus the Dallas Mavericks.

Rockets–Spurs rivalry
Houston Rockets
San Antonio Spurs
First meetingNovember 27, 1976
Rockets 125, Spurs 116
Latest meetingDecember 16, 2019
Rockets 109, Spurs 107
Next meetingApril 8, 2020 @Toyota Center (postponed)
Statistics
Meetings total215[1]
All-time series117–98 (SAS)
Regular season series107–86 (SAS)
Postseason results12–10 (HOU)
Longest win streak
Current win streakHOU 1
Post-season history
  • 1980 Eastern Conference First Round: Rockets won, 2–1
  • 1981 Western Conference Semifinals: Rockets won, 4–3
  • 1995 Western Conference Finals: Rockets won, 4–2
  • 2017 Western Conference Semifinals: Spurs won, 4–2

Background

The rivalry began in 1976 when the Spurs moved from the American Basketball Association along with the Denver Nuggets, New York Nets, and Indiana Pacers. The Rockets and Spurs competed for the division title, with the Rockets winning it first in 1977 and the Spurs in 1978 and 1979. In 1980, they met in the playoffs for the first time as the Rockets led by Moses Malone and Calvin Murphy beat the Spurs led by George Gervin and James Silas 2–1. The rivalry grew intense as both teams moved from the East to the West. They met again in 1981, this time in the second round. The Spurs had home-court advantage, and were heavily favored, winning the Midwest Division Title and the Rockets only 40–42. The Rockets and Spurs fought to the bitter end before the Rockets held on to win Game 7 capped by Murphy's 42 points. The Rockets would advance to the Finals in a losing cause to the Boston Celtics. The rivalry sparkled in 1995 when the sixth-seeded Rockets led by Hakeem Olajuwon beat the top-seeded Spurs led by MVP David Robinson.

Even after Olajuwon was traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2001, he recalled the fond memories he had of playing against his old San Antonio rival.

"I think when I walk on to that court (at the Alamodome), maybe then it might hit me, all the games I played against San Antonio and the great rivalry we had,...I'm pretty sure David will be very surprised to see me wearing a new uniform. I'm sure it's going to be strange, but at the same time it will be very special. The memories, the competition, the rivalry. I am very much looking forward to it."

— Olajuwon, [2]

Notable games

1981 NBA Playoffs

In a classic Game 7, the 40–42 Rockets looked to upset the 52–30 Spurs to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Capped by Calvin Murphy's 42 points, the Rockets defeated the Spurs to advance to the Conference Finals and defeated the likewise 40–42 Kansas City Kings, and moved on to the 1981 NBA Finals where they were defeated by the Celtics. The Spurs waited another 18 years to see a Finals berth and Title.

1995 Playoffs

In 1995, the Rockets looked to win their second straight NBA championship. Despite a slow start, the 6th-seeded Rockets (47–35) managed to get through their first opponent, the 3rd-seeded Utah Jazz (60–22) 3–2, and the 2nd-seeded Phoenix Suns (59–23) 4–3. The Rockets would encounter the top seeded Spurs waiting (62–20) for them in the Conference Finals. The Spurs had swept their first round opponent, the Denver Nuggets (41–41) before defeating the Los Angeles Lakers (48–34) in 6 games.

Olajuwon displayed perhaps the most impressive moments of his career when the Rockets faced the San Antonio Spurs in the Conference Finals. Recently crowned league MVP Robinson was outplayed by Olajuwon, 35–24 PPG. When asked later what a team could do to "solve" Olajuwon, Robinson told LIFE magazine: "Hakeem? You don't solve Hakeem."[3] The Rockets won every road game that series and beat the Spurs 4–2. The Rockets swept the Orlando Magic in the 1995 NBA Finals 4–0, and secured their second Championship. Thus far, the Rockets had won a division title, conference title and Championship before their rivals.

2004 Rockets comeback

It took place on December 9, 2004, after a long fought game in which the Spurs had mostly led (up by 10 points under a minute left) and the Rockets crowd beginning to boo their own team; Tracy McGrady scored 13 points in 35 seconds, including a 3 with 1.7 seconds left to give the Rockets an 81–80 comeback win. The game ended a 7-game losing streak against the Spurs for Houston.[4]

2008 Spurs comeback

In 2008, the teams would meet for the first match on November 14 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. The Spurs began the 2008 season with their worst record in franchise history (2–4), as a result of an injury to Manu Ginóbili at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and a sprained ankle to Tony Parker early in the season.[5] This was the first regular season game in which the newly acquired Ron Artest along with Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming would face San Antonio. The Rockets led most of the game, going up by as many as 14 with 7 minutes left.[6] Despite missing more than 40 points in scoring from their two injured guards, two time MVP Tim Duncan (22 pts) and rookie George Hill (17 pts) led the Spurs' comeback. They finally took the lead (76–75) with 59 seconds left on a hook shot by Duncan.[6] He blocked a layup that would have given the Rockets the lead with less than 2 seconds left. After the Spurs made 1 of 2 free throws, the Rockets got one last chance to win, but Artest missed a 3 as time expired, giving San Antonio a 77–75 victory.[6]

2017 Playoffs

The Spurs entered the 2017 NBA playoffs as the second seeded Western Conference team after securing a 61–21 record, their second straight 60+ win season and 20th consecutive postseason appearance. The Spurs dispatched their first round opponent, the Memphis Grizzlies, in six games.

The Rockets entered the playoffs as the third seeded Western Conference team after securing a 55–27 record, a significant improvement over their 41–41 eighth-place finish the previous season. They were led by the 2016-2017 Coach of the Year, Mike D'Antoni. Under D'Antoni, the Rockets set the NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a single season with 1,181.[7] In the first round, the Rockets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games.

The Spurs and Rockets met in the Western Conference Semifinals.[8] The match-up was the first between the two teams in the playoffs since the 1995 Western Conference Finals.[9] In Game 1, the Rockets defeated the Spurs in a blowout, 126–99. In Game 2 of the series, the Spurs returned the favor with a 121–96 victory. However, the Spurs lost starting point guard Tony Parker indefinitely with a ruptured left quadriceps tendon.[10] The teams split games 3 (Spurs) and 4 (Rockets), evening the series at 2 games apiece. In Game 5 of the series, all-star Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard suffered an injury to his right ankle in the third quarter, which would eventually result in him sitting out for the closing portions of the game. The game was tightly contest throughout, with both teams failing to capitalize on opportunities to take the lead at the end of regulation. In the overtime period, Manu Ginóbili blocked James Harden's three-point attempt in the final seconds to secure the 110–107 victory for the Spurs.[11] The Spurs would close out the series in a Game 6 blowout, 114–75. The 75 points were the lowest point total of the season for the Rockets. The Rockets, known throughout the season for their prolific offense, were held to less than 100 points three times in the series after being held below 100 only five times in the regular season.[12]

Annual results
Season NBA season
Rockets/Spurs Team associated with subsequent columns
W Wins
L Losses
% Winning percentage
Playoffs Final result in season's playoffs
Series Record in season's head-to-head matchups
* Rockets had more regular season wins than Spurs
† Spurs had more regular season wins than Rockets
‡ Rockets won season series against the Spurs
§ Spurs won season series against the Rockets
Season Rockets Spurs Series
Team W L % Playoffs Team W L % Playoffs
1976–77 Houston Rockets49*33.598Lost Eastern Conference Finals San Antonio Spurs4438.537Lost Eastern Conference First Round2–2
1977–78 Houston Rockets2854.341 San Antonio Spurs52†30.634Lost Eastern Conference SemifinalsSpurs 3–1§
1978–79 Houston Rockets4735.573Lost Eastern Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs48†34.585Lost Eastern Conference FinalsRockets 3–1‡
1979–80 Houston Rockets4141.500Lost Eastern Conference Semifinals San Antonio Spurs4141.500Lost Eastern Conference First Round3–3
1980–81 Houston Rockets4042.488Lost NBA Finals San Antonio Spurs52†30.634Lost Western Conference Semifinals3–3
1981–82 Houston Rockets4636.561Lost Western Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs48†34.585Lost Western Conference Finals3–3
1982–83 Houston Rockets1468.171 San Antonio Spurs53†29.646Lost Western Conference FinalsSpurs 5–1§
1983–84 Houston Rockets2953.354 San Antonio Spurs37†45.451Spurs 4–2§
1984–85 Houston Rockets48*34.585Lost Western Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs4141.500Lost Western Conference First RoundRockets 4–2‡
1985–86 Houston Rockets51*31.622Lost NBA Finals San Antonio Spurs3547.427Lost Western Conference First RoundRockets 5–1‡
1986–87 Houston Rockets42*40.512Lost Western Conference Semifinals San Antonio Spurs2854.341Rockets 5–1‡
1987–88 Houston Rockets46*36.561Lost Western Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs3151.378Lost Western Conference First RoundSpurs 4–2§
1988–89 Houston Rockets45*37.549Lost Western Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs2161.256Rockets 6–0‡
1989–90 Houston Rockets4141.500Lost Western Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs56†26.683Lost Western Conference Semifinals2–2
1990–91 Houston Rockets5230.634Lost Western Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs55†27.671Lost Western Conference First RoundSpurs 3–2§
1991–92 Houston Rockets4240.512 San Antonio Spurs47†35.573Lost Western Conference First RoundRockets 3–2‡
1992–93 Houston Rockets55*27.671Lost Western Conference Semifinals San Antonio Spurs4933.598Lost Western Conference SemifinalsRockets 4–1‡
1993–94 Houston Rockets58*24.707Won NBA Finals San Antonio Spurs5527.671Lost Western Conference First RoundSpurs 3–2§
1994–95 Houston Rockets4735.573Won NBA Finals San Antonio Spurs62†20.756Lost Western Conference FinalsSpurs 5–1§
1995–96 Houston Rockets4834.585Lost Western Conference Semifinals San Antonio Spurs59†23.720Lost Western Conference SemifinalsSpurs 3–1§
1996–97 Houston Rockets57*25.695Lost Western Conference Finals San Antonio Spurs2062.244Rockets 3–1‡
1997–98 Houston Rockets4141.500Lost Western Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs56†26.683Lost Western Conference Semifinals2–2
1998–99 Houston Rockets3119.620Lost Western Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs37†13.740Won NBA FinalsSpurs 3–0§
1999–2000 Houston Rockets3448.415 San Antonio Spurs53†29.646Lost Western Conference First RoundSpurs 4–0§
2000–01 Houston Rockets4537.549 San Antonio Spurs58†24.707Lost Western Conference FinalsSpurs 3–1§
2001–02 Houston Rockets2854.341 San Antonio Spurs58†24.707Lost Western Conference SemifinalsSpurs 4–0§
2002–03 Houston Rockets4339.524 San Antonio Spurs60†22.732Won NBA FinalsSpurs 3–1§
2003–04 Houston Rockets4537.549Lost Western Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs57†25.695Lost Western Conference SemifinalsSpurs 4–0§
2004–05 Houston Rockets5131.622Lost Western Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs59†23.720Won NBA Finals2–2
2005–06 Houston Rockets3448.415 San Antonio Spurs63†19.768Lost Western Conference SemifinalsSpurs 4–0§
2006–07 Houston Rockets5230.634Lost Western Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs58†24.707Won NBA Finals2–2
2007–08 Houston Rockets5527.671Lost Western Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs56†26.683Lost Western Conference Finals2–2
2008–09 Houston Rockets5329.646Lost Western Conference Semifinals San Antonio Spurs54†28.659Lost Western Conference First Round2–2
2009–10 Houston Rockets4240.512 San Antonio Spurs50†32.610Lost Western Conference Semifinals2–2
2010–11 Houston Rockets4339.524 San Antonio Spurs61†21.744Lost Western Conference First RoundSpurs 3–1§
2011–12 Houston Rockets3432.515 San Antonio Spurs50†16.758Lost Western Conference Finals2–2
2012–13 Houston Rockets4537.549Lost Western Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs58†24.707Lost NBA FinalsSpurs 3–1§
2013–14 Houston Rockets5428.659Lost Western Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs62†20.756Won NBA FinalsRockets 4–0‡
2014–15 Houston Rockets56*26.683Lost Western Conference Finals San Antonio Spurs5527.671Lost Western Conference First RoundSpurs 3–1§
2015–16 Houston Rockets4141.500Lost Western Conference First Round San Antonio Spurs67†15.817Lost Western Conference SemifinalsSpurs 3–1§
2016–17 Houston Rockets5527.671Lost Western Conference Semifinals San Antonio Spurs61†21.744Lost Western Conference FinalsSpurs 3–1§
2017–18 Houston Rockets65*17.793Lost Western Conference Finals San Antonio Spurs4735.573Lost Western Conference First RoundRockets 3–1‡
2018–19 Houston Rockets53*29.646Lost Western Conference Semifinals San Antonio Spurs4834.585Lost Western Conference First RoundRockets 3–1‡

NBA Playoffs

1980 Eastern Conference First Round
  • Game 1: Houston Rockets 95–85 San Antonio Spurs
  • Game 2: San Antonio Spurs 106–101 Houston Rockets
  • Game 3: Houston Rockets 141–120 San Antonio Spurs

Houston Rockets win series 2–1.

1981 Western Conference Semifinals
  • Game 1: San Antonio Spurs 98–107 Houston Rockets
  • Game 2: San Antonio Spurs 125–113 Houston Rockets
  • Game 3: Houston Rockets 112–99 San Antonio Spurs
  • Game 4: Houston Rockets 112–114 San Antonio Spurs
  • Game 5: San Antonio Spurs 117–123 Houston Rockets
  • Game 6: Houston Rockets 96–101 San Antonio Spurs
  • Game 7: San Antonio Spurs 100–105 Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets win series 4–3.

1995 Western Conference Finals
  • Game 1: San Antonio Spurs 93–94 Houston Rockets
  • Game 2: San Antonio Spurs 96–106 Houston Rockets
  • Game 3: Houston Rockets 102–107 San Antonio Spurs
  • Game 4: Houston Rockets 81–103 San Antonio Spurs
  • Game 5: San Antonio Spurs 90–111 Houston Rockets
  • Game 6: Houston Rockets 100–95 San Antonio Spurs

Houston Rockets win series 4–2.

2017 Western Conference Semifinals
  • Game 1: San Antonio Spurs 99–126 Houston Rockets
  • Game 2: San Antonio Spurs 121–96 Houston Rockets
  • Game 3: Houston Rockets 92–103 San Antonio Spurs
  • Game 4: Houston Rockets 125–104 San Antonio Spurs
  • Game 5: San Antonio Spurs 110–107 Houston Rockets
  • Game 6: Houston Rockets 75–114 San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio Spurs win series 4–2.

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References
  1. "Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs All-Time Head-to-Head Record in the NBA". www.landofbasketball.com. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  2. Zicarelli, Frank (December 12, 2001). "OLAJUWON'S RETURN HOME A DREAM TRIP". The Toronto Sun.
  3. Hakeem Olajuwon, nba.com/history. (Accessed January 3, 2007.)
  4. McGrady's late 3-pointer beats clock, Spurs, China Daily. October 12, 2004.
  5. "Duncan scores 22 points, leads the Spurs to another home victory". espn.com. November 15, 2008.
  6. Monroe, Mike (November 14, 2008). "Late surge propels Spurs past Rockets". San Antonio Express News.
  7. Mike D’Antoni Named NBA Coach of the Year. National Basketball Association. Retrieved on August 2, 2017.
  8. 2017 NBA Western Conference Semifinals: Rockets vs. Spurs Basketball Reference. Retrieved on August 2, 2017.
  9. Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs All-Time Head-to-Head Record in the NBA. Land of Basketball.com. Retrieved on August 2, 2017.
  10. Spurs' Tony Parker has ruptured quadriceps tendon. ESPN: May 5, 2017. Retrieved on August 2, 2017.
  11. Manu Ginobili Blocks Harden to Give Spurs OT Victory and Series Lead. The New York Times: May 10, 2017. Retrieved on August 2, 2017.
  12. Spurs rout James Harden, Rockets 114–75 to win series. ESPN: May 11, 2017. Retrieved on August 2, 2017.
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