Jazz–Rockets Rivalry
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The Jazz–Rockets rivalry is a
National Basketball Association 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 ...
(NBA)
rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
between the
Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...
and the
Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...
. The rivalry began in the 1990s when the Rockets, led by dominant center
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 (NB ...
and college teammate
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 Bask ...
, and the Jazz, led by the pick-and-roll duo of
Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spen ...
and
John Stockton John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the great point guards of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, and the team made the pla ...
, were playoff powers in the Midwest Division. The teams faced each other four times in the
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 afte ...
during the decade. In all four instances, the winner was the eventual Western Conference champion and played in the
NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...
. In 2007, the rivalry was restored as the two teams met again in the playoffs and a showdown of two of the best 1–2 combos of
Tracy McGrady Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979), nicknamed T-Mac, is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-N ...
and
Yao Ming Yao Ming ( zh, c=姚明; born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Baske ...
of the Rockets and
Deron Williams Deron Michael Williams ( ; born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball, Illinois Fighting Illini before being drafted third overall in ...
and Carlos Boozer of the Jazz. In 2018, the rivalry was once again restored as the two teams met in the Western Conference Semifinals, where the Rockets won the series 4–1. In 2019, the two teams met once again in the playoffs, but in the First Round, with the Rockets once again winning the series 4–1.


History


Stock, The Mailman, and The Dream arrive

The major players of both squads, Olajuwon, Drexler, Malone, and Stockton, were all drafted in the mid-1980s, an era in which many other great players were drafted, mostly in the same years as each other. Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde 'the Glide' Drexler led the
University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...
's "Phi Slama Jama" squad to three Final Four appearances. Drexler was drafted in 1983 by Portland, and traded to Houston during their championship run. Olajuwon was drafted first overall by Houston in 1984. John Stockton, on the other hand, was drafted sixteenth by Utah from Gonzaga in the same year and was relatively unknown at the time. The Jazz pulled off another draft steal when they selected Karl Malone thirteenth overall from
Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public university, public research university in Ruston, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and Carnegie Classification of Institu ...
the next year. The first meeting in the playoffs between the Rockets and the Jazz was in the 1985 NBA playoffs. Houston, led by its "Twin Towers" of
Ralph Sampson Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selec ...
and Olajuwon, amassed a 48–34 record in 1984–85, earning a second-place finish in the Midwest Division and the third seed in the playoffs. Utah, tied for fourth in the Midwest with San Antonio, wound up as the sixth seed, reaching the postseason for only the second time in franchise history. Utah, with Stockton,
Adrian Dantley Adrian Delano Dantley (born February 28, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dantley is a six-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection an ...
, and shot-blocking center
Mark Eaton Mark Edward Eaton (January 24, 1957 – May 28, 2021) was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career (1982–1993) with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Named an NBA All-Star in 1989, he w ...
(who won the shot-blocking title and set all-time league records for total blocks (456) and blocks per game (5.6), defeated Houston and its Twin Towers in 5 games despite losing Eaton to an injured right knee.


1994 NBA Playoffs, Western Conference finals

The teams met in their first major clash with each other in the
1994 NBA playoffs The 1994 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1993–94 NBA season, 1993-94 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champion 1993–94 Houston Rockets ...
. Olajuwon was widely considered not only the best post player in the league during an era of great centers, but ever since
Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...
's first retirement from the NBA, the best player in the league, winning both the
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 ...
and his second consecutive
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award The NBA Defensive Player of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswriters and b ...
for the 1993–94 season. Along with Otis Thorpe, Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell,
Robert Horry Robert Keith Horry ( ; born August 25, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player and current sports commentator. Horry was a member of seven championship winning teams and is considered, by some, to be one of the most clutch sho ...
,
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 ...
, and
Sam Cassell Samuel James Cassell Sr. (born November 18, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach and former point guard who serves as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drafted 24th overall in th ...
, the Rockets proved to be a force in the Western Conference. They won the Midwest Division Title with a record of 58–24. As the second seed in the Western Conference, they ousted the
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 Bask ...
-led Blazers three games to one, but had trouble with
Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT and CBS Sports. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "the Bread Truck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", ...
's Suns, who won the first two games in Houston. The Rockets won the series, four games to three. The Jazz, with their established duo of Malone (who finished fifth in the league with 25.2 points per game and topped 19,000 career points to move into 25th place on the all-time list) and Stockton (who led the league in assists for the seventh straight season with 12.6 assists per game) and the
pick and roll The pick and roll (also called a ball screen or screen and roll) in basketball is an offensive play in which a player sets a screen (sports), screen (pick) for a teammate handling the ball and then moves toward the basket (rolls) to receive a pa ...
offense, also had
Jeff Hornacek Jeffrey John Hornacek (; born May 3, 1963) is an American professional basketball coach and a former player who is a coaching consultant for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously was the head coach for both the ...
(acquired in a trade with Philadelphia for Jeff Malone), veteran forward Tom Chambers, and center Felton Spencer to complement the two leaders. The team posed a challenge to the Rockets for the Midwest Division Title when it won ten straight games from late February to early March and then eight of nine games to finish the season 53–29. Utah defeated San Antonio three games to one, but received a scare from the Denver Nuggets (the eighth seed that upset first-seeded Seattle in the first round) when a 3–0 series lead for the Jazz evaporated into a 3–3 series tie. The Jazz advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three years to face Houston. The Rockets won the first two games in Houston, then the teams split two games in the Delta Center in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
; the Jazz won the first of the two. Game 5 was held in Houston on May 31, 1994. The Rockets hit eight three-pointers in the first three quarters to build a 24-point lead, but the Jazz came back in the fourth quarter and cut the lead to eight. Robert Horry and Olajuwon made clutch shots down the stretch to win it for the Rockets, 94–83, claiming the Western Conference Title and sent the Rockets to the NBA Finals for the first time since . The Rockets won the Championship against Olajuwon's old college rival,
Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is a basketball ambassador for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played most o ...
, and the
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...
in a 7-game
series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...
. Knicks home court hosted the
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
' first Stanley Cup celebration in 54 years; the Rockets also denied New York City the distinction of having both NBA and NHL championships in the same year.


1995 NBA Playoffs, First Round

The next year, the two faced off again, this time in the first round of the 1995 NBA playoffs. Houston struggled throughout much of the season, and finished with a record of 47–35 for the sixth seed in the West. On February 14, 1995, the Rockets traded Otis Thorpe to the Blazers for
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 Bask ...
and Tracy Murray. An injury to Carl Herrera forced him to miss most of the second half of the season and the entire postseason and left the
power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...
position vulnerable. The addition of Drexler as a starter made former starter Vernon Maxwell frustrated enough to take a leave of absence. These issues provided fuel for critics of the Thorpe-Drexler deal. The Jazz, ended the season on a high note with a record of 60–22, then a franchise record thanks partly to a 15-game winning streak on the road in December and January, the second-longest such streak in NBA history. The starting five of Malone, Stockton, Hornacek, David Benoit, and Felton Spencer, was solid, and the bench possessed key contributors in Adam Keefe, Antoine Carr, James Donaldson, Tom Chambers, and Blue Edwards. The major setback came on January 13, when Spencer suffered a torn left
Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...
, which took him out for the rest of the season and the entire postseason. Spencer was not an All-Star, but he was still crucial to the Jazz's championship chances because he was a big body who could hold his own against the great centers in the Western Conference, especially against
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 (NB ...
. With the second best record in the Midwest Division to the
San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
, the Jazz ended up with the third seed in the West. The Jazz barely won the first game in the Delta Center 102–100, but the Rockets beat the Jazz in Game 2 140–126 for a split in Utah. The series moved to Houston, where the Jazz won 95–82, going up in the series 2–1. The Rockets regrouped to win Game 4 123–106 to force a Game 5 at the Delta Center. In Game 4, Drexler scored 41 points while Olajuwon scored 40. Game 5 was a tightly fought contest, the Rockets defeated the Jazz 95–91, and eliminated Utah for the second straight year. The Rockets repeated as Champions, convincingly beating the
Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...
in the
finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
and are the lowest-seed to win the Championship.


1997 NBA Playoffs, Western Conference finals

The two clubs met again in the 1997 NBA playoffs, this time in the Western Conference Finals. For the first time in franchise history, Utah finished as the top Western Conference team with a 64–18 record (the best in franchise history) and stormed past both the Clippers and Lakers before meeting Houston. An off-season trade with Phoenix gave the Rockets
Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT and CBS Sports. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "the Bread Truck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", ...
for
Sam Cassell Samuel James Cassell Sr. (born November 18, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach and former point guard who serves as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drafted 24th overall in th ...
, Chucky Brown, Mark Bryant, and Robert Horry. Matt Maloney manned the point as the only first-year player to start in all 82 games. Other key acquisitions included veterans
Kevin Willis Kevin Alvin Willis (born September 6, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player mostly known for playing with the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a 7-foot power forward/ center. Excluding playe ...
, Sedale Threatt and Eddie Johnson to provide an already potent Rockets starting lineup a deep bench. The Rockets finished second in both the Midwest Division and the Western Conference with a 57–25 record and the third seed. The Rockets swept the
Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...
in the first round and then survived a seven-game series with the Seattle SuperSonics in the Western Cenference Semifinals, avenging last year's sweep. The Rockets advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where the Jazz were waiting. Utah won the first two games at home in the Delta Center, while the Rockets responded at home with wins in games 3 and 4, thanks to the heroics of Eddie Johnson, who scored 31 points off the bench in Game 3 and hit a buzzer-beating, game-winning, three-pointer in Game 4 to even the series at 2. The Jazz won Game 5 at home. Stockton scored 15 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter to help the Jazz claw back from a 12-point deficit, including his most heroic effort at the final buzzer. After tying the game in the final minute, with time for one final offensive play, Bryon Russell made the inbounds pass to Stockton, Malone set the pick, and this forced Malone's man, Barkley, to try to guard Stockton. But Barkley was too late: though he managed to get a hand in Stockton's face, Stockton buried the three-pointer. This spectacular winning play was performed off Utah's signature play: the
pick and roll The pick and roll (also called a ball screen or screen and roll) in basketball is an offensive play in which a player sets a screen (sports), screen (pick) for a teammate handling the ball and then moves toward the basket (rolls) to receive a pa ...
. Stockton's 3 gave the Jazz a 103–100 victory over Houston and sent them on their first-ever trip to the
NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...
, where they lost to the
Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...
in 6.


1998 NBA Playoffs, First Round

They met each other in the first round of the 1998 NBA playoffs. The Jazz finished tied with the best record with Chicago at 62–20, having swept the regular-season series against the Bulls, guaranteeing home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. However, the eighth-seeded Houston Rockets, who finished with a record of 41–41 due to numerous injuries, nearly gave the Jazz a scare when the Rockets, led by Drexler's 22 points, won the first game in the Delta Center 103–90. After the Jazz won Game 2 105–90, the Rockets won a grinding Game 3 89–85, led by a team-high 28 points and 12 rebounds from Olajuwon. The Utah Jazz were now one loss away from becoming only the second first-seeded team to lose to an eighth seed. The Rockets looked poised to win the fourth game, but
Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT and CBS Sports. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "the Bread Truck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", ...
received an elbow to his forearm, tearing a triceps muscle and ending his season. The Jazz won the last two games of the series over the shorthanded Rockets, ending the retiring Clyde Drexler's career.


Ending era and rivalry

After the retirements of Drexler, Barkley, and Olajuwon, the Rockets did not return to the playoffs until 2004, when a team of
Yao Ming Yao Ming ( zh, c=姚明; born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Baske ...
,
Steve Francis Steven D'Shawn Francis (born February 21, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected with the second overall pick of the 1999 NBA draft and was named co-NBA Rookie of the Year (along with Elton Brand) in his fi ...
, and Cuttino Mobley faced the Lakers (the team which Malone joined the last off-season to try and win a title). The previous year, Stockton retired, the Jazz ended its twenty-year streak of postseason appearances. In 2007, everything changed.


The return of the rivalry (2007–08)

The rivalry was restored in the late 2000s when during the 2007 season, the Jazz were holding the fourth-best record in the Western Conference, but skidded and allowed the Rockets to have home court advantage during the playoffs. Pressure was on Rockets star
Tracy McGrady Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979), nicknamed T-Mac, is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-N ...
with questions regarding if he could take the Rockets to the second round for the first time in his career. The pressure showed in Game 1 as he only scored 1 point in the first half with the Rockets down 9. He came out strong in the second half though as he scored 16 points in the third quarter and finished with 23 as the Rockets took Game 1 84–75. Game 2 was a similar story as Houston won 98–90 behind McGrady's 31 points and Yao's 27 despite Carlos Boozer's career-high tying 41 points. The series shifted to Salt Lake City and the Jazz finally found their groove as they took Game 3 81–67, despite another impressive performance from Yao and T-Mac. The Jazz then tied the series with a 95–85 victory in Game 4. The series went back to Houston for Game 5. T-Mac had one of the best performances of the series as he tallied 26 points and a career-high 16 assists as they took Game 5 96–92. McGrady was one game shy of winning his first playoff series. He had to wait as the Jazz took Game 6 94–82. The series shifted back to Houston for the crucial Game 7. Up to this point, the home team had won every game of the series. This would not hold up as the Jazz emerged victorious, 103–99. Yao and McGrady each had 29, but it was not enough to overcome Boozer's 35 as the Jazz came back from an 0–2 deficit for the first time in franchise history. The Jazz went on to the Conference Finals, but succumbed to the champion Spurs in five games. In
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, the two teams faced each other again in the first round as the Jazz were the 4-seed and the Rockets were the 5-seed. The Rockets have homecourt advantage against the Jazz but they were playing without
Yao Ming Yao Ming ( zh, c=姚明; born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Baske ...
who suffered a stress fracture injury just months before the Playoffs. The Jazz took the first two games in Houston, and looked poised to sweep the Rockets at home, but the Rockets responded in Game 3, where in the final seconds Carl Landry blocked
Deron Williams Deron Michael Williams ( ; born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball, Illinois Fighting Illini before being drafted third overall in ...
' shot that could have won the game for the Jazz. After the Game 3 loss, the Jazz responded in Game 4 and took a 3–1 lead. In Game 5, the Rockets outplayed the Jazz, but in Game 6, despite a 41-point performance by Tracy McGrady, the Rockets couldn't overcome injuries to starting point guard Rafer Alston as well as Yao and McGrady was unable to get out of the first-round again, falling for the second year in a row in the first round to the Utah Jazz. He would not play a game in the second round until
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
despite the Rockets advancing in
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, which McGrady missed due to a season-ending injury.


2018 and 2019 playoffs

Both the Jazz and the Rockets underwent a rebuilding process at the start of the 2010s. Carlos Boozer departed as a free agent, long-time Jazz coach Jerry Sloan resigned early in the 2010–11 season, and Deron Williams was traded away shortly afterwards. Meanwhile, Yao Ming's foot injuries led to his retirement after that season, while Tracy McGrady was traded away the season before. Under head coach
Quin Snyder Quin Price Snyder (born October 30, 1966) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After being named a McDonald's All American as a high school player i ...
and new additions
Rudy Gobert Rudy Gobert-Bourgarel ( , ; born June 26, 1992) is a French professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for the Utah Jazz who acquired him during the 2013 NBA d ...
and
Donovan Mitchell Donovan Vernell Mitchell Jr. (born September 7, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Spida", he was drafted in the first round of the 2017 NBA ...
, the Jazz returned to relevance by the end of the decade. The Rockets also returned to prominence behind
James Harden James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is regarded by some as one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA hist ...
, becoming a regular playoff participant since Harden's arrival in . Both teams met in the and playoffs. In the 2018 playoffs, Houston entered as the top seed while Utah made it as the fifth seed after eliminating the
Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...
in the first round. In the 2019 playoffs, Houston and Utah faced each other in the first round as the fourth and fifth seed. In both occasions, the Rockets eliminated the Jazz in five games, but were then ousted by the
Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
in the next round.


Season-by-season results

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, Jazz join the
National Basketball Association 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 ...
(NBA) as an expansion team. They are placed in the Eastern Conference and the Central Division, becoming divisional rivals with the Rockets. , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Jazz, , Tie
, Jazz open
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(now known as
Caesars Superdome Caesars Superdome (originally Louisiana Superdome and formerly Mercedes-Benz Superdome), commonly known as the Superdome, is a domed multi-purpose stadium in the Southern United States, southern United States, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. ...
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, Rockets win their first and only Central Division. , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Jazz
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, Final season Jazz played as a
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
-based team. , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets
, Jazz relocate to
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
,
Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, open
Salt Palace The Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center, more commonly known as the Salt Palace, is a convention center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Named after Utah's 11th governor, Calvin L. Rampton, the moniker "Salt Palace" was previously used by ...
, and are moved to the Western Conference and the Midwest Division, no longer being divisional rivals with the Rockets. , - , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets
, Rockets are moved to the Western Conference and the Midwest Division, once again becoming divisional rivals with the Jazz.
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, Jazz record their first season series sweep against the Rockets. , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets
, On December 15, 1983, Jazz beat the Rockets 138–111, their most points scored in a game against the Rockets.
Jazz win 10 games in a row against the Rockets.
Jazz win their first Midwest Division. , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets
, Jazz and Rockets
draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...
PG
John Stockton John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the great point guards of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, and the team made the pla ...
and C
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 (NB ...
respectively. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1985 Western Conference First Round , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets
, 1st postseason series. , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets
, Jazz
draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...
PF
Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spen ...
.
Rockets win their first Midwest Division.
Rockets lose 1986 NBA Finals. , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets
, , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets
, , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Jazz
, On March 8, 1989, Jazz beat the Rockets 117–80, their largest victory against the Rockets with a 37–point differential.
Jazz win the Midwest Division. , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , Tie
, , - , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , Tie
, Last season Jazz played at
Salt Palace The Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center, more commonly known as the Salt Palace, is a convention center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Named after Utah's 11th governor, Calvin L. Rampton, the moniker "Salt Palace" was previously used by ...
. , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz
, Jazz open Delta Center.
Jazz win the Midwest Division. , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets, , Tie
, Rockets finish with a winning record at Utah for the first time since the 1981 season.
Rockets win the Midwest Division. , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , Tie
, Rockets win the Midwest Division. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1994 Western Conference Finals , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets
, 2nd postseason series.
Rockets go on to win
1994 NBA Finals The 1994 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1993–94 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Houston Rockets played the Eastern Conference cham ...
. , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets
, Midway through the season, Rockets trade for Trail Blazers'
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 Bask ...
. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1995 Western Conference First Round , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , Tie, , style=";" , Rockets
, 3rd postseason series.
Rockets go on to win
1995 NBA Finals The 1995 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1994–95 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The series pitted the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic against the defen ...
. , - , , Tie , , Tie, , Tie, , style=";" , Rockets
, , - , , Tie , , Tie, , Tie, , style=";" , Rockets
, Jazz win the Midwest Division. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1997 Western Conference Finals , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets
, 4th postseason series.
In game 6, Jazz's PG
John Stockton John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the great point guards of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, and the team made the pla ...
hits the game-winning three-point at the
buzzer A buzzer or beeper is an audio signaling device, which may be mechanical, electromechanical, or piezoelectric (''piezo'' for short). Typical uses of buzzers and beepers include alarm devices, timers, train and confirmation of user input such ...
to win the series.
Last season Rockets held the overall series lead.
Jazz go on to lose
1997 NBA Finals The 1997 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1996–97 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Utah Jazz took on the defending NBA champion and Easte ...
. , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Jazz
, Jazz's first season series sweep against the Rockets since the 1982 season.
Jazz win the Midwest Division.
Jazz finish with the best record in the league (62–20). , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1998 Western Conference First Round , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz
, 5th postseason series.
Game 5 was Rockets' SG
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 Bask ...
final NBA game.
Jazz go on to lose
1998 NBA Finals The 1998 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1997–98 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The two-time defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls ...
. , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Jazz
, , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz
, Jazz win the Midwest Division. , - , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz
, Last season
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 (NB ...
played for the Rockets. , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Jazz
, , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Jazz
, Last season Rockets played at Compaq Center (formerly known as The Summit).
Last season
Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spen ...
played for the Jazz.
Last season for Jazz's PG
John Stockton John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the great point guards of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, and the team made the pla ...
. , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Jazz
, Rockets open
Toyota Center Toyota Center is an indoor arena located in Houston, Texas, United States. It is named after the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The arena is home to the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and it was once th ...
. , - , , Tie , , Tie, , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz
, Jazz are moved to the Northwest Division and the Rockets are moved to the Southwest Division, no longer being divisional rivals. , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz
, , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz
, Jazz record their 100th win against the Rockets. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 2007 Western Conference First Round , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Jazz
, 6th postseason series.
Jazz become the third team in NBA history to win Game 7 on the road after the home team won each of the first six games. , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Jazz
, , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 2008 Western Conference First Round , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Jazz
, 7th postseason series. , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Jazz
, , - , , Tie , , Tie, , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz
, , - , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz
, Rockets finish with a winning record in Utah and win the season series against the Jazz for the first time since the 1995 Western Conference First Round and the 1992 season in the regular season. , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz
, , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Jazz
, On January 28, 2013, Rockets beat the Jazz 125–80, their largest victory against the Jazz with a 45–point differential. It was also the Jazz's worst home loss in franchise history.
Rockets record their 100th win against the Jazz. , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Jazz
, , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Jazz
, , - , , Tie , , Tie, , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz
, , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz
, , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Jazz
, Rockets' first season series sweep against the Jazz since the 1981 season.
Rockets finish with the best record in the league (65–17). , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 2018 Western Conference Semifinals , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Jazz
, 8th postseason series. , - , , Tie , , Tie, , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz
, , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 2019 Western Conference First Round , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Jazz
, 9th postseason series. , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Jazz
, Jazz finish with a winning record in Houston for the first time since the 2008 Western Conference First Round and the 2007 season in the regular season. , - , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Jazz
, Jazz's first season series sweep against the Rockets since the 1998 season.
Jazz finish with the best record in the league (52–20). , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Jazz
, , - , , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , Tie, , style=";" , Jazz
, , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Jazz
, On March 23, 2024, Rockets beat the Jazz 147–119, their most points scored in a game against the Jazz. , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Jazz
, , - , - , Regular season games , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , , - , Postseason games , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , , - , Postseason series , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , Tie, , Western Conference First Round:
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
,
1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
,
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
,
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
,
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
,
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Western Conference Semifinals:
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Western Conference Finals:
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
,
1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...
, - , Regular and postseason , style=";" , Jazz , style=";" , , style=";" , Jazz, , style=";" , Rockets, , Rockets have a 7–6 record in
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
. Jazz currently have a 65–31 record in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
,
Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
. , -


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jazz-Rockets rivalry NBA rivalries Utah Jazz Houston Rockets