Rockets–Spurs Rivalry
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Rockets–Spurs rivalry is an 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
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) ...
and 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 ...
. It is considered one of the most bitter rivalries in the league due to both teams being in the same division, contested games, and close proximity. 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 Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, the others featuring Houston and San Antonio versus the
Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...
.


Background

The rivalry began in 1976, when the Spurs moved from the
American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...
along with the
Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...
,
New York Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
, and
Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
. 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 East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...
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 Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...
. The rivalry sparkled in 1995 when the sixth-seeded Rockets led by
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 ...
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. After years of dormancy, the rivalry once again began to show signs of life following the 2023 draft lottery when prospective first overall pick Victor Wembanyama appeared to celebrate the Rockets' failure to obtain the first pick of the draft. Wembanyama was also visibly delighted upon the Spurs' receiving of the first pick because of the team's popularity in his home country of
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.


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 The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...
, 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 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 ...
(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."Hakeem Olajuwon
nba.com/history. (Accessed January 3, 2007.)
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.


2008 Spurs comeback

In 2008, the teams would meet for the first match on November 14 at the AT&T Center in
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
. 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 The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...
, and a sprained ankle to Tony Parker early in the season. This was the first regular season game in which the newly acquired Ron Artest along with Tracy McGrady 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 ...
would face San Antonio. The Rockets led most of the game, going up by as many as 14 with 7 minutes left. 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. 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.


2017 Playoffs

The Spurs entered the 2017 NBA playoffs as the second seeded Western Conference team after securing a 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 record, a significant improvement over their 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. In the first round, the Rockets defeated 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 five games. The Spurs and Rockets met in the Western Conference Semifinals. The match-up was the first between the two teams in the playoffs since the 1995 Western Conference Finals. In Game 1, the Rockets defeated the Spurs 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. 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. The Spurs would close out the series in a 114–75 Game 6 win. 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.Spurs rout James Harden, Rockets 114–75 to win series.
ESPN: May 11, 2017. Retrieved on August 2, 2017.


Season–by–season results

, - , , Tie , , Tie, , Tie, , Tie
, As a result of the
ABA–NBA merger The ABA–NBA merger was a major pro sports business maneuver in 1976 when the American Basketball Association (ABA) combined with the National Basketball Association (NBA), after multiple attempts over several years. The NBA and ABA had entered ...
, the Rockets and Spurs were placed in the same league. The Spurs were placed in the Eastern Conference and the Central Division, becoming divisional rivals with the Rockets. , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , Tie, , Tie
, , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs, , Tie
, On December 9, 1979, Spurs beat the Rockets 138–129, their most points scored in a game against the Rockets.
On December 26, 1979, Rockets beat the Spurs 143–110, their most points scored in a game against the Spurs. , - , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1980 Eastern Conference First Round , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Rockets
, 1st postseason series. , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Rockets
, Rockets and Spurs were moved to the Western Conference and the Midwest Division. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1981 Western Conference Semifinals , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets
, 2nd postseason series.
Rockets go on to lose 1981 NBA Finals. , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Rockets
, , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, On January 20, 1984, Rockets beat the Spurs 138–104, their largest victory against the Spurs with a 34–point differential. , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs
, , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets
, Rockets win the Midwest Division for the first time.
Rockets lose 1986 NBA Finals. , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets
, , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Rockets
, , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets
, Rockets record their first season series sweep against the Spurs. , - , , Tie , , Tie, , Tie, , style=";" , Rockets
, , - , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Spurs, , Tie, , style=";" , Rockets
, , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets
, , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , Tie, , style=";" , Rockets
, Last season Spurs played at HemisFair Arena.
Rockets win the Midwest Division. , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Rockets
, Spurs open up Alamodome.
Rockets win the Midwest Division.
Rockets win 1994 NBA Finals. , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Rockets
, Spurs finish with the best record in the league (62–20). , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1995 Western Conference Finals , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets
, 3rd postseason series.
Rockets go on to win 1995 NBA Finals. , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Rockets
, , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets
, , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Rockets
, Tim Duncan makes his debut for the Spurs. , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Rockets
, Spurs record their first season series sweep against the Rockets.
Spurs finish with the best record in the league (37–13).
Spurs win
1999 NBA Finals The 1999 NBA Finals was the championship round of the shortened 1998–99 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs took on the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks f ...
, their first NBA championship. , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Rockets
, , - , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Rockets
, Spurs win 11 games in a row against the Rockets.
Last season Rockets held the overall series record against the Spurs.
Spurs finish with the best record in the league (58–24). , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, Last season Spurs played at Alamodome.
Spurs take the overall series record for the first time. , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, Spurs open up SBC Center (now known as Frost Bank Center)
Last season Rockets played at Compaq Center (formerly known as The Summit).
Spurs finish with the best record in the league (60–22).
Spurs win
2003 NBA Finals The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2002–03 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs played the Eastern Conference ...
. , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, Rockets open up Toyota Center. , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, As part of new realignments, Rockets and Spurs were moved to the new Southwest Division.
Spurs win
2005 NBA Finals The 2005 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2004–05 NBA season, 2004–05 season, and the culmination of the 2005 NBA playoffs, season's playoffs. The Western Conference (NBA), Wes ...
. , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, Spurs win 17 home games in a row against the Rockets. , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs
, Rockets record their first win, series win and sweep at Houston since the 1996 season.
Spurs win 2007 NBA Finals. , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, , - , , Tie , , Tie, , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs
, , - , , Tie , , Tie, , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs
, , - , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, , - , , Tie , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, Spurs record their 100th win against the Rockets. , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, Spurs lose 2013 NBA Finals. , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs
, Rockets' first season series win against the Spurs since the 1996 season and their first season series sweep since the 1988 season.
Spurs finish with the best record in the league (62–20).
Spurs win
2014 NBA Finals The 2014 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2013–14 NBA season, 2013–14 season and the conclusion of 2014 NBA Playoffs, the season's playoffs, played from June 5 to 15, 2014. It ...
. , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, Rockets win the Southwest Division for the first time. , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Spurs, , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs
, , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 2017 Western Conference Semifinals , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, 4th postseason series.
In game 5, Spurs beat the Rockets 114–75, their largest victory against the Rockets with a 39–point differential.
Spurs record their first postseason series win against the Rockets. , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs
, Rockets win the Southwest Division.
Rockets finish with the best record in the league (65–17). , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs
, Rockets record their 100th win against the Spurs.
Rockets win the Southwest Division. , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Spurs
, Rockets win the Southwest Division. , - , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Spurs, , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs
, Starting with their loss to the Spurs on February 6, 2021, the Rockets went on a 20-game losing streak, setting a franchise record. , - , , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Spurs, , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs
, , - , , Tie , , Tie, , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs
, , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs
, , - , , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , Tie, , style=";" , Spurs
, , - , - , Regular season games , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs, , , - , Postseason games , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Spurs, , style=";" , Rockets, , , - , Postseason series , style=";" , Rockets , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Rockets, , Eastern Conference First Round:
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

Western Conference Semifinals:
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
,
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Western Conference Finals: 1995 , - , Regular and postseason , style=";" , Spurs , style=";" , , style=";" , Rockets, , style=";" , Spurs, , , -


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rockets-Spurs rivalry NBA rivalries Houston Rockets San Antonio Spurs 1976 establishments in Texas