when did the houston rockets win the championship?
1994 NBA Finals 1995 NBA Finals
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 Upon moving to Houston in 1971 , the Rockets replaced green with red . They kept the same design from their San Diego days , save for the change of color and city name . The logo used is of a player with a spinning basketball launching upward , with boosters on his back , leaving a trail of red and gold flames and the words " Houston Rockets " below it . 

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 Houston was again given the first pick of the 1984 NBA Draft , and they used it to select Hakeem Olajuwon from the University of Houston . In his first season , Olajuwon finished second to Michael Jordan in NBA Rookie of the Year balloting , and the Rockets record improved by 19 games , although they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs . 

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 In the Rockets ' debut season , they won 15 games . After drafting Elvin Hayes first overall in the 1968 NBA Draft , they made their first appearance in the playoffs in 1969 . After Hayes was traded , Moses Malone replaced him . Malone won two Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) awards during his time in Houston , and he led the Rockets to the 1978 conference finals in his first year with the Rockets . He also took the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981 , but they were defeated in six games by the Boston Celtics . 

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 = = = 1967 – 1971 : San Diego Rockets = = = 

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 Despite being coached by Hall of Fame coach Alex Hannum , the Rockets only tallied a 57 – 97 record and did not make the playoffs in the next two seasons . Because of poor performance and attendance , Breitbard sold the team in 1971 to Texas Sports Investments , which was led by real estate broker Wayne Duddleston and banker Billy Goldberg . The group bought the franchise for $ 5 @.@ 6 million , and immediately moved the team to Houston . The franchise became the first NBA team in Texas , and the team 's nickname of " Rockets " took on even greater relevance after the move since Houston is home to NASA 's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center . 
