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1989–90 Houston Rockets season

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1989–90 Houston Rockets season
Head coachDon Chaney
General managerSteve Patterson
Owner(s)Charlie Thomas
ArenaThe Summit
Results
Record41–41 (.500)
PlaceDivision: 5th (Midwest)
Conference: 8th (Western)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to Lakers 1–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionKTXH
Home Sports Entertainment
RadioKTRH
< 1988–89 1990–91 >

The 1989–90 NBA season was the Rockets' 23rd season in the National Basketball Association, and 19th season in the city of Houston.[1] After a 9–6 start to the season, the Rockets would struggle posting a 12–18 record as they entered the New Year. However, they would manage to win seven of their next nine games, holding a 22–25 record at the All-Star break.[2] At midseason, the team acquired second-year guard Vernon Maxwell from the San Antonio Spurs,[3][4][5] as they continued to play .500 basketball for the rest of the season. The Rockets finished fifth in the Midwest Division with a 41–41 record,[6] winning a tie-breaker over the Seattle SuperSonics for the #8 seed in the Western Conference.[7][8]

Akeem Olajuwon led the Rockets with 24.3 points, 14.0 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, the NBA All-Defensive First Team, and was selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game.[9][10][11][12] In addition, Otis Thorpe averaged 17.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, while Mitchell Wiggins averaged 15.5 points per game, Buck Johnson provided the team with 14.8 points and 1.3 steals per game, and Sleepy Floyd contributed 12.2 points and 7.3 assists per game.[13] Olajuwon also finished in seventh place in Most Valuable Player voting,[14] and in second place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.[15][16][17]

However, in the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Rockets lost to the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in four games.[18][19][20][21] Following the season, Wiggins was released to free agency, and John Lucas and Tim McCormick were both traded to the Atlanta Hawks.[22][23][24]

Draft picks

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Main article: 1989 NBA draft

The Rockets had no draft picks in 1989.

Roster

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1989–90 Houston Rockets roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
G 25 Bowie, Anthony 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1963–11–09 Oklahoma
F 44 Caldwell, Adrian 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 265 lb (120 kg) 1966–07–04 Lamar
G 9 Dinkins, Byron 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1967–06–15 Charlotte
G 21 Floyd, Sleepy 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1960–03–06 Georgetown
F 1 Johnson, Buck 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1964–01–03 Alabama
G 32 Lloyd, Lewis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1959–02–22 Drake
G 10 Lucas, John 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1953–10–31 Maryland
G 11 Maxwell, Vernon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1965–09–12 Florida
C 40 McCormick, Tim 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1962–03–10 Michigan
C 34 Olajuwon, Akeem 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1963–01–21 Houston
F 13 Smith, Larry 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1958–01–18 Alcorn State
F 33 Thorpe, Otis 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1962–08–05 Providence
G 23 Wiggins, Mitchell 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1959–09–28 Florida State
G 42 Woodson, Mike 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1958–03–24 Indiana
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: March 19, 1990

Regular season

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Season standings

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Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-San Antonio Spurs 56 26 .683 – 34–7 22–19 19–9
x-Utah Jazz 55 27 .671 1 36–5 19–22 21–7
x-Dallas Mavericks 47 35 .573 9 30–11 17–24 17–11
x-Denver Nuggets 43 39 .524 13 28–13 15–26 15–13
x-Houston Rockets 41 41 .500 15 31–10 10–31 13–15
Minnesota Timberwolves 22 60 .268 34 17–24 5–36 6–22
Charlotte Hornets 19 63 .232 37 13–28 6–35 7–21
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Los Angeles Lakers 63 19 .768 –
2 y-San Antonio Spurs 56 26 .683 7
3 x-Portland Trail Blazers 59 23 .720 4
4 x-Utah Jazz 55 27 .671 8
5 x-Phoenix Suns 54 28 .659 9
6 x-Dallas Mavericks 47 35 .573 16
7 x-Denver Nuggets 43 39 .524 20
8 x-Houston Rockets 41 41 .500 22
9 Seattle SuperSonics 41 41 .500 22
10 Golden State Warriors 37 45 .451 26
11 Los Angeles Clippers 30 52 .366 33
12 Sacramento Kings 23 59 .280 40
13 Minnesota Timberwolves 22 60 .268 41
14 Charlotte Hornets 19 63 .232 44
z – clinched division title
y – clinched division title
x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

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1989-90 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL MIN NJN NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA UTA WAS
Atlanta — 1–3 2–0 0–5 2–3 0–2 1–1 3–2 2–0 2–0 2–3 1–1 0–2 4–0 3–2 1–1 2–2 1–3 5–0 2–2 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–2
Boston 3–1 — 2–0 2–2 3–1 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 2–0 1–3 1–1 0–2 5–0 2–2 1–1 5–1 4–1 4–0 3–2 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–3
Charlotte 0–2 0–2 — 0–2 1–1 1–3 3–2 0–2 2–2 1–4 1–1 2–2 0–4 1–1 0–2 2–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–3 0–4 1–3 0–5 0–4 0–5 0–2
Chicago 5–0 2–2 2–0 — 5–0 2–0 1–1 1–4 2–0 1–1 2–3 1–1 1–1 4–0 4–1 2–0 3–1 3–1 3–2 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 3–1
Cleveland 3–2 1–3 1–1 0–5 — 0–2 0–2 1–4 1–1 0–2 3–2 1–1 1–1 4–0 3–2 1–1 4–0 2–2 4–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–1
Dallas 2–0 1–1 3–1 0–2 2–0 — 2–3 1–1 3–1 4–1 2–0 3–1 0–4 2–0 1–1 4–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–3 0–4 3–1 3–2 2–2 1–3 1–1
Denver 1–1 1–1 2–3 1–1 2–0 3–2 — 0–2 2–2 4–1 0–2 2–2 0–4 2–0 1–1 5–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–3 2–2 4–0 1–3 2–2 0–4 1–1
Detroit 2–3 2–2 2–0 4–1 4–1 1–1 2–0 — 1–1 1–1 4–1 1–1 1–1 3–1 3–2 2–0 4–0 4–0 5–0 1–3 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–0
Golden State 0–2 1–1 2–2 0–2 1–1 1–3 2–2 1–1 — 2–2 1–1 3–1 1–4 2–0 1–1 3–1 2–0 0–2 2–0 1–1 0–5 2–2 3–2 1–3 2–3 2–2 1–1
Houston 0–2 0–2 4–1 1–1 2–0 1–4 1–4 1–1 2–2 — 1–1 2–2 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–2 1–3 4–0 2–2 2–2 3–2 1–1
Indiana 3–2 3–1 1–1 3–2 2–3 0–2 2–0 1–4 1–1 1–1 — 0–2 0–2 3–1 3–2 1–1 4–0 1–3 4–1 0–4 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–1
L.A. Clippers 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 1–3 2–2 1–1 1–3 2–2 2–0 — 1–4 0–2 1–1 3–1 2–0 0–2 2–0 0–2 0–4 0–5 2–3 0–4 3–2 0–4 1–1
L.A. Lakers 2–0 2–0 4–0 1–1 1–1 4–0 4–0 1–1 4–1 2–2 2–0 4–1 — 2–0 1–1 4–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 3–1 2–3 5–0 2–2 4–0 2–2 1–1
Miami 0–4 0–5 1–1 0–4 0–4 0–2 0–2 1–3 0–2 1–1 1–3 2–0 0–2 — 2–2 1–1 1–4 1–5 3–1 0–5 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 1–1 2–3
Milwaukee 2–3 2–2 2–0 1–4 2–3 1–1 1–1 2–3 1–1 1–1 2–3 1–1 1–1 2–2 — 2–0 4–0 2–2 5–0 1–3 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 0–2 3–1
Minnesota 1–1 1–1 2–2 0–2 1–1 1–4 0–5 0–2 1–3 2–2 1–1 1–3 0–4 1–1 0–2 — 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–4 1–3 2–2 1–4 1–3 0–5 1–1
New Jersey 2–2 1–5 1–1 1–3 0–4 0–2 0–2 0–4 0–2 1–1 0–4 0–2 0–2 4–1 0–4 1–1 — 1–4 1–3 1–4 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 2–3
New York 3–1 1–4 1–1 1–3 2–2 1–1 1–1 0–4 2–0 1–1 3–1 2–0 0–2 5–1 2–2 1–1 4–1 — 2–2 2–3 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 5–0
Orlando 0–5 0–4 1–1 2–3 1–4 0–2 0–2 0–5 0–2 0–2 1–4 0–2 1–1 1–3 0–5 1–1 3–1 2–2 — 2–2 0–2 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–4
Philadelphia 2–2 2–3 2–0 2–2 2–2 1–1 1–1 3–1 1–1 1–1 4–0 2–0 1–1 5–0 3–1 1–1 4–1 3–2 2–2 — 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 5–1
Phoenix 2–0 1–1 3–1 0–2 1–1 3–1 3–1 0–2 5–0 2–2 1–1 4–0 1–3 2–0 1–1 4–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 — 2–3 5–0 0–4 3–2 3–1 2–0
Portland 1–1 2–0 4–0 1–1 1–1 4–0 2–2 1–1 2–2 3–1 1–1 5–0 3–2 2–0 1–1 3–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 3–2 — 4–0 3–1 3–2 2–2 1–1
Sacramento 1–1 0–2 3–1 1–1 0–2 1–3 0–4 0–2 2–3 0–4 1–1 3–2 0–5 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–5 0–4 — 0–4 2–2 1–3 1–1
San Antonio 1–1 1–1 5–0 1–1 1–1 2–3 3–1 1–1 3–1 2–2 1–1 4–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 4–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–0 1–3 4–0 — 3–1 3–2 2–0
Seattle 1–1 0–2 4–0 1–1 1–1 2–2 2–2 1–1 3–2 2–2 1–1 2–3 0–4 2–0 0–2 3–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–3 2–3 2–2 1–3 — 1–3 2–0
Utah 1–1 1–1 5–0 2–0 1–1 3–1 4–0 1–1 2–2 2–3 1–1 4–0 2–2 1–1 2–0 5–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–3 2–2 3–1 2–3 3–1 — 2–0
Washington 2–2 3–2 2–0 1–3 1–3 1–1 1–1 0–4 1–1 1–1 1–3 1–1 1–1 3–2 1–3 1–1 3–2 0–5 4–0 1–5 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 —

Game log

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Playoffs

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1990 playoff game log
First Round: 1–3 (home: 1–1; road: 0–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 27 @ L.A. Lakers L 89–101 Otis Thorpe (21) Akeem Olajuwon (14) Sleepy Floyd (8) Great Western Forum
17,505 		0–1
2 April 29 @ L.A. Lakers L 100–104 Sleepy Floyd (27) Akeem Olajuwon (11) Sleepy Floyd (8) Great Western Forum
17,505 		0–2
3 May 1 L.A. Lakers W 114–108 Otis Thorpe (27) Otis Thorpe (8) Sleepy Floyd (18) The Summit
16,611 		1–2
4 May 3 L.A. Lakers L 88–109 Akeem Olajuwon (28) Akeem Olajuwon (10) Sleepy Floyd (10) The Summit
16,611 		1–3
1990 schedule

Player statistics

[edit]
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

NOTE: Please write the players statistics in alphabetical order by last name.

Season

[edit]
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Anthony Bowie 66 0 13.9 .406 .286 .741 1.8 1.5 .6 .1 4.3
Adrian Caldwell 51 0 6.5 .553 .464 2.1 .1 .2 .4 1.9
Derrick Chievous† 41 0 12.0 .506 .375 .701 1.8 .7 .6 .1 6.0
Byron Dinkins 33 0 11.0 .404 .111 .867 1.2 2.3 .6 .1 3.5
Sleepy Floyd 82 73 32.1 .451 .380 .806 2.4 7.3 1.1 .1 12.2
Buck Johnson 82 82 34.5 .495 .118 .759 4.6 3.1 1.3 .8 14.8
Lewis Lloyd† 19 0 5.9 .569 .563 .9 .6 .2 .0 3.5
John Lucas II 49 18 19.1 .375 .299 .764 1.8 4.9 .9 .0 5.8
Vernon Maxwell† 30 10 29.0 .442 .245 .664 2.9 5.0 1.4 .2 12.5
Tim McCormick 18 0 6.4 .345 .526 1.5 .2 .2 .1 1.7
Chuck Nevitt 3 0 3.0 1.000 1.0 .3 .0 .3 1.3
Akeem Olajuwon 82 82 38.1 .501 .167 .713 14.0 2.9 2.1 4.6 24.3
Larry Smith 74 0 17.6 .474 .000 .364 6.1 .9 .8 .4 3.0
Otis Thorpe 82 82 35.9 .548 .000 .688 9.0 3.2 .8 .3 17.1
Mitchell Wiggins 66 52 28.1 .488 .000 .810 4.3 1.6 1.3 .0 15.5
Mike Woodson 61 11 15.9 .395 .293 .721 1.4 1.1 .7 .2 6.5

Playoffs

[edit]
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Anthony Bowie 2 0 2.0 .000 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Adrian Caldwell 1 0 1.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Sleepy Floyd 4 4 43.0 .469 .250 .647 3.8 10.3 1.3 .3 18.5
Buck Johnson 4 4 37.0 .417 .000 .846 4.0 2.3 1.5 .5 12.8
Vernon Maxwell 4 4 39.8 .370 .308 .524 3.0 4.3 1.3 .0 19.8
Tim McCormick 3 0 7.0 .333 .500 2.7 .0 .0 .0 1.0
Akeem Olajuwon 4 4 40.3 .443 .706 11.5 2.0 2.5 5.8 18.5
Larry Smith 4 0 18.3 .750 3.3 1.3 1.0 .0 3.0
Otis Thorpe 4 4 41.0 .600 .684 8.3 1.8 1.3 .0 20.0
Mitchell Wiggins 4 0 12.8 .467 .667 3.3 .5 .3 .0 4.0
Mike Woodson 1 0 6.0 .333 .000 .0 2.0 .0 .0 2.0

Awards and records

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Transactions

[edit]
Main article: List of 1989–90 NBA season transactions

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 1989-90 Houston Rockets
  2. ^ "NBA Games Played on February 8, 1990". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  3. ^ "NBA WEDNESDAY'S TRADES: Cheeks Dealt for Strickland; Carroll to Nuggets". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. February 22, 1990. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  4. ^ Goldaper, Sam (March 27, 1990). "NOTEBOOK; Spurs on Brink of Record Turnabout". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  5. ^ Luna, Richard (May 2, 1990). "Maxwell Proves Key Acquisition for Rockets". United Press International. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  6. ^ "1989–90 Houston Rockets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  7. ^ "Rockets Land a Berth". The New York Times. April 23, 1990. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  8. ^ Hafner, Dan (April 23, 1990). "NBA ROUNDUP: Rockets Get Last Spot, Lakers in 1st Round". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  9. ^ Howard-Cooper, Scott (February 11, 1990). "NBA ALL-STAR GAME: Entire Family Is Back Together--Almost". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  10. ^ "Bird, Johnson Return Magic to All-Star Game". Sun Sentinel. February 11, 1990. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  11. ^ "1990 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  12. ^ "1990 NBA All-Star Game: East 130, West 113". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  13. ^ "1989–90 Houston Rockets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  14. ^ McManis, Sam (May 22, 1990). "Magic Repeats in MVP Vote; Barkley Is 2nd: Pro Basketball: Johnson Is the First Back-to-Back Winner Since Larry Bird. Michael Jordan Finishes a Close Third". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  15. ^ "Dennis Rodman NBA Defensive Player of Year". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 7, 1990. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  16. ^ Shook, Richard L. (May 7, 1990). "Pistons' Rodman Voted Defensive Player of Year". United Press International. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  17. ^ "1989–90 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  18. ^ Luna, Richard (May 3, 1990). "Lakers 109, Rockets 88". United Press International. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  19. ^ "Worthy Helps Lakers Eliminate Rockets". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 4, 1990. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  20. ^ McManis, Sam (May 4, 1990). "Now Lakers Don't Have to Run for Cover, 109-88: NBA Playoffs: Pep Talk by Riley, Move to Straight-Up Defense Bear Fruit as Los Angeles Wins Playoff Series". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  21. ^ "1990 NBA Western Conference First Round: Rockets vs. Lakers". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  22. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Rockets Obtain Smith". The New York Times. September 28, 1990. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  23. ^ "Rockets Trade Lucas, Get 2 Hawks". Los Angeles Times. September 28, 1990. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  24. ^ "Rockets, Hawks Work Deal". Deseret News. September 28, 1990. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
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