NBA History: The best era for each of the 30 franchises

SAN ANTONIO - JANUARY 14: Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs looks to drive around Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks at the SBC Center on January 14, 2005 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2005 NBAE (Photo by Chris Birck/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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Houston Rockets: 1992-97

The Houston Rockets had wrapped a bow on a fairly underwhelming stretch of their existence following the 1991-92 campaign, where failure to qualify for the playoffs was preceded by four consecutive first-round exits.

A run to the conference semi-finals the following year was an important first step to reestablishing some semblance of contender status. Little did anyone in the Rockets organization know just how valuable that starting point was for kicking off a memorable two-year run that will forever be remembered in franchise lore.

With Michael Jordan playing a different sport, the NBA title was up for grabs for anyone talented enough to take it. Other squads would fight hard, but Houston ultimately managed to seize an opportunity that hadn’t been available since the beginning of the decade.

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The Rockets took home back-to-back championships, their firsts in franchise history. Along the way, Hakeem Olajuwon altered his legacy from a stat-stuffing two-way juggernaut to that same player with a much larger trophy case that included two titles and two Finals MVPs to match.

Houston wouldn’t make it back to the Finals again, advancing as far as the conference finals in 1997 before bowing out to the Utah Jazz in six games.

There was no dynasty or a place in the discussion for the greatest team of all time. The Rockets were simply a team that avenged their previous playoff failures with the right group of players at a time when such was enough to bring home the type of hardware the organization had never seen.

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