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1987–88 Houston Rockets season

1987–88 Houston Rockets season
Head coachBill Fitch
General managerRay Patterson
Owner(s)Charlie Thomas
ArenaThe Summit
Results
Record46–36 (.561)
PlaceDivision: 4th (Midwest)
Conference: 6th (Western)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to Mavericks 1–3)

Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionKTXH
Home Sports Entertainment
RadioKTRH
< 1986–87 1988–89 >

The 1987–88 NBA season was the Rockets' 21st season in the NBA and 17th season in the city of Houston.[1] The Rockets finished fourth in the Midwest Division with a 46–36 record. Akeem Olajuwon was selected for the 1988 NBA All-Star Game. In the first round of the playoffs, the Rockets lost in four games to the Dallas Mavericks.

Draft picks

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College/Club team
2 35 Doug Lee SG/SF  United States Purdue
4 82 Josh Niego  United States Lewis
5 104 Andre LaFleur  United States Northeastern
6 129 Fred Jenkins  United States Tennessee
7 151 Clarence Grier  United States Campbell

Roster

Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
C 2 Carroll, Joe Barry 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1958-07-24 Purdue
PG 7 Conner, Lester 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1959-09-17 Oregon State
PG 11 Floyd, Sleepy 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1960-03-06 Georgetown
SG 21 Free, World B. 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1953-12-09 Guilford
SF 1 Johnson, Buck 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1964-01-03 Alabama
SG 30 Leavell, Allen 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1957-05-27 Oklahoma City
SF 18 Maxwell, Cedric 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1955-11-21 Charlotte
SF 22 McCray, Rodney 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1961-08-29 Louisville
C 34 Olajuwon, Akeem 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1963-01-21 Houston
PF 43 Petersen, Jim 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1962-02-22 Minnesota
SG 33 Reid, Robert 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1955-08-30 Saint Mary's
SF 10 Short, Purvis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1957-07-02 Jackson State
PG 13 Turner, Andre 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1964-12-13 Memphis
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: December 13, 1987

Regular season

Season standings

W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Denver Nuggets 54 28 .659 35–6 19–22 18–12
x-Dallas Mavericks 53 29 .646 1 33–8 20–21 20–10
x-Utah Jazz 47 35 .573 7 33–8 14–27 18–12
x-Houston Rockets 46 36 .561 8 31–10 15–26 13–17
x-San Antonio Spurs 31 51 .378 23 23–18 8–33 12–18
Sacramento Kings 24 58 .293 30 19–22 5–36 9–21
#
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Los Angeles Lakers 62 20 .756
2 y-Denver Nuggets 54 28 .659 8
3 x-Dallas Mavericks 53 29 .646 9
4 x-Portland Trail Blazers 53 29 .646 9
5 x-Utah Jazz 47 35 .573 15
6 x-Houston Rockets 46 36 .561 16
7 x-Seattle SuperSonics 44 38 .537 18
8 x-San Antonio Spurs 31 51 .378 31
9 Phoenix Suns 28 54 .341 34
10 Sacramento Kings 24 58 .293 38
11 Golden State Warriors 20 62 .244 42
12 Los Angeles Clippers 17 65 .207 45
z – clinched division title
y – clinched division title
x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

1987-88 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIL NJN NYK PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA UTA WAS
Atlanta 2–4 2–3 5–1 2–0 1–1 2–4 2–0 1–1 4–2 2–0 0–2 3–3 5–0 3–3 6–0 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–1 3–3
Boston 4–2 3–3 2–3 2–0 0–2 3–3 2–0 1–1 5–0 2–0 0–2 3–3 5–1 5–1 4–2 2–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 5–1
Chicago 3–2 3–3 3–3 0–2 1–1 2–4 2–0 2–0 3–3 2–0 1–1 5–1 5–1 3–2 4–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 3–3
Cleveland 1–5 3–2 3–3 1–1 1–1 1–5 0–2 1–1 4–2 1–1 1–1 2–4 5–1 2–4 3–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–1 0–2 6–0
Dallas 0–2 0–2 2–0 1–1 3–3 1–1 4–1 4–2 2–0 5–0 1–4 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 5–0 3–2 5–1 5–1 3–2 3–3 1–1
Denver 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 3–3 1–1 4–1 4–2 1–1 5–0 3–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 3–2 2–3 4–2 5–1 4–1 2–4 2–0
Detroit 4–2 3–3 4–2 5–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–3 1–1 0–2 4–2 5–1 4–2 4–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 3–2
Golden State 0–2 0–2 0–2 2–0 1–4 1–4 0–2 0–5 0–2 3–3 0–6 0–2 2–0 0–2 1–1 2–4 1–5 2–3 3–2 1–5 1–4 0–2
Houston 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–4 2–4 1–1 5–0 2–0 3–2 1–4 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–1 4–1 4–2 2–4 3–2 3–3 2–0
Indiana 2–4 0–5 3–3 2–4 0–2 1–1 3–3 2–0 0–2 1–1 1–1 3–3 6–0 2–3 2–4 2–0 0–2 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–4
L.A. Clippers 0–2 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–5 0–5 1–1 3–3 2–3 1–1 1–5 0–2 0–2 0–2 1–1 2–4 0–6 3–2 0–5 1–5 1–4 0–2
L.A. Lakers 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 4–1 2–3 2–0 6–0 4–1 1–1 5–1 0–2 2–0 2–0 2–0 5–1 3–3 4–1 5–0 4–2 4–1 1–1
Milwaukee 3–3 3–3 1–5 4–2 0–2 1–1 2–4 2–0 0–2 3–3 2–0 2–0 3–2 3–3 2–4 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–1
New Jersey 0–5 1–5 1–5 1–5 1–1 0–2 1–5 0–2 1–1 0–6 2–0 0–2 2–3 3–3 2–4 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–6
New York 3–3 1–5 2–3 4–2 1–1 1–1 2–4 2–0 1–1 3–2 2–0 0–2 3–3 3–3 3–3 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 3–3
Philadelphia 0–6 2–4 2–4 2–3 1–1 0–2 1–4 1–1 1–1 4–2 1–1 0–2 4–2 4–2 3–3 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 3–3
Phoenix 1–1 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–5 2–3 0–2 4–2 1–4 0–2 4–2 1–5 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–6 3–2 2–3 2–4 2–3 0–2
Portland 2–0 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–3 3–2 1–1 5–1 1–4 2–0 6–0 3–3 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 6–0 4–1 5–0 3–3 1–4 2–0
Sacramento 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–5 2–4 0–2 3–2 2–4 0–2 2–3 1–4 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–3 1–4 3–3 1–4 1–5 0–2
San Antonio 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–5 1–5 1–1 2–3 4–2 0–2 5–0 0–5 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–2 0–5 3–3 3–2 3–3 0–2
Seattle 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–3 1–4 1–1 5–1 2–3 1–1 5–1 2–4 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–1 4–2 3–3 4–1 2–3 1–4 2–0
Utah 1–1 0–2 0–2 2–0 3–3 4–2 0–2 4–1 3–3 1–1 4–1 1–4 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 3–2 4–1 5–1 3–3 4–1 2–0
Washington 3–3 1–5 3–3 0–6 1–1 0–2 2–3 2–0 0–2 4–2 2–0 1–1 1–4 6–0 3–3 3–3 2–0 0–2 2–0 2–0 0–2 0–2

Game log

Regular season

1987–88 game log
Total: 46–36 (home: 31–10; road: 15–26)
November: 7–6 (home: 3–2; road: 4–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
2 November 8
9:30 p.m. CST
@ L.A. Lakers L 92–101 Olajuwon (26) Olajuwon (11) Conner,
Leavell (4)
The Forum
17,505
1–1
5 November 14
7:30 p.m. CST
Utah W 101–93 Olajuwon (19) Olajuwon (16) Leavell,
Maxwell (3)
The Summit
16,614
4–1
9 November 21
6:30 p.m. CST
@ Atlanta L 94–104 Olajuwon (17) Sampson (9) Leavell,
McCray (7)
The Omni
16,451
6–3
10 November 24
7:00 p.m. CST
Detroit L 83–97 Olajuwon (21) Olajuwon (15) Short (5) The Summit
16,611
6–4
12 November 27
8:30 p.m. CST
@ Utah L 96–118 Sampson (19) Sampson (11) Conner,
McCray (3)
Salt Palace
12,212
7–5
December: 7–6 (home: 5–1; road: 2–5)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
18 December 10
7:30 p.m. CST
Utah W 98–93 Leavell (20) Olajuwon (14) Leavell (8) The Summit
16,611
11–7
23 December 22
7:30 p.m. CST
Atlanta W 122–103 Floyd (27) McCray,
Olajuwon (13)
McCray (9) The Summit
16,611
12–11
24 December 26
7:30 p.m. CST
@ Dallas L 100–105 Olajuwon (24) Olajuwon (14) Leavell (7) Reunion Arena
17,007
12–12
25 December 29
6:30 p.m. CST
@ Detroit W 101–91 Carroll (25) Olajuwon (14) Floyd (6) Pontiac Silverdome
26,498
13–12
January: 9–5 (home: 6–1; road: 3–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
28 January 4
7:30 p.m. CST
Dallas W 117–107 Olajuwon (31) Olajuwon (11) Floyd (11) The Summit
16,611
16–12
35 January 18
4:00 p.m. CST
@ L.A. Lakers L 110–121 Olajuwon (24) Olajuwon (9) Floyd (7) The Forum
17,505
20–15
40 January 30
7:30 p.m. CST
@ Dallas W 108–92 Olajuwon (29) McCray (12) Floyd (8) Reunion Arena
17,007
23–17
February: 9–4 (home: 7–2; road: 2–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
All-Star Break
43 February 9
7:30 p.m. CST
Boston W 129–120 Olajuwon (30) Olajuwon (16) Floyd (7) The Summit
16,611
26–17
48 February 18
7:30 p.m. CST
L.A. Lakers L 96–111 Olajuwon (20) Olajuwon (20) Floyd (6) The Summit
16,611
29–19
51 February 25
7:30 p.m. CST
Dallas L 106–108 Floyd (22) McCray (13) Floyd (11) The Summit
16,611
31–20
March: 9–7 (home: 6–1; road: 3–6)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
54 March 1
8:30 p.m. CST
@ Utah L 112–113 Olajuwon (27) McCray (13) Short (5) Salt Palace
12,444
32–22
56 March 4
7:00 p.m. CST
@ Dallas L 110–118 Olajuwon,
Short (22)
Olajuwon (12) Leavell,
Reid (7)
Reunion Arena
17,007
33–23
64 March 22
9:30 p.m. CST
@ L.A. Lakers L 95–117 Carroll (16) Olajuwon (10) Leavell (6) The Forum
17,505
38–26
68 March 30
6:30 p.m. CST
@ Boston L 110–117 Johnson (18) McCray (10) Floyd,
Short (5)
Boston Garden
14,890
40–28
April: 5–8 (home: 4–3; road: 1–5)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
72 April 7
7:30 p.m. CDT
Utah W 113–107 Olajuwon (22) Olajuwon (15) Olajuwon (6) The Summit
16,611
42–30
78 April 17
12 Noon CDT
L.A. Lakers W 127–119 Olajuwon (38) Carroll (10) Floyd (9) The Summit
16,611
45–33
79 April 19
7:30 p.m. CDT
Dallas L 96–104 Olajuwon (33) Olajuwon (9) Floyd (8) The Summit
16,611
45–34
81 April 23
8:30 p.m. CDT
@ Utah L 107–125 Carroll (24) Olajuwon (12) Floyd (7) Salt Palace
12,444
45–36
1987–88 schedule

Playoffs

1988 playoff game log
Western Conference First Round: 1–3 (home: 0–2; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 April 28
7:30 p.m. CDT
@ Dallas L 110–120 Olajuwon (34) Olajuwon (14) Floyd (11) Reunion Arena
17,007
0–1
2 April 30
2:30 p.m. CDT
@ Dallas W 119–108 Floyd (42) Olajuwon (26) Floyd (9) Reunion Arena
17,007
1–1
3 May 3
7:30 p.m. CDT
Dallas L 92–93 Olajuwon (35) Olajuwon (12) Floyd (5) The Summit
16,611
1–2
4 May 5
7:00 p.m. CDT
Dallas L 97–107 Olajuwon (40) Olajuwon (15) Floyd (9) The Summit
16,611
1–3
1988 schedule

Player statistics

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

Season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG

Awards and records

Transactions

References

See also

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