1990–91 Houston Rockets season

1990–91 Houston Rockets season
Head coach	Don Chaney
Arena	The Summit
Results
Record	52–30 (.634)
Place	Division: 3rd (Midwest) Conference: 6th (Western)
Playoff finish	West First Round (eliminated 0-3)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com

The 1990-91 NBA season was the Rockets' 24th season in the NBA and 20th season in the city of Houston. Despite losing Hakeem Olajuwon for 25 games due to injury, the Rockets showed marked improvement finishing third in the Midwest Division with a 52-30 record, as Kenny Smith provided a spark averaging 17.7 points per game, and Vernon Maxwell led the league with 172 three-point field goals. However, in the first round of the playoffs, the Rockets were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers in three straight games.

Draft picks

Main article: 1990 NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School or club team
1	12	Alec Kessler	PF	United States	Georgia

Roster

Houston Rockets roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From PF 50 Bullard, Matt 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Iowa PF 44 Caldwell, Adrian 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Lamar C 5 Feitl, Dave 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Texas–El Paso PG 21 Floyd, Sleepy 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Georgetown SG 32 Jamerson, Dave 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Ohio SF 1 Johnson, Buck 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Alabama SG 11 Maxwell, Vernon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Florida C 34 Olajuwon, Hakeem 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Houston PG 30 Smith, Kenny 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) North Carolina PF 13 Smith, Larry 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Alcorn State PF 33 Thorpe, Otis 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Providence SF 20 Winchester, Kennard 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Averett PF 10 Wood, David 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 227 lb (103 kg) Nevada	Head coach Don Chaney (Houston) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Regular season

Season standings

Midwest Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-San Antonio Spurs	55	27	.671	—	33–8	22–19	20–8
x-Utah Jazz	54	28	.659	1	36–5	18–23	21-7
x-Houston Rockets	52	30	.634	3	31-10	21–20	20-8
Orlando Magic	31	51	.378	24	24-17	7–34	13–15
Minnesota Timberwolves	29	53	.354	26	21-20	8-33	9-19
Dallas Mavericks	28	54	.341	27	20-21	8–33	7-21
Denver Nuggets	20	62	.244	35	17-24	3-38	8–20

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

#	Western Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Portland Trail Blazers	63	19	.768	–
2	y-San Antonio Spurs	55	27	.671	8
3	x-Los Angeles Lakers	58	24	.707	5
4	x-Phoenix Suns	55	27	.671	8
5	x-Utah Jazz	54	28	.659	9
6	x-Houston Rockets	52	30	.634	11
7	x-Golden State Warriors	44	38	.537	19
8	x-Seattle SuperSonics	41	41	.500	22
9	Orlando Magic	31	51	.378	32
10	Los Angeles Clippers	31	51	.378	32
11	Minnesota Timberwolves	29	53	.354	34
12	Dallas Mavericks	28	54	.341	35
13	Sacramento Kings	25	57	.305	38
14	Denver Nuggets	20	62	.244	43

z - clinched division title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Houston Rockets: Lakers win series 3-0

• Game 1 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (April 25): Los Angeles 94, Houston 92
• Game 2 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (April 27): Los Angeles 109, Houston 98
• Game 3 @ The Summit, Houston (April 30): Los Angeles 94, Houston 90

Last Playoff Meeting: 1990 Western Conference First Round (Los Angeles won 3-1)

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

• Don Chaney, NBA Coach of the Year Award
• Hakeem Olajuwon, All-NBA Third Team
• Hakeem Olajuwon, NBA All-Defensive Second Team

See also

• 1990-91 NBA season