Editing Houston Rockets (section)

===1971–1976: Move to Houston and improvement with Murphy and Rudy-T===
Texas Sports Investments bought the franchise for $5.6&nbsp;million and moved the team to [[Houston]] before the start of the [[1971–72 NBA season|1971–72 season]].<ref name="chronhistory" /> The franchise became the first NBA team in Texas,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://texasalmanac.com/sites/default/files/images/NBAtexasWeb.pdf|title=Professional Basketball in Texas|work=[[Texas Almanac]]|access-date=May 13, 2008|archive-date=April 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130416061604/http://www.texasalmanac.com/sites/default/files/images/NBAtexasWeb.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the nickname "Rockets" took on even greater relevance after the move, given Houston's long connection to the space industry.<ref>Houston, whose nickname is "Space City" has been home to the [[Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center]] for over 45 years.{{cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/home/index.html|title=Johnson Space Center|publisher=NASA|access-date=May 13, 2008}} The [[Houston Astros|Astros]] and [[Houston Comets|Comets]] also gave their teams similar space-themed names.</ref> Houston previously was awarded an NBA expansion franchise along with [[Buffalo Braves|Buffalo]], [[Cleveland Cavaliers|Cleveland]] and [[Portland Trail Blazers|Portland]] on February 6, 1970,<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1970/02/07/archives/nba-adds-cleveland-houston-buffalo-portland-ore-knicks-win-13592.html "N.B.A. Adds Cleveland, Houston, Buffalo, Portland, Ore.," ''The New York Times'', Saturday, February 7, 1970.] Retrieved March 10, 2023.</ref> but the new entry folded six weeks later on March 20 when its investment group led by [[Alan Rothenberg]] failed to make the $750,000 down payment on the $3.7 million entrance fee required before the [[1970 NBA draft|league's college player draft]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1970/03/21/archives/houston-new-team-in-nba-folds-while-its-still-on-paper.html "Houston, New Team in N.B.A., Folds While It's Still on Paper," ''The New York Times'', Saturday, March 21, 1970.] Retrieved March 10, 2023.</ref>

Before the start of the season, Hannum left for the Denver Rockets of the [[American Basketball Association]] – later renamed [[Denver Nuggets]], who [[ABA–NBA merger|joined the NBA]] in 1976 –<ref name="hannumrecord">{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/hannual01c.html |title=Alex Hannum Coaching Record |publisher=Basketball-Reference.com |access-date=May 14, 2008}}</ref> and [[Tex Winter]] was hired in his place.<ref name="winterrecord">{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/wintete99c.html |title=Tex Winter Coaching Record |publisher=Basketball-Reference.com |access-date=May 14, 2008}}</ref> In the first six games of the 1971–72 season in Winter's first head coaching season, the Rockets all lost those games with an average of around 15 points per game. Their first win of the season came on October 26, 1971, with a 104–103 win over the home team, Detroit Pistons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197110260DET.html|title=Houston Rockets at Detroit Pistons Box Score, October 26, 1971|publisher=Basketball-Reference.com|access-date=July 29, 2019}}</ref> Their second win of the season came five days later, a 102–87 win over the Buffalo Braves.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197110310HOU.html|title=Buffalo Braves at Houston Rockets Box Score, October 31, 1971|publisher=Basketball-Reference.com|access-date=July 29, 2019}}</ref> After that game, the Rockets lost their next 8 games, against the Knicks, Trail Blazers, Bullets (twice), Warriors, Celtics, Bucks and Bulls. Their next win was on November 17 on the road against the [[1971–72 Philadelphia 76ers season|76ers]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197111170PHI.html|title=Houston Rockets at Philadelphia 76ers Box Score, November 17, 1971|publisher=Basketball-Reference.com|access-date=July 29, 2019}}</ref> However, Winter's clashes with Hayes, due to a system that contrasted with the offensive style to which Hayes was accustomed, made Hayes ask for a trade, leaving for the [[Baltimore Bullets (1963–73)|Baltimore Bullets]] at the end of the 1971–72 season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/history/hayes_bio.html |title=Elvin Hayes Bio |work=NBA.com |access-date=May 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214041740/http://www.nba.com/history/hayes_bio.html |archive-date=February 14, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

It was also around this time that the Rockets would unveil their classic yellow and red logo and accompanying uniforms used until the end of the 1994–95 season.<ref name=uniforms/> Winter left soon after, being fired in January 1973 following a ten-game losing streak, and was replaced by [[Johnny Egan (basketball)|Johnny Egan]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=860&dat=19730122&id=t3FUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=o48DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5479,1142232 |title=Tex Winter Fired |newspaper=Ellensburg Daily Register|agency=UPI|date=January 22, 1973|access-date=May 15, 2008}}</ref> Egan led the Rockets back to the playoffs in [[1975 NBA playoffs|1975]], where the franchise also won their first round against the [[New York Knicks]], subsequently losing to the veteran [[Boston Celtics]] in 5 games. At that time the Rockets gained popularity in Houston, selling out several home games during the regular season as the Rockets battled for a playoff spot and then selling out all of their home playoff games.<ref>{{cite web|title=1974–76: A Glimmer Of Progress |url=http://www.nba.com/rockets/history/history.html#6 |publisher=Houston Rockets |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011220024939/http://www.nba.com/rockets/history/history.html |archive-date=December 20, 2001 |access-date=November 3, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>