Mavericks–Rockets rivalry

Mavericks–Rockets rivalry

Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets
First meeting	October 29, 1980 Rockets 109, Mavericks 103
Latest meeting	April 7th, 2021 (Toyota Center ) Mavericks 93, Rockets 102
Next meeting	TBA
Statistics
Meetings total	193
All-time series	104–90 (HOU)
Regular season series	96–82 (HOU)
Postseason results	8–8
Longest win streak	DAL: W10 HOU: W11
Current win streak	HOU W2
Post-season history
1988 Western Conference First Round: Mavericks won, 3–1 2005 Western Conference First Round: Mavericks won, 4–3 2015 Western Conference First Round: Rockets won, 4–1

The Mavericks–Rockets rivalry is an intrastate National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets. It is also known as the I-45 Rivalry because they both lie on Interstate 45. It is one of the three NBA rivalries between teams from Texas, the others featuring Houston and Dallas versus the San Antonio Spurs.

Background

Both Dallas and Houston fans traditionally having a disdain for each other's city, the rivalry started when the Mavericks were the last Texas team to join the NBA in 1980–81. In the Mavs' inaugural season in 1980–81, the Rockets won all six meetings including a 116–68 blowout win. In the playoffs, the Mavericks defeated the Rockets in 1988 and 2005 playoffs, the latter of which was plagued with allegations of game fixing. The Rockets swept several season series with the Mavericks during the 1990s during the Rockets' championship years. On April 11, 1995, the Mavericks were able to get one of their most superb victories against the Houston reigning champion for 156–147 scoring 23 points in the first overtime. Two years later, the Rockets and Mavericks have clashed in their first ever regular season's game played in Mexico City won by the Rockets 108–106. In recent years the rivalry has once again flourished with Dallas owner Mark Cuban and Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey taking shots at each other on social media, as well as Houston fan favorite Chandler Parsons signing an offer sheet to leave the Rockets and sign with the rival Mavericks for $46M, while making negative statements about the city of Houston upon leaving causing massive backlash among Rockets fans. Finally, longtime Mavericks' player Jason Terry, who was a starter on the Mavs' 2011 championship team, joined the Rockets for the 2015 season and both teams met in the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs, with the Rockets as the 2nd seed and Mavericks the 7th seed, and the Rockets got the best of them 4–1.

Annual results

Season	NBA season
Mavericks/Rockets	Team associated with subsequent columns
W	Wins
L	Losses
%	Winning percentage
Playoffs	Final result in season's playoffs
Series	Record in season's head-to-head matchups
*	Mavericks had more regular season wins than Rockets
†	Rockets had more regular season wins than Mavericks
‡	Mavericks won season series against the Rockets
§	Rockets won season series against the Mavericks

Season	Mavericks					Rockets					Series
	Team	W	L	%	Playoffs	Team	W	L	%	Playoffs
1980–81	Dallas Mavericks	15	67	.183		Houston Rockets	40†	42	.488	Lost NBA Finals	Rockets 6–0§
1981–82	Dallas Mavericks	28	54	.341		Houston Rockets	46†	36	.561	Lost Western Conference First Round	Rockets 4–2§
1982–83	Dallas Mavericks	38*	44	.463		Houston Rockets	14	68	.171		Mavericks 5–1‡
1983–84	Dallas Mavericks	43*	39	.524	Lost Western Conference Semifinals	Houston Rockets	29	53	.354		Mavericks 4–2‡
1984–85	Dallas Mavericks	44	38	.537	Lost Western Conference First Round	Houston Rockets	48†	34	.585	Lost Western Conference First Round	Rockets 4–2§
1985–86	Dallas Mavericks	44	38	.537	Lost Western Conference Semifinals	Houston Rockets	51†	31	.622	Lost NBA Finals	Rockets 5–1§
1986–87	Dallas Mavericks	55*	27	.671	Lost Western Conference First Round	Houston Rockets	42	40	.512	Lost Western Conference Semifinals	3–3
1987–88	Dallas Mavericks	53*	29	.646	Lost Western Conference Finals	Houston Rockets	46	36	.561	Lost Western Conference First Round	Mavericks 4–2‡
1988–89	Dallas Mavericks	38	44	.463		Houston Rockets	45†	37	.549	Lost Western Conference First Round	Rockets 5–1§
1989–90	Dallas Mavericks	47*	35	.573	Lost Western Conference First Round	Houston Rockets	41	41	.500	Lost Western Conference First Round	Mavericks 4–1‡
1990–91	Dallas Mavericks	28	54	.341		Houston Rockets	52†	30	.634	Lost Western Conference First Round	Rockets 3–1§
1991–92	Dallas Mavericks	22	60	.268		Houston Rockets	42†	40	.512		Mavericks 4–2‡
1992–93	Dallas Mavericks	11	71	.134		Houston Rockets	55†	27	.671	Lost Western Conference Semifinals	Rockets 4–1§
1993–94	Dallas Mavericks	13	69	.159		Houston Rockets	58†	24	.707	Won NBA Finals	Rockets 4–1§
1994–95	Dallas Mavericks	36	46	.439		Houston Rockets	47†	35	.573	Won NBA Finals	Rockets 3–2§
1995–96	Dallas Mavericks	26	56	.317		Houston Rockets	48†	34	.585	Lost Western Conference Semifinals	Rockets 3–1§
1996–97	Dallas Mavericks	24	58	.293		Houston Rockets	57†	25	.695	Lost Western Conference Finals	Rockets 4–0§
1997–98	Dallas Mavericks	20	62	.244		Houston Rockets	41†	41	.500	Lost Western Conference First Round	Rockets 4–0§
1998–99	Dallas Mavericks	19	31	.380		Houston Rockets	31†	19	.620	Lost Western Conference First Round	2–2
1999–2000	Dallas Mavericks	40*	42	.488		Houston Rockets	34	48	.415		Rockets 3–1§
2000–01	Dallas Mavericks	53*	29	.646	Lost Western Conference Semifinals	Houston Rockets	45	37	.549		2–2
2001–02	Dallas Mavericks	57*	25	.695	Lost Western Conference Semifinals	Houston Rockets	28	54	.341		2–2
2002–03	Dallas Mavericks	60*	22	.732	Lost Western Conference Finals	Houston Rockets	43	39	.524		Mavericks 4–0‡
2003–04	Dallas Mavericks	52*	30	.634	Lost Western Conference First Round	Houston Rockets	45	37	.549	Lost Western Conference First Round	Mavericks 3–1‡
2004–05	Dallas Mavericks	58*	24	.707	Lost Western Conference Semifinals	Houston Rockets	51	31	.622	Lost Western Conference First Round	2–2
2005–06	Dallas Mavericks	60*	22	.732	Lost NBA Finals	Houston Rockets	34	48	.415		Mavericks 4–0‡
2006–07	Dallas Mavericks	67*	15	.817	Lost Western Conference First Round	Houston Rockets	52	30	.634	Lost Western Conference First Round	Mavericks 3–1‡
2007–08	Dallas Mavericks	51	31	.622	Lost Western Conference First Round	Houston Rockets	55†	27	.671	Lost Western Conference First Round	Mavericks 3–1‡
2008–09	Dallas Mavericks	50	32	.610	Lost Western Conference Semifinals	Houston Rockets	53†	29	.646	Lost Western Conference Semifinals	2–2
2009–10	Dallas Mavericks	55*	27	.671	Lost Western Conference First Round	Houston Rockets	42	40	.512		2–2
2010–11	Dallas Mavericks	57*	25	.695	Won NBA Finals	Houston Rockets	43	39	.524		Mavericks 4–0‡
2011–12	Dallas Mavericks	36*	30	.545	Lost Western Conference First Round	Houston Rockets	34	32	.515		Mavericks 3–0‡
2012–13	Dallas Mavericks	41	41	.500		Houston Rockets	45†	37	.549	Lost Western Conference First Round	Mavericks 3–1‡
2013–14	Dallas Mavericks	49	33	.598	Lost Western Conference First Round	Houston Rockets	54†	28	.659	Lost Western Conference First Round	2–2
2014–15	Dallas Mavericks	50	32	.610	Lost Western Conference First Round	Houston Rockets	56†	26	.683	Lost Western Conference Finals	Rockets 3–1§
2015–16	Dallas Mavericks	42*	40	.512	Lost Western Conference First Round	Houston Rockets	41	41	.500	Lost Western Conference First Round	2–2
2016–17	Dallas Mavericks	33	49	.402		Houston Rockets	55†	27	.671	Lost Western Conference Semifinals	Rockets 4–0§
2017–18	Dallas Mavericks	24	58	.293		Houston Rockets	65†	17	.793	Lost Western Conference Finals	Rockets 4–0§
2018–19	Dallas Mavericks	33	49	.402		Houston Rockets	53†	29	.646	Lost Western Conference Semifinals	2–2

NBA Playoffs

1988 Western Conference First Round

• Game 1: Dallas Mavericks 120–110 Houston Rockets
• Game 2: Dallas Mavericks 108–119 Houston Rockets
• Game 3: Houston Rockets 92–93 Dallas Mavericks
• Game 4: Houston Rockets 97–107 Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks win series 3–1.

2005 Western Conference First Round

• Game 1: Dallas Mavericks 86–98 Houston Rockets
• Game 2: Dallas Mavericks 111–113 Houston Rockets
• Game 3: Houston Rockets 102–106 Dallas Mavericks
• Game 4: Houston Rockets 93–97 Dallas Mavericks
• Game 5: Dallas Mavericks 103–100 Houston Rockets
• Game 6: Houston Rockets 101–83 Dallas Mavericks
• Game 7: Dallas Mavericks 116–76 Houston Rockets

Dallas Mavericks win series 4–3.

2015 Western Conference First Round

• Game 1: Houston Rockets 118–108 Dallas Mavericks
• Game 2: Houston Rockets 111–99 Dallas Mavericks
• Game 3: Dallas Mavericks 128–130 Houston Rockets
• Game 4: Dallas Mavericks 121–109 Houston Rockets
• Game 5: Houston Rockets 103–94 Dallas Mavericks

Houston Rockets win series 4–1.

References

This article "Mavericks–Rockets rivalry" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Mavericks–Rockets rivalry. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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