The 1971-72 Houston Rockets season marked their fifth year in the NBA and their first under head coach Tex Winter, known for his later contributions to the triangle offense. The team played its home games at the Hofheinz Pavilion, located in Houston, Texas. This season was pivotal as it was the Rockets’ final campaign before relocating to the Eastern Conference.
Houston finished the regular season with a record of 34-48, placing them third in the Central Division. Despite the losing record, the Rockets showed improvement from the previous season. Their performance was not strong enough to secure a playoff berth, as they missed postseason action for the third consecutive year. The team struggled with consistency, both offensively and defensively, which contributed to their sub-.500 finish.
Elvin Hayes stood out as the team’s cornerstone player during the season, leading the Rockets in scoring and rebounding. Hayes’ dominant presence on the court was a bright spot for the team, often putting up impressive individual performances. However, the Rockets’ lack of depth and supporting cast limited their overall success.
Overall, the 1971-72 season was a transitional period for the Houston Rockets, laying groundwork for future changes. The following season saw the team move to the Eastern Conference, aiming to capitalize on the lessons learned from their experiences and challenges faced during this campaign.
- Regular Season Record: 34-48
- Playoff Result: Did not make playoffs
Houston Rockets Roster and Stats for 1971-72 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Elvin Hayes | 82 | 25.2 | 14.4 | 3.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Stu Lantz | 81 | 18.5 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Calvin Murphy | 82 | 18.2 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Rudy Tomjanovich | 78 | 15.0 | 11.2 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Cliff Meely | 77 | 9.9 | 6.2 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Greg Smith | 54 | 9.1 | 5.8 | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Mike Newlin | 82 | 7.6 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Jim Davis | 12 | 5.2 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Larry Siegfried | 10 | 4.8 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Don Adams | 3 | 4.3 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Dick Gibbs | 64 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Curtis Perry | 25 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Johnny Egan | 38 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| John Vallely | 40 | 2.9 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| McCoy McLemore | 17 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Dick Cunningham | 63 | 2.7 | 3.7 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
Houston Rockets 1971-72 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 1971-72 season for the Houston Rockets.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 14, 1971 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | L 105-94 | |
| Oct 16, 1971 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 128-108 | |
| Oct 17, 1971 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 112-99 | |
| Oct 20, 1971 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 125-110 | |
| Oct 22, 1971 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 110-91 | |
| Oct 24, 1971 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | L 113-103 | |
| Oct 26, 1971 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 104-103 | |
| Oct 27, 1971 | @ Boston Celtics | L 108-97 | |
| Oct 28, 1971 | @ New York Knicks | L 112-94 | |
| Oct 31, 1971 | vs. Buffalo Braves | W 102-87 | |
| Nov 03, 1971 | vs. New York Knicks | L 117-98 | |
| Nov 04, 1971 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | L 112-110 | |
| Nov 07, 1971 | vs. Baltimore Bullets | L 109-106 | |
| Nov 09, 1971 | @ Golden State Warriors | L 115-99 | |
| Nov 10, 1971 | vs. Boston Celtics | L 142-103 | |
| Nov 12, 1971 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 111-102 | |
| Nov 13, 1971 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 111-102 | |
| Nov 16, 1971 | @ Baltimore Bullets | L 110-107 | |
| Nov 17, 1971 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 118-112 | |
| Nov 19, 1971 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 106-99 | |
| Nov 21, 1971 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 115-96 | |
| Nov 24, 1971 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 109-108 | |
| Nov 28, 1971 | vs. Phoenix Suns | L 116-110 | |
| Nov 30, 1971 | @ Buffalo Braves | W 115-101 | |
| Dec 01, 1971 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | L 116-106 | |
| Dec 03, 1971 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 113-112 | |
| Dec 04, 1971 | @ Boston Celtics | L 117-107 | |
| Dec 08, 1971 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | L 125-120 | |
| Dec 10, 1971 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 95-88 | |
| Dec 11, 1971 | @ Phoenix Suns | W 111-110 | |
| Dec 12, 1971 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | W 100-98 | |
| Dec 14, 1971 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 106-98 | |
| Dec 15, 1971 | @ Atlanta Hawks | W 117-115 | |
| Dec 17, 1971 | @ Chicago Bulls | W 109-98 | |
| Dec 18, 1971 | @ Cincinnati Royals | W 126-116 | |
| Dec 21, 1971 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | W 132-119 | |
| Dec 26, 1971 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 137-115 | |
| Dec 29, 1971 | vs. Phoenix Suns | L 124-106 | |
| Dec 30, 1971 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 129-115 | |
| Jan 02, 1972 | vs. Detroit Pistons | L 109-107 | |
| Jan 04, 1972 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | W 119-110 | |
| Jan 05, 1972 | vs. Boston Celtics | L 113-105 | |
| Jan 09, 1972 | vs. Golden State Warriors | L 113-112 | |
| Jan 11, 1972 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 141-126 | |
| Jan 15, 1972 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | W 112-109 | |
| Jan 16, 1972 | vs. New York Knicks | L 109-108 | |
| Jan 20, 1972 | @ Cincinnati Royals | W 104-87 | |
| Jan 21, 1972 | @ Boston Celtics | L 110-105 | |
| Jan 22, 1972 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 115-108 | |
| Jan 23, 1972 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 109-107 | |
| Jan 25, 1972 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 118-104 | |
| Jan 26, 1972 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 117-108 | |
| Jan 28, 1972 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 118-105 | |
| Feb 02, 1972 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | W 111-88 | |
| Feb 04, 1972 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | L 114-113 | |
| Feb 05, 1972 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | L 119-112 | |
| Feb 06, 1972 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 120-113 | |
| Feb 08, 1972 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | L 127-119 | |
| Feb 11, 1972 | vs. Baltimore Bullets | W 116-95 | |
| Feb 13, 1972 | vs. Cincinnati Royals | W 112-111 | |
| Feb 14, 1972 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 130-116 | |
| Feb 15, 1972 | @ Baltimore Bullets | L 113-98 | |
| Feb 16, 1972 | @ New York Knicks | L 110-100 | |
| Feb 18, 1972 | @ Buffalo Braves | W 108-96 | |
| Feb 23, 1972 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | W 115-110 | |
| Feb 26, 1972 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 122-106 | |
| Feb 27, 1972 | vs. Golden State Warriors | L 117-104 | |
| Mar 01, 1972 | @ Cincinnati Royals | W 108-96 | |
| Mar 03, 1972 | @ Golden State Warriors | L 108-107 | |
| Mar 04, 1972 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | L 130-123 | |
| Mar 05, 1972 | vs. Chicago Bulls | L 128-97 | |
| Mar 09, 1972 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 114-111 | |
| Mar 10, 1972 | vs. Golden State Warriors | L 119-116 | |
| Mar 11, 1972 | vs. Buffalo Braves | W 121-100 | |
| Mar 12, 1972 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 121-112 | |
| Mar 16, 1972 | vs. New York Knicks | L 103-102 | |
| Mar 18, 1972 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | L 120-116 | |
| Mar 21, 1972 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 111-94 | |
| Mar 22, 1972 | @ Atlanta Hawks | L 107-106 | |
| Mar 24, 1972 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | W 127-119 | |
| Mar 25, 1972 | @ Baltimore Bullets | W 106-85 | |
| Mar 26, 1972 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 131-109 |