2007–08 Houston Rockets season


The 2007–08 Houston Rockets season was their 41st season in the National Basketball Association and 37th in Houston. The Rockets won at least 50 games for the second straight season and made the playoffs also on the back of a 22-game winning streak, the fourth longest in the history of the NBA. The Houston Rockets came into the 2007–2008 playoffs without Yao Ming, who was still injured. This injury contributed to the Rockets' elimination by the Utah Jazz in the first round. This was the second consecutive season where the Rockets' had their season ended by the Jazz. The team brought back Steve Francis, but his return was short-lived as he was active for only 10 games, starting 3 of them. It would be his last season in the NBA.
Key dates prior to the start of the season:
Houston's selections from the 2007 NBA draft in New York City.
RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalitySchool/Club Team
126Aaron BrooksPoint guardUnited StatesOregon
254Brad NewleyShooting guardAustraliaPanionios BC

In addition, Carl Landry was drafted as the 31st overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics with the first pick in the 2nd round. He was traded to the Rockets for a future second round pick.

Roster

Regular season

Standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

October

Record: 1–0 ; Home: 0–0 ; Road: 1–0
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTLeading scorerAttendanceRecord
130 October 2007RocketsLakersNATracy McGrady 18,9971–0

November

Record: 8–8; Home: 4–3; Road: 4–5
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTLeading scorerAttendanceRecord
21 November 2007RocketsJazzNATracy McGrady 19,9112–0
33 November 2007Trail BlazersRocketsNAYao Ming 18,2323–0
45 November 2007RocketsMavericksNATracy McGrady 20,3893–1
56 November 2007SpursRocketsNAYao Ming 18,2804–1
69 November 2007BucksRocketsNAYao Ming 18,2445–1
711 November 2007RocketsBobcatsNAYao Ming 11,9366–1
813 November 2007RocketsGrizzliesNATracy McGrady 12,3686–2
914 November 2007LakersRocketsNAYao Ming 18,1786–3
1016 November 2007RocketsSpursNALuis Scola 18,7976–4
1117 November 2007SunsRocketsNALuis Scola 18,2656–5
1221 November 2007MavericksRocketsNAYao Ming 18,1436–6
1323 November 2007RocketsHeatNATwo-way tie 19,6006–7
1424 November 2007NuggetsRocketsNATracy McGrady 18,2287–7
1526 November 2007RocketsClippersNATracy McGrady 15,4528–7
1628 November 2007RocketsSunsNAYao Ming 18,4229–7
1729 November 2007RocketsWarriorsNAMike James 19,5969–8

December

Record: 6–8; Home: 3–3; Road: 3–5
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTLeading scorerAttendanceRecord
181 December 2007RocketsKingsNATracy McGrady 15,0819–9
195 December 2007GrizzliesRocketsNATwo-way tie 17,72310–9
207 December 2007RocketsNetsNAYao Ming 15,42111–9
219 December 2007RocketsRaptorsNATracy McGrady 19,80011–10
2210 December 2007RocketsSixersNABonzi Wells 12,55111–11
2312 December 2007PistonsRocketsNATracy McGrady 17,45312–11
2417 December 2007MavericksRocketsNAYao Ming 18,30712–12
2519 December 2007MagicRocketsNAYao Ming 18,27012–13
2620 December 2007RocketsNuggets2Yao Ming 16,15712–14
2722 December 2007RocketsBullsNATwo-way tie 22,43413–14
2823 December 2007RocketsPistonsNALuis Scola 22,07613–15
2928 December 2007RocketsGrizzliesNATwo-way tie 15,66014–15
3029 December 2007RaptorsRocketsNAYao Ming 18,10315–15
3131 December 2007WarriorsRocketsNARafer Alston 18,15315–16

January

Record: 10–4; Home: 5–3; Road: 5–1
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTLeading scorerAttendanceRecord
322 January 2008RocketsCelticsNABonzi Wells 18,62415–17
334 January 2008RocketsMagicNAYao Ming 17,51916–17
345 January 2008KnicksRocketsNAYao Ming 16,63417–17
358 January 2008RocketsWizardsNALuther Head 16,82418–17
369 January 2008RocketsKnicksNAYao Ming 19,03519–17
3711 January 2008TimberwolvesRocketsNALuis Scola 16,22320–17
3813 January 2008HornetsRocketsNAYao Ming 13,59920–18
3915 January 2008SixersRocketsNAYao Ming 13,42820–19
4019 January 2008SpursRocketsNAYao Ming 18,35321–19
4121 January 2008SuperSonicsRocketsNAYao Ming 15,26422–19
4223 January 2008RocketsSuperSonicsNATracy McGrady 12,34223–19
4325 January 2008RocketsTrail BlazersNATracy McGrady 20,57624–19
4427 January 2008JazzRocketsNATracy McGrady 17,48024–20
4529 January 2008WarriorsRocketsNAYao Ming 16,58625–20

February

Record: 13–0; Home: 8–0; Road: 5–0
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTLeading scorerAttendanceRecord
461 February 2008RocketsPacersNACarl Landry 13,78426–20
472 February 2008RocketsBucksNATracy McGrady 18,71727–20
484 February 2008RocketsTimberwolvesNATracy McGrady 10,01928–20
497 February 2008CavaliersRocketsNAYao Ming 18,40229–20
509 February 2008HawksRocketsNAYao Ming 18,17730–20
5111 February 2008Trail BlazersRocketsNAYao Ming 14,71031–20
5213 February 2008KingsRocketsNAYao Ming 16,11532–20
5319 February 2008RocketsCavaliersNARafer Alston 20,56233–20
5421 February 2008HeatRocketsNATracy McGrady 15,99434–20
5522 February 2008RocketsHornetsNATracy McGrady 17,71435–20
5624 February 2008BullsRocketsNATracy McGrady 18,27536–20
5726 February 2008WizardsRocketsNALuther Head 15,76837–20
5829 February 2008GrizzliesRocketsNATracy McGrady 18,10538–20

March

Record: 11–4; Home: 7–1; Road: 4–3
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTLeading scorerAttendanceRecord
592 March 2008NuggetsRocketsNATracy McGrady 18,16839–20
605 March 2008PacersRocketsNATracy McGrady 18,16040–20
616 March 2008RocketsMavericksNATracy McGrady 20,31541–20
628 March 2008RocketsHornetsNATracy McGrady 18,27942–20
6310 March 2008NetsRocketsNATracy McGrady 18,27143–20
6412 March 2008RocketsHawksNATracy McGrady 17,07844–20
6514 March 2008BobcatsRocketsNATracy McGrady 18,26545–20
6616 March 2008LakersRocketsNARafer Alston 18,40946–20
6718 March 2008CelticsRocketsNALuis Scola 18,52546–21
6819 March 2008RocketsHornetsNATracy McGrady 17,95646–22
6921 March 2008RocketsWarriorsNATracy McGrady 19,82447–22
7022 March 2008RocketsSunsNATracy McGrady 18,42247–23
7124 March 2008KingsRocketsNARafer Alston 18,24148–23
7226 March 2008TimberwolvesRocketsNATracy McGrady 18,26949–23
7330 March 2008RocketsSpursNALuis Scola 18,79749–24

April

Record: 6–3; Home: 3–0; Road: 3–3
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTLeading scorerAttendanceRecord
741 April 2008RocketsKingsNATracy McGrady 14,16949–25
753 April 2008RocketsTrail BlazersNATracy McGrady 19,98050–25
764 April 2008RocketsSonicsNATracy McGrady 14,17051–25
776 April 2008RocketsClippersNAAaron Brooks 17,93252–25
789 April 2008SonicsRocketsNARafer Alston 18,37053–25
7911 April 2008SunsRocketsNATracy McGrady 18,48954–25
8013 April 2008RocketsNuggetsNALuther Head 19,72054–26
8114 April 2008RocketsJazzNATwo-way tie 19,91154–27
8216 April 2008ClippersRocketsNALuis Scola 18,38655–27

Regular season

*Total for entire season including previous team

Playoffs

Awards and records

Awards

Starting with the 29 January 2008 win versus the Golden State Warriors, the Rockets won 22 consecutive games. The streak came to an end against the eventual champion Boston Celtics. The streak is the fourth longest winning streak in NBA history.

Milestones

Transactions

The Rockets have been involved in the following transactions during the 2007–08 season.
Houston will begin the 2007–08 season with recently hired Rick Adelman as the team's 11th head coach.
Less than a week later, Scola signed with the Rockets.
On 20 July guard Steve Francis signed a 2-year deal with the Rockets, after he accepted a buyout of the last two seasons of his contract, worth roughly $30 million from the Portland Trail Blazers. He is expected to compete for a starting job with Mike James and Rafer Alston

Trades

On 14 June, the Rockets traded Juwan Howard to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Mike James and Justin Reed.
On 12 July guard Vassilis Spanoulis was traded to the San Antonio Spurs along with the rights for the 2009 second-round draft pick, for center Jackie Butler and the rights to Luis Scola a 2002 second-round draft pick, yet to play in the NBA. 24 Hours after this deal was made, Scola came to a "Basic Agreement" which could see him playing for the Rockets next season.

Free agents

Court Redesign

On 7 September, it was announced that the Rockets will debut a new court design for the 2007–08 season. The court design includes a lighter varnished wood inside the three point area, similar to the Seattle SuperSonics, while the rest are dark varnished wood. The color red will remain on the Rockets logo, and the script. This court design is similar to the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets, Phoenix Suns, and Portland Trail Blazers in which most of the hardwood is exposed.

Playoffs