1976–77 Houston Rockets season

The 1976–77 NBA season was the Rockets' 10th season in the NBA and 6th season in the city of Houston.^[1]

1976–77 Houston Rockets season
Division champions
Head coach	Tom Nissalke
General manager	Ray Patterson
Owner(s)	Kenneth Schnitzer
Arena	The Summit
Results
Record	49–33 (.598)
Place	Division: 1st (Central) Conference: 2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Conference finals (lost to 76ers 2–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	KHTV
Radio	KXYZ
< 1975–76 1977–78 >

In the playoffs, the Rockets defeated the Washington Bullets in six games in the Semifinals before losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the conference finals.

Also, the Rockets radio broadcasts moved to KXYZ this season after five years on KPRC.^[2][3]

Offseason

Draft picks

Main article: 1976 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	1	John Lucas (from Atlanta)[a]	G	United States	Maryland
2	27	Phil Hicks	F	United States	Tulane

• ^{a 1 2} On June 7, 1976, the Houston Rockets acquired Dwight Jones and the first pick from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Gus Bailey, Joe Meriweather and the ninth pick.^[4] The Rockets used the pick to draft John Lucas. The Hawks used the pick to draft Armond Hill.

Roster

1976–77 Houston Rockets roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From SF 27 John Johnson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1947-10-18 Iowa PF 13 Dwight Jones 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1952-02-27 Houston SF 30 Goo Kennedy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1949-08-23 TCU C 44 Kevin Kunnert 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1951-11-11 Iowa SG 15 John Lucas 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1953-10-31 Maryland C 24 Moses Malone 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1955-03-23 Petersburg High School PG 23 Calvin Murphy 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1948-05-09 Niagara SG 14 Mike Newlin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1949-01-02 Utah F/C 25 Tom Owens 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1949–06–28 South Carolina SF 42 Ed Ratleff 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1950-03-29 Long Beach State PF 45 Rudy Tomjanovich 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1948-11-24 Michigan SG 32 Rudy White 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1953-06-23 Arizona State

Head coach Tom Nissalke Assistant(s) Del Harris Larry Siegfried Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Updated: February 1, 1977

Regular season

Season standings

Central Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Houston Rockets	49	33	.598	–	34–7	15–26	13–7
x-Washington Bullets	48	34	.585	1	32–9	16–25	11–9
x-San Antonio Spurs	44	38	.537	5	31–10	13–28	9–11
x-Cleveland Cavaliers	43	39	.524	6	29–12	14–27	8–12
New Orleans Jazz	35	47	.427	14	26–15	9–32	10–10
Atlanta Hawks	31	51	.378	18	19–22	12–29	9–11

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Philadelphia 76ers	50	32	.610	–
2	y-Houston Rockets	49	33	.598	1
3	x-Washington Bullets	48	34	.585	2
4	x-Boston Celtics	44	38	.537	6
5	x-San Antonio Spurs	44	38	.537	6
6	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	43	39	.524	7
7	New York Knicks	40	42	.488	10
8	New Orleans Jazz	35	47	.427	15
9	Atlanta Hawks	31	51	.378	19
10	Buffalo Braves	30	52	.366	20
11	New York Nets	22	60	.268	28

z – clinched division title

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

1976–77 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	BUF	CHI	CLE	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	KCK	LAL	MIL	NOJ	NYK	NYN	PHI	PHO	POR	SAS	SEA	WAS
Atlanta	—	0–4	4–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	0–4	0–4	1–3	0–4	1–2	2–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3	0–4	3–1	4–0	1–2	1–3
Boston	4–0	—	3–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–2	3–1	2–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	1–3	4–0	2–2	0–4
Buffalo	0–4	1–3	—	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–3	1–3	1–3	0–3	1–3	3–1	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	0–4	3–1	0–4
Chicago	2–2	2–2	3–1	—	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	4–0	2–2	2–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	3–1	2–2	1–2
Cleveland	2–2	3–1	2–2	1–3	—	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–1	3–1	2–2	4–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3
Denver	2–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	2–2	—	3–1	2–2	3–0	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–2	4–0	2–2
Detroit	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	—	3–1	2–2	2–2	4–0	1–3	3–1	3–1	1–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–2	1–3	1–3
Golden State	4–0	3–1	3–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–3	—	2–1	4–0	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	3–1	3–1	4–0	1–3	2–2	1–3	3–1
Houston	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	0–3	2–2	1–2	—	4–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1
Indiana	4–0	2–1	3–1	2–2	1–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	0–4	—	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–2	4–0	2–2	2–2	0–4	2–2	2–2	0–4
Kansas City	2–1	1–3	3–0	2–2	1–3	1–3	0–4	3–1	2–2	2–2	—	1–3	2–2	2–2	4–0	4–0	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2
Los Angeles	2–2	1–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	—	3–1	3–0	1–3	4–0	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	4–0
Milwaukee	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	0–4	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–3	—	1–2	1–3	3–1	1–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3
New Orleans	3–1	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	0–3	2–1	—	3–1	2–2	0–4	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2
N.Y. Knicks	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	3–1	3–1	1–3	—	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–2	2–2
N.Y. Nets	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	0–4	0–4	0–4	1–3	2–2	2–2	—	1–3	2–2	0–3	1–3	1–3	1–3
Philadelphia	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–1	4–0	3–1	3–1	—	1–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	3–1
Phoenix	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–1	—	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3
Portland	1–3	3–1	3–1	4–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–0	2–2	3–1	—	2–2	3–1	1–2
San Antonio	0–4	0–4	4–0	1–3	2–2	2–1	2–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	2–2	—	3–1	2–2
Seattle	2–1	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–4	3–1	3–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–1	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	—	3–1
Washington	3–1	4–0	4–0	2–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	4–0	2–2	0–4	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	2–1	2–2	1–3	—

Game log

Date	Opponent	Result	Score	Record
Oct 21, 1976	@Atlanta Hawks	W	120–104	1–0
Oct 23, 1976	vs.Phoenix Suns	W	129–126	2–0
Oct 27, 1976	vs.Philadelphia 76ers	L	94–116	2–1
Oct 30, 1976	Washington Bullets	W	105–92	3–1
Nov 3, 1976	Boston Celtics	W	117–111 OT	4–1
Nov 5, 1976	@New York Nets	L	91–95	4–2
Nov 6, 1976	@Buffalo Braves	L	102–117	4–3
Nov 9, 1976	@Chicago Bulls	W	111–92	5–3
Nov 10, 1976	Seattle SuperSonics	W	99–97	6–3
Nov 12, 1976	@Milwaukee Bucks	L	99–111	6–4
Nov 13, 1976	New York Nets	L	110–114	6–5
Nov 17, 1976	Buffalo Braves	W	120–114 OT	7–5
Nov 20, 1976	Kansas City Kings	W	127–126 OT	8–5
Nov 24, 1976	Golden State Warriors	W	113–107 OT	9–5
Nov 25, 1976	@New Orleans Jazz	W	105–99	10–5
Nov 27, 1976	San Antonio Spurs	W	125–116	11–5
Dec 1, 1976	Detroit Pistons	W	110–104	12–5
Dec 2, 1976	Milwaukee Bucks	W	137–110	13–5
Dec 4, 1976	Indiana Pacers	W	120–108	14–5
Dec 8, 1976	@Phoenix Suns	L	95–116	14–6
Dec 10, 1976	@Los Angeles Lakers	L	99–109	14–7
Dec 11, 1976	@Golden State Warriors	L	112–124	14–8
Dec 12, 1976	@Seattle SuperSonics	W	96–92	15–8
Dec 14, 1976	@Portland Trail Blazers	L	84–104	15–9
Dec 16, 1976	Atlanta Hawks	W	118–107	16–9
Dec 18, 1976	New Orleans Jazz	L	106–110	16–10
Dec 22, 1976	Washington Bullets	W	111–90	17–10
Dec 26, 1976	@Indiana Pacers	W	93–79	18–10
Dec 28, 1976	@New York Knicks	L	99–111	18–11
Dec 29, 1976	Philadelphia 76ers	W	93–91	19–11
Jan 1, 1977	@Washington Bullets	L	89–104	19–12
Jan 2, 1977	@Cleveland Cavaliers	L	80–104	19–13
Jan 5, 1977	New York Knicks	W	108–107	20–13
Jan 7, 1977	Denver Nuggets	L	107–117	20–14
Jan 8, 1977	@Kansas City Kings	L	94–106	20–15
Jan 11, 1977	@Boston Celtics	L	101–105	20–16
Jan 12, 1977	@Philadelphia 76ers	L	97–102	20–17
Jan 14, 1977	@Milwaukee Bucks	W	111–84	21–17
Jan 15, 1977	Los Angeles Lakers	W	122–116	22–17
Jan 18, 1977	Chicago Bulls	W	103–85	23–17
Jan 19, 1977	Boston Celtics	L	102–112	23–18
Jan 21, 1977	@Detroit Pistons	L	86–109	23–19
Jan 22, 1977	Portland Trail Blazers	W	110–107	24–19
Jan 27, 1977	Detroit Pistons	W	114–107	25–19
Jan 28, 1977	Atlanta Hawks	W	118–104	26–19
Jan 29, 1977	@Atlanta Hawks	L	97–101	26–20
Feb 3, 1977	@New York Knicks	L	90–108	26–21
Feb 5, 1977	New York Knicks	W	105–103	27–21
Feb 6, 1977	@New Orleans Jazz	L	90–99	27–22
Feb 8, 1977	Cleveland Cavaliers	W	97–81	28–22
Feb 9, 1977	Chicago Bulls	W	108–103	29–22
Feb 11, 1977	San Antonio Spurs	L	104–107	29–23
Feb 16, 1977	Seattle SuperSonics	W	124–95	30–23
Feb 17, 1977	@San Antonio Spurs	W	113–99	31–23
Feb 19, 1977	@Kansas City Kings	L	109–115	31–24
Feb 22, 1977	@Denver Nuggets	L	106–118	31–25
Feb 24, 1977	@Phoenix Suns	W	109–106	32–25
Feb 25, 1977	@Portland Trail Blazers	W	123–106	33–25
Feb 27, 1977	@Los Angeles Lakers	L	101–106	33–26
Mar 2, 1977	Los Angeles Lakers	W	120–113	34–26
Mar 5, 1977	Milwaukee Bucks	W	119–106	35–26
Mar 6, 1977	@New York Nets	W	99–91	36–26
Mar 7, 1977	@Buffalo Braves	W	128–107	37–26
Mar 9, 1977	Phoenix Suns	W	105–100	38–26
Mar 11, 1977	@Indiana Pacers	W	124–109	39–26
Mar 12, 1977	New Orleans Jazz	W	120–104	40–26
Mar 16, 1977	New York Nets	W	100–86	41–26
Mar 17, 1977	@Cleveland Cavaliers	W	88–87	42–26
Mar 18, 1977	@Philadelphia 76ers	L	104–124	42–27
Mar 19, 1977	Buffalo Braves	W	110–104	43–27
Mar 22, 1977	Indiana Pacers	W	106–99	44–27
Mar 23, 1977	Portland Trail Blazers	W	109–104	45–27
Mar 24, 1977	@San Antonio Spurs	L	112–118	45–28
Mar 26, 1977	Kansas City Kings	W	107–97	46–28
Mar 27, 1977	@Detroit Pistons	L	100–115	46–29
Mar 29, 1977	@Golden State Warriors	L	92–109	46–30
Mar 30, 1977	@Seattle SuperSonics	L	105–111	46–31
Apr 1, 1977	@Washington Bullets	W	91–85	47–31
Apr 2, 1977	Cleveland Cavaliers	W	106–93	48–31
Apr 6, 1977	@Boston Celtics	W	104–93	49–31
Apr 8, 1977	@Chicago Bulls	L	109–113	49–32
Apr 9, 1977	Denver Nuggets	L	110–118	49–33

Playoffs

1977 playoff game log
Conference semifinals: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 19 Washington L 101–111 Mike Newlin (24) Moses Malone (10) John Lucas (7) The Summit 15,458 0–1 2 April 21 Washington W 124–118 (OT) Moses Malone (31) Moses Malone (26) Mike Newlin (9) The Summit 15,676 1–1 3 April 24 @ Washington L 90–93 Malone, Lucas (18) Moses Malone (15) John Lucas (8) Capital Centre 16,842 1–2 4 April 26 @ Washington W 107–103 Rudy Tomjanovich (28) Moses Malone (13) Mike Newlin (7) Capital Centre 19,035 2–2 5 April 29 Washington W 123–115 Calvin Murphy (40) Moses Malone (22) Mike Newlin (6) The Summit 15,676 3–2 6 May 1 @ Washington W 108–103 Rudy Tomjanovich (26) Moses Malone (14) Calvin Murphy (9) Capital Centre 12,393 4–2
Conference finals: 2–4 (home: 1–2; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 5 @ Philadelphia L 117–128 Moses Malone (32) Moses Malone (12) Calvin Murphy (13) Spectrum 17,507 0–1 2 May 8 @ Philadelphia L 97–106 Calvin Murphy (32) Moses Malone (18) Mike Newlin (11) Spectrum 14,855 0–2 3 May 11 Philadelphia W 118–94 Moses Malone (30) Moses Malone (25) John Lucas (9) The Summit 15,676 1–2 4 May 13 Philadelphia L 95–107 Rudy Tomjanovich (24) Kevin Kunnert (17) John Lucas (14) The Summit 15,676 1–3 5 May 15 @ Philadelphia W 118–115 Tomjanovich, Lucas (21) Moses Malone (19) Calvin Murphy (10) Spectrum 18,276 2–3 6 May 17 Philadelphia L 109–112 John Lucas (24) Moses Malone (16) Tomjanovich, Murphy (5) The Summit 15,676 2–4
1977 schedule

Awards and records

• Tom Nissalke, NBA Coach of the Year Award
• Ray Patterson, NBA Executive of the Year Award
• John Lucas, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team