Wikipedia

Mavericks–Rockets rivalry

The Mavericks–Rockets rivalry also known as the Battle of Texas,[2] and the I-45 Rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Mavericks–Rockets rivalry
Dallas Mavericks
Houston Rockets
First meetingOctober 29, 1980
Rockets 109, Mavericks 103
Latest meetingJanuary 1, 2025
Rockets 110, Mavericks 99
Next meetingFebruary 8, 2025
Statistics
Meetings total214[1]
All-time series112–103 (HOU)
Regular season series104–95 (HOU)
Postseason results8–8 (tied)
Longest win streakHOU W10
Current win streakHOU W2
Postseason history

Background

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The rivalry between the Mavericks and the Rockets has developed over years of competition in the NBA's Western Conference. With both teams located in the state of Texas, the rivalry is fueled by regional pride and a desire for supremacy within the state. The two teams also share a rivalry with the third Texas team in the NBA: the San Antonio Spurs. In the Mavericks' inaugural season in 1980–81, the Rockets won all six meetings including a 116–68 win.[9] In the playoffs, the Mavericks defeated the Rockets in the 1988 and 2005 playoffs, the latter of which was plagued with allegations of game-fixing,[10] while the Rockets swept several season series with the Mavericks during the 1990s, and also during the Rockets' championship years. On April 11, 1995, the Mavericks defeated the Rockets 156–147 in double overtime, making that win one of their most memorable victories against Houston who were the reigning champions. Two years later, the Rockets and Mavericks have clashed in their first-ever regular season game played in Mexico City, which was won by the Rockets 108–106. In the 2010s, 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 to sign with the rival Mavericks for $46 million, while making negative statements about the city of Houston upon leaving,[11] causing massive backlash among Rockets fans. Finally, longtime Mavericks' player Jason Terry, who was a starter on the Mavericks' 2011 championship team, joined the Rockets for the 2014–15 season, and both teams met in the first round of the 2015 NBA playoffs, with the Rockets as the second seed and Mavericks the seventh seed, and the Rockets got the best of them 4–1.

Season-by-season results

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Dallas Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets Season-by-Season Results
1980s (Rockets, 34–29)
Season Season series at Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets Overall series Notes
1980–81 Rockets 6–0 Rockets, 3–0 Rockets, 3–0 Rockets
6–0 		Dallas Mavericks join the NBA as an expansion team and are placed in the Midwest Division. Houston Rockets move from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference and are placed in the Midwest Division alongside the Mavericks.
On February 4, 1981, Rockets beat the Mavericks 116–68, their largest victory against the Mavericks with a 48-point differential.
Rockets lose 1981 NBA Finals.
1981–82 Rockets 4–2 Mavericks, 2–1 Rockets, 3–0 Rockets
10–2
1982–83 Mavericks 5–1 Mavericks, 2–1 Mavericks, 3–0 Rockets
11–7
1983–84 Mavericks 4–2 Mavericks, 3–0 Rockets, 2–1 Rockets
13–11
1984–85 Rockets 4–2 Rockets, 2–1 Rockets, 2–1 Rockets
17–13
1985–86 Rockets 5–1 Rockets, 2–1 Rockets, 3–0 Rockets
22–14 		Rockets win the Midwest Division for the first time.
Rockets lose 1986 NBA Finals.
1986–87 Tie 3–3 Mavericks, 3–0 Rockets, 3–0 Rockets
25–17 		Mavericks win the Midwest Division for the first time.
1987–88 Mavericks 4–2 Mavericks, 2–1 Mavericks, 2–1 Rockets
27–21
1988 Western Conference First Round Mavericks 3–1 Tie, 1–1 Mavericks, 2–0 Rockets
28–24 		1st postseason series.
1988–89 Rockets 5–1 Rockets, 3–0 Rockets, 2–1 Rockets
33–25
1989–90 Mavericks 4–1 Mavericks, 2–0 Mavericks, 2–1 Rockets
34–29
1990s (Rockets, 32–13)
Season Season series at Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets Overall series Notes
1990–91 Rockets 3–1 Tie, 1–1 Rockets, 2–0 Rockets
37–30
1991–92 Mavericks 4–2 Mavericks, 2–1 Mavericks, 2–1 Rockets
39–34
1992–93 Rockets 4–1 Rockets, 3–0 Tie, 1–1 Rockets
43–35 		Rockets win the Midwest Division.
1993–94 Rockets 4–1 Rockets, 2–1 Rockets, 2–0 Rockets
47–36 		Rockets win the Midwest Division.
Rockets win 1994 NBA Finals, their first NBA championship.
1994–95 Rockets 3–2 Tie, 1–1 Rockets, 2–1 Rockets
50–38 		On April 11, 1995, at Houston, Mavericks beat the Rockets 156–147 in double overtime, their most points scored in a game against the Rockets and their most points scored in a game overall as a franchise.
Rockets win 1995 NBA Finals.
1995–96 Rockets 3–1 Tie, 1–1 Rockets, 2–0 Rockets
53–39
1996–97 Rockets 4–0 Rockets, 2–0 Rockets, 2–0 Rockets
57–39
1997–98 Rockets 4–0 Rockets, 2–0 Rockets, 2–0 Rockets
61–39 		Compaq renamed Rocket's home stadium The Summit to Compaq Center.
On December 7, 1997, Rockets beat the Mavericks 108–106 at Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City, Mexico. The game is accounted for as a Dallas home game.
1998–99 Tie 2–2 Rockets, 2–0 Mavericks, 2–0 Rockets
63–41 		Rockets win 11 games in a row against the Mavericks.
First time away team sweeps the season series.
1999–2000 Rockets 3–1 Tie, 1–1 Rockets, 2–0 Rockets
66–42
2000s (Mavericks, 31–16)
Season Season series at Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets Overall series Notes
2000–01 Tie 2–2 Tie, 1–1 Tie, 1–1 Rockets
68–44 		First time both teams split the season series.
Last season Mavericks played at Reunion Arena.
2001–02 Tie 2–2 Tie, 1–1 Tie, 1–1 Rockets
70–46 		Mavericks open up American Airlines Center.
2002–03 Mavericks 4–0 Mavericks, 2–0 Mavericks, 2–0 Rockets
70–50 		Mavericks sweep the Rockets in the season series for the first time.
Mavericks win the season series and finish with a winning record at home for the first time since the 1991 season.
Last season Rockets played at Compaq Center (formerly known as The Summit).
2003–04 Mavericks 3–1 Mavericks, 2–0 Tie, 1–1 Rockets
71–53 		Rockets open up Toyota Center.
2004–05 Tie 2–2 Tie, 1–1 Tie, 1–1 Rockets
73–55 		As part of new realignments, Mavericks and Rockets move to the new Southwest Division.
2005 Western Conference First Round Mavericks 4–3 Tie, 2–2 Mavericks, 2–1 Rockets
76–59 		2nd postseason series.
Mavericks come back from 0–2 to win the series.
In Game 7 at Dallas, Mavericks beat the Rockets 116–76, their largest victory against the Rockets with a 40-point differential.
2005–06 Mavericks 4–0 Mavericks, 2–0 Mavericks, 2–0 Rockets
76–63 		Mavericks lose 2006 NBA Finals.
2006–07 Mavericks 3–1 Mavericks, 2–0 Tie, 1–1 Rockets
77–66 		Mavericks win the Southwest Division for the first time.
Mavericks finish with the best record in the league (67–15).
2007–08 Mavericks 3–1 Tie, 1–1 Mavericks, 2–0 Rockets
78–69
2008–09 Tie 2–2 Tie, 1–1 Tie, 1–1 Rockets
80–71
2009–10 Tie 2–2 Tie, 1–1 Tie, 1–1 Rockets
82–73 		Mavericks win the Southwest Division.
2010s (Rockets, 24–19)
Season Season series at Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets Overall series Notes
2010–11 Mavericks 4–0 Mavericks, 2–0 Mavericks, 2–0 Rockets
82–77 		Mavericks win 2011 NBA Finals, their first NBA championship.
2011–12 Mavericks 3–0 Mavericks, 2–0 Mavericks, 1–0 Rockets
82–80
2012–13 Mavericks 3–1 Mavericks, 2–0 Tie, 1–1 Tie
83–83 		Mavericks win 9 games in a row against the Rockets.
2013–14 Tie 2–2 Tie, 1–1 Tie, 1–1 Tie
85–85
2014–15 Rockets 3–1 Tie, 1–1 Rockets, 2–0 Rockets
88–86 		Rockets win the season series and finish with a winning record at home against the Mavericks for the first time since the 1999 season.
Rockets win the Southwest Division for the first time.
2015 Western Conference First Round Rockets 4–1 Tie, 1–1 Rockets, 3–0 Rockets
92–87 		3rd postseason series.
2015–16 Tie 2–2 Tie, 1–1 Tie, 1–1 Rockets
94–89
2016–17 Rockets 4–0 Rockets, 2–0 Rockets, 2–0 Rockets
98–89 		Rockets finish with a winning record at Dallas for the first time since the 1998 season.
2017–18 Rockets 4–0 Rockets, 2–0 Rockets, 2–0 Rockets
102–89 		Rockets record their 100th win over the Mavericks.
Rockets win the Southwest Division.
Rockets finish with the best record in the league (65–17).
2018–19 Tie 2–2 Tie, 1–1 Tie, 1–1 Rockets
104–91 		Rockets win the Southwest Division.
2019–20 Rockets 2–1 Rockets, 1–0 Tie, 1–1 Rockets
106–92 		On July 31, 2020, Rockets beat the Mavericks 153–149 in overtime, their most points scored in a game against the Mavericks.
Rockets win the Southwest Division.
2020s (Mavericks, 12–4)
Season Season series at Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets Overall series Notes
2020–21 Rockets 2–1 Rockets, 1–0 Tie, 1–1 Rockets
108–93 		Mavericks win the Southwest Division.
2021–22 Mavericks 4–0 Mavericks, 2–0 Mavericks, 2–0 Rockets
108–97 		Mavericks sweep the season series and finish with a winning record at Houston against the Rockets for the first time since the 2011 season.
2022–23 Mavericks 3–1 Tie, 1–1 Mavericks, 2–0 Rockets
109–100 		Mavericks record their 100th win over the Rockets.
2023–24 Mavericks 3–1 Mavericks, 2–0 Tie, 1–1 Rockets
110–103 		Mavericks win the Southwest Division.
Mavericks lose 2024 NBA Finals.
2024–25 Rockets 2–0 Rockets, 1–0 Rockets, 1–0 Rockets
112–103 		Season ongoing
Summary of Results
Season Season series at Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets Notes
Regular season games Rockets 104–95 Mavericks, 52–46 Rockets, 57–43
Postseason games Tie 8–8 Tie, 4–4 Tie, 4–4
Postseason series Mavericks 2–1 Mavericks, 1–0 Tie, 1–1 Western Conference First Round: 1988, 2005, 2015
Regular and postseason Rockets 112–103 Mavericks, 56–50 Rockets, 61–47

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Dallas Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets Head-to-Head in the NBA Playoffs - All-Time Game Log".
  2. ^ "Rockets win battle of Texas". ESPN.com. 2009-07-12. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  3. ^ Villanueva, Virgil (2020-07-03). "The Mavs' top 5 rivals of all time, ranked". ClutchPoints. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  4. ^ "Mavericks vs Rockets – The Intrigue of Rivalry: Mavericks vs Rockets in the NBA Landscape – 01/Apr/2024 – Prose Digital". 2024-04-01. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  5. ^ "Cuban deemed Morey's Dirk inquiry a taunt". ESPN.com. 2013-11-23. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  6. ^ "Series sets up Mavs–Rockets to be real rivalry". ESPN.com. 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  7. ^ Zajdel, Ben (2023-10-14). "Ranking the Dallas Mavericks' rivals". Mavs Moneyball. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  8. ^ "Mavs, Rockets continue Southwest rivalry – UPI.com". UPI. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  9. ^ "Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets Box Score, February 4, 1981". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  10. ^ "Donaghy points smoking gun at Rockets series, misfires". Ultimate Rockets. June 11, 2008. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  11. ^ "Chandler Parsons Calls Houston 'Dirty'". October 8, 2014. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
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