It was almost poetic that the final game of the 2014-2015 season was against the Jazz, given the Rockets franchise history . The Rockets played a team that been a stumbling block for many years for a slim chance at the Southwest Division crown and the No.2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Rockets blew away the Jazz 117-91, and started watching scoreboards. Anthony Davis and the Pelicans did their part, winning 108-103 over the Spurs. The celebration began, the Rockets are the 2014-2015 Southwest Division champions.
The Rockets took first place in the Southwest Division with a record of 56-26, one game ahead of both the Grizzles and Spurs who slotted into the 5th and 6th seeds respectively. Houston finished with a 33-19 record against the Western Conference and a 8-8 record against Southwest Division.
This is Houston's fifth Division Championship in team history, they previous took home division crowns in the 1993-1994, 1992-1993, 1985-1986, and 1976-1977 season. 76-77 was the Central Division in the Eastern Conference. The Rockets moved to the Western Conference before the 1980-1981 season when the Dallas Mavericks joined the National Basketball League. 85-86, 92-93, and 93-94 were the Midwest Division in the Western Conference.
The last time the Rockets won a division championship and were the No. 2 seed was 1993-1994, Houston's first of back-to-back championship seasons. Houston made it to the finals with the Knicks after defeating the Trail Blazers, Suns, and Jazz. The Rockets, lead by Finals MVP Hakeem Olajuwon, won their first NBA Championship in franchise history in seven games over the Knicks.
Enjoy the division title. It's alway great to add more championships to the history books. But no one remembers Division Champions. The real goal is the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Division Championships go out the window when the playoffs start on Saturday. The Rockets start their seven-game series with the Mavericks Saturday at 8:30 PM (CT) .