The Houston Rockets of the 1990s had the best decade-long run in the franchise’s history, winning two championships along the way. While they were certainly the second-best team of the decade, they could’ve had even more success if they didn’t break up the squad so quickly.
A series loss to their playoff nemesis, the Seattle SuperSonics, in 1996 effectively ended up being the end of the Clutch City era as we knew it, as the team’s young core was traded away that offseason.
As I’ve come to find out in speaking with some former Rockets, many feel that breaking up that core was a bit premature.