# 1996–97 Houston Rockets season

The 1996–97 NBA season was the Rockets' 30th season in the National Basketball Association, and 26th season in Houston. During the off-season, the Rockets acquired All-Star forward Charles Barkley from the Phoenix Suns, and signed free agents Kevin Willis, Brent Price, undrafted rookie guard Matt Maloney, and re-signed former Rockets forward and three-point specialist Matt Bullard, who was a member of the championship team from the 1994 NBA Finals.
The Rockets began the regular season with a 21–2 start, but later on struggled posting a six-game losing streak between January and February, and held a 32–16 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team signed free agents Eddie Johnson and Sedale Threatt, as the Rockets won 14 of their final 17 games, finishing in second place in the Midwest Division with a 57–25 record.
Hakeem Olajuwon averaged 23.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, and NBA All-Defensive Second Team, while Barkley averaged 19.2 points and 13.5 rebounds per game, but only played 53 games due to ankle and hip injuries, and Clyde Drexler provided the team with 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game, but only played 62 games due to a hamstring injury. In addition, Mario Elie contributed 11.7 points per game, while Willis provided with 11.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and Maloney contributed 9.4 points per game, led the team with 154 three-point field goals, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Olajuwon, Barkley, Drexler and head coach Rudy Tomjanovich all represented the Western Conference during the 1997 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio. However, Barkley and Drexler did not play due to injuries; it was also the final All-Star selections for Olajuwon, Barkley and Drexler. Olajuwon also finished in seventh place in Most Valuable Player voting, and Elie finished tied in sixth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
In the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Rockets swept the Minnesota Timberwolves in three straight games. In the Western Conference Semi-finals, they jumped out to a 3–1 series lead over the Seattle SuperSonics. However, the SuperSonics would win the next two games to even the series at three games a piece. The Rockets would win Game 7 and advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they faced regular season MVP Karl Malone, John Stockton and the Utah Jazz. The Jazz won the first two games at home, but the Rockets would even the series at two games a piece as Johnson hit a three-point buzzer beater to win Game 4, 95–92 at home. However, the Rockets would lose to the Jazz in six games. The Jazz lost in the NBA Finals to the defending champion Chicago Bulls in six games.
Following the season, Threatt retired and three-point specialist Sam Mack was traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies. The Rockets did not reach the conference finals again until 2015, where they were defeated by the Golden State Warriors in five games.

## Offseason

During the 1996 offseason, Charles Barkley was traded from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Sam Cassell, Robert Horry, Mark Bryant, and Chucky Brown. Barkley chose Houston specifically because he hoped to win an NBA Championship with the team.

## Draft picks

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
| 2 | 30 | Othella Harrington | PF/C | United States | Georgetown |
| 2 | 42 | Randy Livingston | SG/PG | United States | LSU |
| 2 | 50 | Terrell Bell | C | United States | Georgia |

## Regular season

In his first game with the Houston Rockets, Charles Barkley got 33 rebounds, a career high.

### Season standings

| Midwest Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
| y-Utah Jazz | 64 | 18 | .780 | – | 38–3 | 26–15 | 19–5 |
| x-Houston Rockets | 57 | 25 | .695 | 7 | 30–11 | 27–14 | 19–5 |
| x-Minnesota Timberwolves | 40 | 42 | .488 | 24 | 25–16 | 15–26 | 16–8 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 24 | 58 | .293 | 40 | 14–27 | 10–31 | 9–15 |
| Denver Nuggets | 21 | 61 | .256 | 43 | 12–29 | 9–32 | 7–17 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 20 | 62 | .244 | 44 | 12–29 | 8–33 | 8–16 |
| Vancouver Grizzlies | 14 | 68 | .171 | 50 | 8–33 | 6–35 | 6–18 |
1996–97 NBA West standings :
| # | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| 1 | c-Utah Jazz | 64 | 18 | .780 | – |
| 2 | y-Seattle SuperSonics | 57 | 25 | .695 | 7 |
| 3 | x-Houston Rockets | 57 | 25 | .695 | 7 |
| 4 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 56 | 26 | .683 | 8 |
| 5 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 49 | 33 | .598 | 15 |
| 6 | x-Minnesota Timberwolves | 40 | 42 | .488 | 24 |
| 7 | x-Phoenix Suns | 40 | 42 | .488 | 24 |
| 8 | x-Los Angeles Clippers | 36 | 46 | .439 | 28 |
| 9 | Sacramento Kings | 34 | 48 | .415 | 30 |
| 10 | Golden State Warriors | 30 | 52 | .366 | 34 |
| 11 | Dallas Mavericks | 24 | 58 | .293 | 40 |
| 12 | Denver Nuggets | 21 | 61 | .256 | 43 |
| 13 | San Antonio Spurs | 20 | 62 | .244 | 44 |
| 14 | Vancouver Grizzlies | 14 | 68 | .171 | 50 |
    c – clinched conference title
    y – clinched division title
    x – clinched playoff spot

### Record vs. opponents

1996–97 NBA Records :
| Team | ATL | BOS | CHA | CHI | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GSW | HOU | IND | LAC | LAL | MIA | MIL | MIN | NJN | NYK | ORL | PHI | PHO | POR | SAC | SAS | SEA | TOR | UTA | VAN | WAS |
| Atlanta | — | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 |
| Boston | 1–3 | — | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 |
| Charlotte | 3–1 | 4–0 | — | 0–4 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Chicago | 3–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | — | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 |
| Cleveland | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| Dallas | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | — | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 0–2 |
| Denver | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | — | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| Detroit | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 |
| Golden State | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | — | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 0–2 |
| Houston | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | — | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 |
| Indiana | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| L.A. Clippers | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | — | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 0–2 |
| L.A. Lakers | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 2–0 |
| Miami | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Milwaukee | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | — | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| Minnesota | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 4–0 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| New Jersey | 1–3 | 4–0 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 0–2 | — | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| New York | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | 3–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 |
| Orlando | 1–3 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | — | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| Philadelphia | 0–4 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| Phoenix | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–3 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Portland | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | — | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 0–2 |
| Sacramento | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 2–2 | — | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 4–0 | 0–2 |
| San Antonio | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–3 | — | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 |
| Seattle | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | — | 2–0 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 2–0 |
| Toronto | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Utah | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | — | 4–0 | 2–0 |
| Vancouver | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–4 | — | 1–1 |
| Washington | 1–2 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | — |

### Game log

| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Team points | Opponent score | Record | Streak | OT |
| 1 | November 1 | vs Sacramento | Win | 96 | 85 | 1-0 | Won 1 | |
| 2 | November 2 | at Phoenix | Win | 110 | 95 | 2-0 | Won 2 | |
| 3 | November 4 | at Utah | Win | 75 | 72 | 3-0 | Won 3 | |
| 4 | November 5 | at Sacramento | Win | 102 | 80 | 4-0 | Won 4 | |
| 5 | November 7 | at Denver | Win | 110 | 108 | 5-0 | Won 5 | OT |
| 6 | November 9 | vs Utah | Win | 91 | 85 | 6-0 | Won 6 | |
| 7 | November 12 | vs LA Lakers | Loss | 115 | 126 | 6-1 | Lost 1 | 2OT |
| 8 | November 14 | vs Indiana | Win | 90 | 88 | 7-1 | Won 1 | |
| 9 | November 16 | vs Golden State | Win | 115 | 103 | 8-1 | Won 2 | |
| 10 | November 19 | vs Minnesota | Win | 122 | 93 | 9-1 | Won 3 | |
| 11 | November 21 | vs Phoenix | Win | 115 | 105 | 10-1 | Won 4 | |
| 12 | November 23 | at Golden State | Win | 120 | 115 | 11-1 | Won 5 | OT |
| 13 | November 24 | at LA Lakers | Win | 90 | 85 | 12-1 | Won 6 | |
| 14 | November 26 | vs Portland | Win | 102 | 101 | 13-1 | Won 7 | OT |
| 15 | November 29 | at Boston | Win | 120 | 94 | 14-1 | Won 8 | |
| 16 | November 30 | at Washington | Win | 103 | 99 | 15-1 | Won 9 | |
| 17 | December 2 | at Toronto | Loss | 89 | 100 | 15-2 | Lost 1 | |
| 18 | December 4 | vs Boston | Win | 94 | 89 | 16-2 | Won 1 | |
| 19 | December 7 | vs Philadelphia | Win | 123 | 108 | 17-2 | Won 2 | |
| 20 | December 10 | at Minnesota | Win | 96 | 94 | 18-2 | Won 3 | |
| 21 | December 12 | vs Detroit | Win | 115 | 96 | 19-2 | Won 4 | |
| 22 | December 14 | at Seattle | Win | 109 | 100 | 20-2 | Won 5 | |
| 23 | December 15 | at Portland | Win | 99 | 89 | 21-2 | Won 6 | |
| 24 | December 17 | at Vancouver | Loss | 92 | 93 | 21-3 | Lost 1 | |
| 25 | December 19 | vs San Antonio | Loss | 101 | 115 | 21-4 | Lost 2 | |
| 26 | December 21 | vs Miami | Loss | 66 | 86 | 21-5 | Lost 3 | |
| 27 | December 23 | vs Milwaukee | Loss | 76 | 81 | 21-6 | Lost 4 | |
| 28 | December 26 | at Milwaukee | Win | 101 | 90 | 22-6 | Won 1 | |
| 29 | December 28 | vs Golden State | Win | 104 | 95 | 23-6 | Won 2 | |
| 30 | December 30 | vs Seattle | Win | 99 | 91 | 24-6 | Won 3 | |
| 31 | January 2 | vs Portland | Loss | 96 | 112 | 24-7 | Lost 1 | |
| 32 | January 4 | vs LA Clippers | Loss | 91 | 95 | 24-8 | Lost 2 | |
| 33 | January 7 | at Minnesota | Win | 104 | 95 | 25-8 | Won 1 | |
| 34 | January 8 | at Cleveland | Win | 81 | 78 | 26-8 | Won 2 | |
| 35 | January 10 | at Philadelphia | Win | 120 | 99 | 27-8 | Won 3 | |
| 36 | January 11 | at Chicago | Loss | 86 | 110 | 27-9 | Lost 1 | |
| 37 | January 14 | vs New York | Win | 106 | 86 | 28-9 | Won 1 | |
| 38 | January 16 | vs Sacramento | Win | 89 | 80 | 29-9 | Won 2 | |
| 39 | January 17 | at Dallas | Win | 88 | 78 | 30-9 | Won 3 | |
| 40 | January 19 | vs Chicago | Win | 102 | 86 | 31-9 | Won 4 | |
| 41 | January 21 | at Charlotte | Loss | 108 | 114 | 31-10 | Lost 1 | |
| 42 | January 23 | vs New Jersey | Win | 111 | 104 | 32-10 | Won 1 | |
| 43 | January 25 | vs Utah | Loss | 100 | 105 | 32-11 | Lost 1 | OT |
| 44 | January 30 | vs Denver | Loss | 109 | 113 | 32-12 | Lost 2 | |
| 45 | January 31 | at Indiana | Loss | 74 | 100 | 32-13 | Lost 3 | |
| 46 | February 2 | at Orlando | Loss | 90 | 103 | 32-14 | Lost 4 | |
| 47 | February 4 | at New York | Loss | 95 | 99 | 32-15 | Lost 5 | |
| 48 | February 6 | at Detroit | Loss | 87 | 96 | 32-16 | Lost 6 | |
| 49 | February 11 | vs Vancouver | Win | 106 | 97 | 33-16 | Won 1 | |
| 50 | February 14 | at Seattle | Loss | 85 | 105 | 33-17 | Lost 1 | |
| 51 | February 15 | at Portland | Loss | 105 | 109 | 33-18 | Lost 2 | |
| 52 | February 17 | vs Atlanta | Win | 127 | 98 | 34-18 | Won 1 | |
| 53 | February 20 | vs Toronto | Win | 107 | 97 | 35-18 | Won 2 | |
| 54 | February 21 | at Atlanta | Loss | 74 | 76 | 35-19 | Lost 1 | |
| 55 | February 23 | vs San Antonio | Win | 95 | 85 | 36-19 | Won 1 | |
| 56 | February 25 | vs LA Lakers | Win | 100 | 96 | 37-19 | Won 2 | |
| 57 | February 27 | vs Charlotte | Loss | 95 | 106 | 37-20 | Lost 1 | |
| 58 | March 1 | vs Dallas | Win | 89 | 80 | 38-20 | Won 1 | |
| 59 | March 4 | at LA Clippers | Win | 113 | 109 | 39-20 | Won 2 | |
| 60 | March 5 | at Golden State | Win | 90 | 85 | 40-20 | Won 3 | |
| 61 | March 7 | at LA Lakers | Win | 111 | 90 | 41-20 | Won 4 | |
| 62 | March 9 | at Dallas | Win | 88 | 83 | 42-20 | Won 5 | |
| 63 | March 11 | at San Antonio | Win | 103 | 79 | 43-20 | Won 6 | |
| 64 | March 12 | vs Orlando | Loss | 95 | 96 | 43-21 | Lost 1 | |
| 65 | March 16 | at Miami | Loss | 80 | 101 | 43-22 | Lost 2 | |
| 66 | March 18 | at New Jersey | Win | 97 | 89 | 44-22 | Won 1 | |
| 67 | March 20 | vs Washington | Win | 96 | 90 | 45-22 | Won 2 | |
| 68 | March 22 | vs Phoenix | Loss | 99 | 104 | 45-23 | Lost 1 | |
| 69 | March 25 | vs Minnesota | Win | 112 | 103 | 46-23 | Won 1 | |
| 70 | March 27 | vs Cleveland | Win | 107 | 89 | 47-23 | Won 2 | |
| 71 | March 29 | vs Denver | Win | 120 | 105 | 48-23 | Won 3 | |
| 72 | April 1 | at Denver | Win | 116 | 99 | 49-23 | Won 4 | |
| 73 | April 2 | at Phoenix | Loss | 96 | 109 | 49-24 | Lost 1 | |
| 74 | April 4 | at Sacramento | Win | 108 | 94 | 50-24 | Won 1 | |
| 75 | April 6 | at Vancouver | Win | 94 | 85 | 51-24 | Won 2 | |
| 76 | April 8 | at LA Clippers | Win | 127 | 117 | 52-24 | Won 3 | |
| 77 | April 10 | vs Vancouver | Win | 102 | 94 | 53-24 | Won 4 | |
| 78 | April 11 | at Utah | Loss | 83 | 104 | 53-25 | Lost 1 | |
| 79 | April 13 | vs Seattle | Win | 113 | 73 | 54-25 | Won 1 | |
| 80 | April 15 | vs LA Clippers | Win | 123 | 119 | 55-25 | Won 2 | |
| 81 | April 18 | vs Dallas | Win | 112 | 102 | 56-25 | Won 3 | OT |
| 82 | April 20 | at San Antonio | Win | 103 | 99 | 57-25 | Won 4 | |

## Playoffs

1997 playoff game log :
First Round: 3–0 (home: 2–0; road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
April 24
Minnesota
W 112–95
Mario Elie (21)
Kevin Willis (13)
Clyde Drexler (8)
The Summit 16,285
1–0
2
April 26
Minnesota
W 96–84
Charles Barkley (20)
Charles Barkley (15)
Clyde Drexler (7)
The Summit 16,285
2–0
3
April 29
@ Minnesota
W 125–120
Matt Maloney (26)
Hakeem Olajuwon (11)
Clyde Drexler (9)
Target Center 19,006
3–0 :
Conference semifinals: 4–3 (home: 2–2; road: 2–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
May 5
Seattle
W 112–102
Clyde Drexler (22)
Hakeem Olajuwon (11)
Mario Elie (8)
The Summit 16,285
1–0
2
May 7
Seattle
L 101–106
Clyde Drexler (25)
Hakeem Olajuwon (12)
Clyde Drexler (8)
The Summit 16,285
1–1
3
May 9
@ Seattle
W 97–93
Hakeem Olajuwon (24)
Hakeem Olajuwon (11)
Sedale Threatt (5)
KeyArena 17,072
2–1
4
May 11
@ Seattle
W 110–106 (OT)
Maloney, Barkley (26)
Charles Barkley (15)
Hakeem Olajuwon (9)
KeyArena 17,072
3–1
5
May 13
Seattle
L 94–100
Hakeem Olajuwon (31)
Charles Barkley (20)
Mario Elie (6)
The Summit 16,285
3–2
6
May 15
@ Seattle
L 96–99
Hakeem Olajuwon (30)
Charles Barkley (12)
Clyde Drexler (6)
KeyArena 17,072
3–3
7
May 17
Seattle
W 96–91
Clyde Drexler (24)
Charles Barkley (14)
Mario Elie (11)
The Summit 16,285
4–3 :
Conference finals: 2–4 (home: 2–1; road: 0–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
May 19
@ Utah
L 86–101
Hakeem Olajuwon (30)
Hakeem Olajuwon (13)
Hakeem Olajuwon (5)
Delta Center 19,911
0–1
2
May 21
@ Utah
L 92–104
Hakeem Olajuwon (30)
Charles Barkley (12)
Clyde Drexler (4)
Delta Center 19,911
0–2
3
May 23
Utah
W 118–100
Eddie Johnson (31)
Charles Barkley (16)
three players tied (6)
The Summit 16,285
1–2
4
May 25
Utah
W 95–92
Hakeem Olajuwon (27)
Charles Barkley (16)
Matt Maloney (6)
The Summit 16,285
2–2
5
May 27
@ Utah
L 91–96
Hakeem Olajuwon (33)
Hakeem Olajuwon (10)
Charles Barkley (5)
Delta Center 19,911
2–3
6
May 29
Utah
L 100–103
Clyde Drexler (33)
Hakeem Olajuwon (11)
Sedale Threatt (9)
The Summit 16,285
2–4 :
1997 schedule :

## Player statistics
### Season

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Charles Barkley | 53 | 53 | 37.9 | .484 | .283 | .694 | 13.5 | 4.7 | 1.3 | .5 | 19.2 |
| Elmer Bennett$^†$ | 4 | 0 | 4.0 | .333 | .333 | .833 | .3 | 1.0 | .5 | .0 | 2.5 |
| Matt Bullard | 71 | 12 | 14.4 | .401 | .366 | .735 | 1.6 | .9 | .3 | .3 | 4.5 |
| Emanual Davis | 13 | 0 | 17.7 | .444 | .444 | .625 | 1.7 | 2.0 | .7 | .2 | 5.0 |
| Clyde Drexler | 62 | 62 | 36.6 | .442 | .355 | .750 | 6.0 | 5.7 | 1.9 | .6 | 18.0 |
| Mario Elie | 78 | 77 | 34.4 | .497 | .420 | .896 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 1.2 | .2 | 11.7 |
| Othella Harrington | 57 | 1 | 15.1 | .549 | .000 | .605 | 3.5 | .3 | .2 | .4 | 4.8 |
| Eddie Johnson$^†$ | 24 | 2 | 25.3 | .447 | .388 | .854 | 4.1 | 1.5 | .4 | .0 | 11.5 |
| Charles Jones | 12 | 0 | 7.8 | .400 | | | 1.1 | .3 | .2 | .3 | .3 |
| Randy Livingston | 64 | 0 | 15.3 | .437 | .409 | .646 | 1.5 | 2.4 | .6 | .2 | 3.9 |
| Sam Mack | 52 | 10 | 17.4 | .401 | .331 | .833 | 2.0 | 1.1 | .6 | .1 | 5.6 |
| Matt Maloney | 82 | 82 | 29.1 | .441 | .404 | .763 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 1.0 | .0 | 9.4 |
| Tracy Moore | 27 | 1 | 8.8 | .388 | .256 | .710 | 1.0 | .7 | .2 | .0 | 3.7 |
| Hakeem Olajuwon | 78 | 78 | 36.6 | .510 | .313 | .787 | 9.2 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 23.2 |
| Brent Price | 25 | 0 | 15.6 | .419 | .321 | 1.000 | 1.2 | 2.6 | .7 | .0 | 5.0 |
| Joe Stephens | 2 | 0 | 4.5 | .200 | .333 | | 1.5 | .0 | 1.5 | .0 | 1.5 |
| Sedale Threatt | 21 | 0 | 15.9 | .378 | .400 | .750 | 1.1 | 1.9 | .7 | .1 | 3.3 |
| Kevin Willis | 75 | 32 | 26.2 | .481 | .143 | .693 | 7.5 | .9 | .6 | .4 | 11.2 |

### Playoffs

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Charles Barkley | 16 | 16 | 37.8 | .434 | .289 | .769 | 12.0 | 3.4 | 1.2 | .4 | 17.9 |
| Matt Bullard | 2 | 0 | 3.5 | 1.000 | 1.000 | | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 3.0 |
| Clyde Drexler | 16 | 16 | 38.9 | .436 | .373 | .778 | 5.6 | 4.8 | 1.6 | .4 | 18.1 |
| Mario Elie | 16 | 16 | 37.4 | .466 | .400 | .839 | 3.5 | 3.8 | .9 | .3 | 11.5 |
| Othella Harrington | 7 | 0 | 2.1 | .500 | | .700 | .6 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.3 |
| Eddie Johnson | 16 | 0 | 17.8 | .410 | .298 | .958 | 2.3 | .6 | .3 | .0 | 8.3 |
| Charles Jones | 1 | 0 | 2.0 | | | | .0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Randy Livingston | 2 | 0 | 7.5 | .250 | 1.000 | | .0 | 2.0 | .5 | .0 | 1.5 |
| Matt Maloney | 16 | 16 | 32.9 | .399 | .398 | .667 | 1.2 | 3.1 | .6 | .2 | 11.2 |
| Hakeem Olajuwon | 16 | 16 | 39.3 | .590 | .000 | .731 | 10.9 | 3.4 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 23.1 |
| Sedale Threatt | 16 | 0 | 16.6 | .393 | .300 | .750 | 1.1 | 3.0 | .4 | .3 | 3.7 |
| Kevin Willis | 16 | 0 | 18.4 | .400 | .000 | .684 | 4.7 | .7 | .6 | .3 | 6.4 |
Player Statistics Citation:

## Awards and records
### Awards

* Hakeem Olajuwon, All-NBA First Team
* Hakeem Olajuwon, NBA All-Defensive Second Team
* Matt Maloney, NBA All-Rookie Team 2nd Team

### Records
## Transactions
### Trades

| August 19, 1996 | To Houston RocketsCharles Barkley | To Phoenix SunsRobert Horry Sam Cassell Mark Bryant Chucky Brown |

### Free agents

Player Transactions Citation: