page_title: History of the Houston Rockets
section_title: 2012–2013: Return to the playoffs
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Houston Rockets / 2012–present: The James Harden era / 2012–2013: Return to the playoffs
caption_attribution_description: English: James Harden and Kevin Durant during game 6 first round playoffs
context_page_description: The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association. The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before moving to Houston, Texas.
  In the Rockets' debut season, they won 15 games. After drafting Elvin Hayes first overall in the 1968 NBA Draft, they made their first appearance in the playoffs in 1969. After Hayes was traded, Moses Malone replaced him. Malone won two Most Valuable Player awards during his time in Houston, and he led the Rockets to the 1978 conference finals in his first year with the Rockets. He also took the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981, but they were defeated in six games by the Boston Celtics.
  Two years after advancing to the finals, the Rockets traded Malone and had two losing seasons, with the first having a franchise-low 14 victories. This gave Houston two straight first overall picks, used to bring future Hall of Famers Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon, who eventually got the Rockets all the way to the 1986 Finals, where they lost again to Boston.
context_section_description: During the 2012 NBA offseason, the Rockets made significant changes to their roster. Early in July, they traded Kyle Lowry to the Toronto Raptors, let Goran Dragić return to the Phoenix Suns via free agency, and saw the arrival of 2011 pick Donatas Motiejūnas from Lithuania, who was signed to a multiyear deal. On July 13, the Rockets released veteran forward Luis Scola using their one-time amnesty clause. On July 18, The Rockets signed Jeremy Lin, a restricted free agent, to a three-year, $25.1 million contract after the New York Knicks decided not to match the Rockets' offer sheet. Lin achieved worldwide fame with a 25-game stretch of high performance basketball play known as "Linsanity", where he stepped up in place of the Knicks' injured players. On July 20, Ömer Aşık, a restricted free agent from the Chicago Bulls, signed a three-year, $25.1 million offer sheet with the Rockets. The Bulls decided to not match the offer, and on July 24, Asik officially joined the Rockets. On October 27, 2012, the Rockets traded Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, and two future first-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for reigning sixth man of the year James Harden, along with  Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook, and Lazar Hayward. Harden stepped out of his previous sixth man role and into the starting lineup for the Rockets. He had 37 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and a block in his debut as a Rocket, while Jeremy Lin had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals. Harden also signed a 5-year contract extension with the Rockets worth approximately $80 million a few days after the trade was completed. Harden scored a then career-high 45 points in his second game with the Rockets against the Atlanta Hawks. Jeremy Lin tied a career-high of 38 points in an overtime loss to the Spurs while Harden sat out with an ankle sprain. Harden was selected to the 2013 NBA All-Star Game, which was held in Houston. On February 5, 2013, the Houston Rockets made 23 3-point field goals in a game against the Golden State Warriors, equaling the NBA team record. In this game, the Rockets also achieved a home game record for most points scored at the Toyota Center with a 140–109 victory.
  On February 20, 2013, the Rockets acquired Thomas Robinson, the fifth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, in a trade with the Sacramento Kings where Houston sent Marcus Morris and Patrick Patterson.  On that same night, the Rockets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-119 after trailing by 14 with 6:58 remaining in the game. James Harden scored a then career high of 46 points in the win over his former team. Despite being the youngest team in the NBA, the Rockets became one of the highest scoring offenses in the NBA. Even more remarkable was that only two players – starting forward Chandler Parsons and backup forward/center Greg Smith (who rarely played in his rookie season) – were left from the 2011–12 roster. Head coach Kevin McHale ran an up-tempo offense that put emphasis on transition baskets, shooting three-pointers, and playing at a fast pace. As a result, the Rockets became one of the highest scoring offenses in the NBA, leading the league in scoring for the majority of the season. In the post-season, the Rockets fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, losing the series 4–2. In the 2012–13 NBA season, James Harden evolved into a franchise player for the Rockets, averaging 25.9 points a game.
caption: James Harden guarding Kevin Durant in the 2013 playoffs.
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