First round: 1992-93 Hakeem Olajuwon vs. 2000-01 Steve Francis

No. 2 seed: 1992-93 Hakeem Olajuwon: 26.1 points (52.9% FG), 13.0 rebounds, 4.2 blocks, 3.5 assists per game

The Rockets didn’t win the NBA title until a year later, but it was 1992-93 that put Houston on the map as a contender. Led by their star center, the Rockets improved from 42-40 and missing the playoffs in 1991-92 to 55-27 and tied for second place. In the playoffs, they lost a very tight second-round series to Seattle in an overtime Game 7 on the road.

Olajuwon’s 52.9% shooting, as well as his 13.0 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game, were higher than in either of the two ensuing title seasons. “The Dream” finished second to Charles Barkley in 1993 MVP voting.

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No. 15 seed: 2000-01 Steve Francis: 19.9 points (45.1% FG, 39.6% 3-pointers), 6.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.8 steals per game

In a loaded 2000-01 Western Conference, even a 45-37 season wasn’t quite enough to get the Rockets into the playoffs. But led by the springy second-year point guard out of Maryland, it represented a significant improvement of 11 games over the previous campaign and was Houston’s first winning season since 1996-97.

The 39.6% clip on 3-pointers was the best by Francis over his five seasons in Houston, and it came on his peak volume at 4.2 attempts per game. He also averaged the fewest turnovers (3.3) of his Rockets tenure.

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First round: ’15 Harden vs. ’05 McGrady / ’93 Olajuwon vs. ’01 Francis / ’18 Harden vs. ’89 Olajuwon / ’82 Malone vs. ’74 Tomjanovich / ’19 Harden vs. ’13 Harden / ’17 Harden vs. ’14 Harden / ’94 Olajuwon vs. ’16 Harden / ’79 Malone vs. ’81 Malone