First round: 1993-94 Hakeem Olajuwon vs. 2015-16 James Harden

No. 7 seed: 1993-94 Hakeem Olajuwon: 27.3 points (52.8% FG), 11.9 rebounds, 3.7 blocks, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals per game

After losing a hard-fought road Game 7 in overtime in the 1992 NBA playoffs to Seattle, the Rockets knew they were capable of winning a title. Led by Olajuwon, they made a big statement as to their readiness with a 15-0 start to 1993-94, which was tied at the time for the longest unbeaten streak in NBA history to begin a season. They finished at 58-24, representing what was then the most wins in one season in team history.

Olajuwon’s 27.3 points per game average was the second-most of his Hall of Fame career, and he did it with strong durability at 80 games played. Most important, of course, is that Olajuwon’s production fully carried over into the playoffs. “The Dream” led the NBA in playoff scoring at 28.9 points per game, and his Rockets went on to win their first NBA championship in June 1994.

Olajuwon was awarded the NBA’s regular-season MVP in 1994 for the first and only time of his 18-year career, and he also won the NBA Finals MVP award — which he did again in 1995, as Houston took its second title.

No. 10 seed: 2015-16 James Harden: 29.0 points (43.9% FG, 35.9% 3-pointers), 7.5 assists, 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals per game

Harden’s points per game, assists, and rebounds all rose to career-high levels in 2015-16, and he played all 82 games for the first time as a Rocket. Harden also led the NBA in minutes at 38.1 per game, showcasing his remarkable durability.

The bad news is that Harden had to play that many minutes just to get the Rockets into the playoffs at all. After finishing 2014-15 at 56-26 and the West’s No. 2 seed, which led to a Western Conference Finals berth, they slid to 41-41 and the No. 8 seed in 2015-16. Head coach Kevin McHale was fired after a disappointing 4-7 start, and interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff leaned heavily on Harden to keep them afloat.

The high minutes also seemed to take a toll on Harden’s defense, with his 2015-16 defensive win shares (2.6) the lowest of his Houston tenure.

It was enough to get Houston to the playoffs, but they lost in the first round to the defending champion Warriors. It took until that offseason — with the hiring of Mike D’Antoni, departure of Dwight Howard, and the roster’s retooling with shooters like Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson — for Harden and the Rockets to get back on track as a title contender.

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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