Editing Houston Rockets (section)

===2002–2009: The Yao Ming era===
[[File:Yao Ming free throw.jpg|left|thumb|[[Yao Ming]] during his rookie season with the Rockets]]

====2002-2004: Early years with Yao and Francis====
After Houston was awarded the first overall pick in the [[2002 NBA draft]], they selected [[Yao Ming]], a {{convert|7|ft|6|inch|m}} Chinese center.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2002_3558639 |title=Yao the Man |last=Blinebury |first=Fran |date=June 27, 2002 |work=Houston Chronicle |access-date=February 23, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012171235/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2002_3558639 |archive-date=October 12, 2012}}</ref> The Rockets missed the 2003 playoffs by one game, improving their record by 15 victories led by All-Star starters [[Steve Francis]] and Rookie Yao Ming.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/2003.html |title=2002–03 Houston Rockets Roster and Statistics |publisher=Basketball-Reference.com |access-date=February 23, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2003.html |title=2002–03 NBA Season Summary |publisher=Basketball-Reference.com |access-date=February 23, 2009}}</ref>

The [[2003–04 NBA season|2003–04 season]] marked the Rockets' arrival to a new arena, [[Toyota Center (Houston)|Toyota Center]],<ref name="newarena">{{cite news |last=Feigen |first=Jonathan |title=New arena buoys spirits |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2003_3698392 |work=Houston Chronicle |date=October 10, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012171243/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2003_3698392 |archive-date=October 12, 2012 |access-date=February 23, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> a redesign of their uniforms and logo,<ref name="fashion">{{cite web |last=Feigen |first=Jonathan |title=Red's in fashion again |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2003_3692266 |work=Houston Chronicle |date=September 21, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629170801/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2003_3692266 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |access-date=July 28, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and their first season without Rudy Tomjanovich, who resigned as head coach after being diagnosed with [[bladder cancer]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2003_3657129 |title=End of an era |last=Feigen |first=Jonathan |date=May 24, 2003 |work=Houston Chronicle |access-date=February 23, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012171357/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2003_3657129 |archive-date=October 12, 2012}}</ref> Led by former Knicks coach [[Jeff Van Gundy]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/10/sports/pro-basketball-van-gundy-accepts-job-as-coach-of-the-rockets.html |title=Pro Basketball – Van Gundy Accepts Job As Coach of the Rockets|last=Broussard|first=Chris |date=June 10, 2003 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=February 23, 2009}}</ref> the Rockets finished the regular season with a record of 45–37,<ref name="04year">{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/2004.html |title=2003–04 Houston Rockets Roster and Statistics |publisher=Basketball-Reference.com |access-date=February 23, 2009}}</ref> earning their [[2004 NBA playoffs|first playoff berth]] since 1999,<ref name="houstonindex" /> again losing to the Lakers in the first round.<ref name="04year" />

[[File:Yao Ming with the Chinese flag 2008 Summer Olympics - Opening Ceremony.jpg|left|thumb|[[Yao Ming]] carrying his home country's Five-star Red Flag at the [[2008 Summer Olympics]]]]

====2004-2009: McGrady and Ming duo====
[[File:TracyMcGrady.jpg|upright|thumb|Houston acquired [[Tracy McGrady]] in 2004.]]
In the off-season, Houston saw major changes in the roster as the Rockets acquired [[Tracy McGrady]] in a seven-player deal with the Orlando Magic Including three time Rockets All-Star Steve Francis.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2004_3777107 |title=T-Mac comes to H-Town |last=Feigen |first=Jonathan |date=June 30, 2004 |work=Houston Chronicle |access-date=February 23, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012171454/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2004_3777107 |archive-date=October 12, 2012}}</ref> The scoring champion McGrady and the strong rebounder Yao formed a well-regarded pair that helped the Rockets win 22 consecutive games in the [[2007–08 NBA season|2007–08 season]], which was at the time the 3rd [[List of National Basketball Association longest winning streaks|longest winning streak in NBA history]]. Still, the duo was plagued with injuries – of the 463 regular season games for which they were teammates, Yao missed 146 and McGrady 160 – and did not win any playoff series, despite gathering leads over the [[Dallas Mavericks]] in [[2005 NBA playoffs|2005]] and the Jazz in [[2007 NBA playoffs|2007]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/fran_blinebury/12/08/tracy-mcgrady-houston-return/ |title=Failures, injuries mark T-Mac's memories of paring with Yao|date=December 8, 2010|work=NBA.com|author=Blinebury, Fran |access-date=February 23, 2016}}</ref> Despite this, Yao was selected to carry his home country's [[Flag of China|Five-star Red Flag]] at the Summer Olympics opening ceremony held [[China at the 2008 Summer Olympics|at home in 2008]]. After the 2007 elimination, Van Gundy was fired,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/article/Van-Gundy-dismissed-as-Rockets-coach-1837998.php |title=Van Gundy dismissed as Rockets coach |last=Feigen |first=Jonathan |date=May 18, 2007 |work=Houston Chronicle |access-date=February 23, 2009}}</ref> and the Rockets hired [[Rick Adelman]] to replace him.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/article/Adelman-reaches-deal-to-coach-Rockets-1629681.php |title=Adelman reaches deal to coach Rockets |last=Feigen |first=Jonathan |date=May 21, 2008 |work=Houston Chronicle |access-date=February 23, 2009}}</ref>

For the 2008–09 season, the Rockets signed forward [[Ron Artest]]. While McGrady wound up playing only half the games before enduring a season-ending [[microfracture surgery]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=3914888|title=McGrady says he will have surgery|work=ESPN|date=February 2, 2008|access-date=June 30, 2015}}</ref> the Rockets ended the season 53–29, enough for the Western Conference's fifth seed. During the playoffs, the Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers four games to two, winning their first playoff round since 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/playoffs/2009/matchup/_/teams/rockets-trailblazers|title=2009 NBA Playoffs - First Round - Rockets vs. Trailblazers|work=ESPN|access-date=February 23, 2009}}</ref> During the series, [[Dikembe Mutombo]] injured his knee, which forced him to retire after 18 seasons in the NBA.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2008_4561020 |title=Salt Lake heartache |last=Feigen |first=Jonathan |date=May 3, 2008 |work=Houston Chronicle |access-date=February 23, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012171517/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2008_4561020 |archive-date=October 12, 2012}}</ref> However, the second round against the Lakers had the Rockets losing 4–3 and Yao Ming suffering yet another season-ending injury, this time a hairline fracture in his left foot.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/lakers/playoffs2009_b.html|title=NBA Playoffs 2009- Western Conference - Los Angeles vs Houston|work=NBA.com|access-date=February 23, 2015}}</ref>