How do the 2017 Houston Rockets stack up against the 1995 title team?

Bench Play

Both teams had excellent sixth men who sometimes would play in crunch time. The 1995 team had the great Sam Cassell who, at times, played starter minutes. Cassell could be relied upon to hit big shots and was often a spark plug for the Rockets in close games.

The 2017 team had Eric Gordon who, at the time, was the Rocket’s third-best player. Gordon was one of the few players on that team that could create his own shot. The NBA 3-point contest champion was a big reason the Rockets had the best record that year.

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Other notable bench players for both sides were Scott Brooks and Chucky Brown for the 1995 team and Luc Mbah a Moute and Gerald Green for the 2017 team.

Advantage: Tie

Both teams didn’t go deep into their bench but had players who could have started on most teams.

Conclusion

In a fictional matchup between the two teams, it is surprisingly close. The 1995 team has an advantage because they won it all. The 2017 team won 65 games and would likely have won it all if not for injury. In the end, the 1995 team comes out on top. They were NBA Champions and had the advantage at three out of the five starting positions.

Still, the 2017 Houston Rockets come as close to that championship team as any non-title team in Rockets history.