On this day: Clyde Drexler has first triple-double of Rockets tenure

As today is April 11th, let’s go back in Houston Rockets’ history to the date in which Clyde Drexler posted his first triple-double as a member of the Rockets.

Following the Houston Rockets‘ first NBA championship during the 1993-94 season, the Rockets had a rough start to the 1994-95 season. The Rockets had a 29-17 record heading into the February 14th trade deadline, which gave them a winning percentage of 63 percent.

Although this doesn’t necessarily sound bad, it lags in comparison to the Rockets 70.7 winning percentage from the previous year. It was clear that the team needed another star player, and they chose Clyde Drexler as that player. This made sense, considering how Drexler played with Hakeem Olajuwon at the University of Houston, and several other reasons.

But the trade didn’t yield instant results, as the Rockets went 18-18 following the trade that landed them The Glide. One of those games took place on April 11th, which was a shootout against the Dallas Mavericks.

Although the Rockets were playing without Hakeem Olajuwon in that game, they took the Mavs to double-overtime, as Drexler had 29 points, which tied Kenny Smith for a team-high. Drexler had a triple-double that day, as he added 11 rebounds and 11 assists, while also adding three steals.

This ultimately wasn’t enough to lead the Rockets to victory, as they were out-lasted 156-147, thanks to a combined 80 points between Jamal Mashburn and Jason Kidd. Kidd had a triple-double of his own, as he posted 38 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

This was the first triple-double of Drexler’s Rockets’ career, and he went on to post six more during his Rockets tenure. Although the Rockets finished the season with the sixth seed in the Western Conference, the battle they fought on April 11th proved to be beneficial for them.

The Rockets flew through each of the top three seeds in the postseason, as they made it past the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, and San Antonio Spurs to reach the NBA Finals for the second consecutive season. As we know by now, the Rockets ultimately won their second championship, which made them the first sixth seed to win the championship in NBA history.

This meant the Drexler move paid off, as he became the Robin to Olajuwon’s Batman. But arguably Drexler’s best game that season came on April 11th.