History with Houston

Only one game separated the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz this season — as the Rockets won 52 games to the Jazz's 51. The No. 4 and No. 5 seeds from the powerful Western Conference are expected to play an evenly matched best-of-seven series, beginning tonight in Houston.

Why should this series be any different?

The Jazz and Rockets have a playoff history — dating back 22 years — of exciting, hard-fought battles. In fact, Utah has played Houston in more playoff games than any other team except the Portland Trail Blazers.

There was a stretch in the 1990s where it seemed like an annual occurrence, as the Jazz and Rockets met four times in five postseasons. During that stretch, the two times the Rockets won, they went on to win the NBA title. The two times the Jazz won, they went on to the NBA Finals.

How close have the Jazz and Rockets series been? Well, by winning percentage, the teams are exactly even — both teams have won 13 of their 26 playoff games against each other. Utah has the lead in terms of series victories, having won three of the five previously.

Here's a closer look at each of the five all-time playoff series between the Jazz and Rockets:

1985 — THE SUCKER PUNCH

The Jazz, making only their second postseason in team history, were the underdogs in this best-of-five first-round series after going 41-41 in the regular season. The Rockets, led by the "twin towers" of Ralph Sampson and rookie Hakeem Olajuwon, had won 48 games and were the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.

Utah, behind 34 points by Adrian Dantley, shocked the Rockets in Houston in the series opener, 115-101. Houston blew out the Jazz in the second game to even the series heading back to Utah.

The teams then split the two games in the old Salt Palace, sending the series back to Houston for the deciding Game 5. There it appeared the Jazz's valiant upset bid would end. Led by Olajuwon, the Rockets had a double-digit lead entering the fourth quarter at home, and it appeared Utah coach Frank Layden had thrown in the towel.

Instead of playing mainstays like Dantley, Darrell Griffith, Mark Eaton and Rickey Green, Layden inserted the unusual lineup of rookie point guard John Stockton, Billy "the Whopper" Paultz, Fred Roberts, Rich Kelley and Thurl Bailey. But the combination actually worked. Paultz, a slow, overweight, cagey veteran center with about a one-inch vertical jumping ability by this time of his career, started pushing the younger, much more talented Olajuwon around, frustrating him. When Olajuwon had finally had enough he slugged "The Whopper" in the face — which was caught by TV cameras but not by the officials.