In 2007, the rivalry was restored as the two teams met again in the playoffs and a showdown of two of the best 1–2 combos of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming of the Rockets and Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer of the Jazz.

Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde 'the Glide' Drexler led the University of Houston's "Phi Slama Jama" squad to three Final Four appearances.

Houston, led by its "Twin Towers" of Ralph Sampson and Olajuwon, amassed a 48–34 record in 1984–85, earning a second-place finish in the Midwest Division and the third seed in the playoffs.

Utah, tied for fourth in the Midwest with San Antonio, wound up as the sixth seed, reaching the postseason for only the second time in franchise history.

Along with Otis Thorpe, Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell, Robert Horry, Mario Elie, and Sam Cassell, the Rockets proved to be a force in the Western Conference.

The Jazz, with their established duo of Malone (who finished fifth in the league with 25.2 points per game and topped 19,000 career points to move into 25th place on the all-time list) and Stockton (who led the league in assists for the seventh straight season with 12.6 assists per game) and the pick and roll offense, also had Jeff Hornacek (acquired in a trade with Philadelphia for Jeff Malone), veteran forward Tom Chambers, and center Felton Spencer to complement the two leaders.

An injury to Carl Herrera forced him to miss most of the second half of the season and the entire postseason and left the power forward position vulnerable.

The starting five of Malone, Stockton, Hornacek, David Benoit, and Felton Spencer, was solid, and the bench possessed key contributors in Adam Keefe, Antoine Carr, James Donaldson, Tom Chambers, and Blue Edwards.

The major setback came on January 13, when Spencer suffered a torn left Achilles tendon, which took him out for the rest of the season and the entire postseason.

Spencer was not an All-Star, but he was still crucial to the Jazz's championship chances because he was a big body who could hold his own against the great centers in the Western Conference, especially against Hakeem Olajuwon.

An off-season trade with Phoenix gave the Rockets Charles Barkley for Sam Cassell, Chucky Brown, Mark Bryant, and Robert Horry.

Other key acquisitions included veterans Kevin Willis, Sedale Threatt and Eddie Johnson to provide an already potent Rockets starting lineup a deep bench.

The Rockets swept the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round and then survived a seven-game series with the Seattle SuperSonics in the Western Cenference Semifinals, avenging last year's sweep.

Stockton scored 15 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter to help the Jazz claw back from a 12-point deficit, including his most heroic effort at the final buzzer.

The Jazz finished tied with the best record with Chicago at 62–20, having swept the regular-season series against the Bulls, guaranteeing home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs.

The Rockets looked poised to win the fourth game, but Charles Barkley received an elbow to his forearm, tearing a triceps muscle and ending his season.

The rivalry was restored in the late 2000s when during the 2007 season, the Jazz were holding the fourth-best record in the Western Conference, but skidded and allowed the Rockets to have home court advantage during the playoffs.

The series shifted to Salt Lake City and the Jazz finally found their groove as they took Game 3 81–67, despite another impressive performance from Yao and T-Mac.

The Rockets have homecourt advantage against the Jazz but they were playing without Yao Ming who suffered a stress fracture injury just months before the Playoffs.

Carlos Boozer departed as a free agent, long-time Jazz coach Jerry Sloan resigned early in the 2010–11 season, and Deron Williams was traded away shortly afterwards.

Under head coach Quin Snyder and new additions Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, the Jazz returned to relevance by the end of the decade.