Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team, based in Phoenix, Arizona. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Franchise history

The early years: a Tucson connection

On January 22, 1968, the NBA awarded expansion franchises to an ownership group from Phoenix and one from Milwaukee. The primary investors in the Phoenix franchise at its inception had close ties to Tucson, Arizona's second largest city. They were:

All four men were alumni of The University of Arizona. According to the history section of the Suns website, other investors in the Suns included prominent entertainers such as Andy Williams and Henry Mancini. The original logo was designed by Stanley Fabe, owner of a Tucson printing company, for $200. The new Suns ownership group hired former Chicago Bulls executive Jerry Colangelo to be general manager (he was 28 years of age when he took the position). The Suns began their time in Phoenix at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Colangelo in turn hired Johnny "Red" Kerr (as of this writing a broadcaster with the Bulls) to be the first head coach of the Suns. Kerr was forced to resign midway through the 1969-70 season, and Colangelo himself coached a few games. Cotton Fitzsimmons replaced Colangelo as Suns coach for the 1970-71 season. He took the team to their first winning season, with a final record of 48-34.

Fitzsimmons would return to the head coaching job in the late 1980s; he would go on to be greatly loved by Suns fans, wildly popular (and successful) as a coach, broadcaster and executive with the Suns organization.

In the 1970s the Suns experienced mild success, combining the talents of such players as Dick Van Arsdale (The Original Sun), his twin brother Tom Van Arsdale, Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins, Len "Truck" Robinson, Alvan Adams, and center Neal Walk. In 1976, the year the movie Rocky was released, the Suns proved to be a real-life basketball version of Rocky. They finished the season with 42 wins and 40 losses, but shockingly they beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the playoffs and went on to play the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, giving the Celtics a tough battle before falling in 6 games. Game 5 was a triple-overtime classic that is considered by many to be the greatest game in NBA history, with Suns forward Gar Heard hitting a buzzer beating rainbow jump shot ("The Shot") to send the contest into the third overtime at Boston Garden.

Drug scandal; Colangelo takes control

In the late '70s and early '80s, the Suns enjoyed several successful seasons, making the playoffs for 8 seasons in a row. Problems arose however, on and off court, in the mid '80s. In 1987 the Maricopa County Attorney's Office indicted 13 people on drug-related charges, three of whom were active Suns players (James Edwards, Jay Humphries and Grant Gondrezick). These indictments were partially based on testimony from star player Walter Davis, who was given immunity. No defendants ever went to trial: two of the players went into a prosecution diversion program, while another received probation. Nevertheless, the scandal, although now perceived in many respects to be a witchhunt, tarnished the reputation of the franchise both nationally and within the community. The scandal did provide an opening for general manager Colangelo to lead a group that bought the team from its owners for $44 million, a record at that time.

With a drug scandal and the loss of promising young center Nick Vanos, who was killed in the crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 after taking off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, the franchise was in turmoil on and off the court. The Suns' luck began to turn around in 1987, however, with the acquisition from the Cleveland Cavaliers of Kevin Johnson, Mark West, and Tyrone Corbin for popular power forward Larry Nance. In 1988, Tom Chambers came over from Seattle as the first unrestricted free agent in NBA history, Jeff Hornacek a 1986 second round pick continued to develop, "Thunder" Dan Majerle was drafted with the 14th pick in the draft, which they obtained from Cleveland in the Kevin Johnson trade, and the team began a 13-year playoff streak. Kurt Rambis was added from the Charlotte Hornets in 1989, and the team (coached by Fitzsimmons), in a shocking upset, beat the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games that season before falling to the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals. In 1991, The Suns stormed to a 55-27 record, however they lost in the first round to the Utah Jazz 3-1. In 1992, the Suns cruised to a 53-29 record during the regular season. While having sent four players to the all-star game in the last two years (Chambers, Johnson, Hornacek and Majerle), the Suns were poised to make a serious run at the NBA Finals. They showed their poise by sweeping the San Antonio Spurs in 3 games. But once again the Suns fell in five games to the Trail Blazers in the conference semifinals, however the series was punctuated by an electrifying game 4, in which the Suns lost in double overtime 153-151. The Suns were yet again denied a shot at a title, but in subsequent seasons enjoyed even greater success than ever before.

1993 NBA Finals and "The Barkley Era"

In 1992 the Suns moved into their new arena in downtown Phoenix, the America West Arena (now US Airways Center). The arena was not the only new arrival into Phoenix though, as flamboyant all-star power forward Charles Barkley was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers for Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang, and Tim Perry. Barkley would go on to win his first and only MVP his first year with Phoenix in 1993.

In addition to Barkley, the Suns added some key players to their roster including former Boston Celtic Danny Ainge and drafted players in University of Arkansas center Oliver Miller and forward Richard Dumas (who was actually drafted in 1991 but was suspended for his rookie year for violating the NBA drug policy). Under rookie head coach Paul Westphal (a former Suns assistant and, as a player, member of the 1976 Suns squad that went to the NBA Finals), the Suns squad consisting mostly of Barkley, Majerle, Johnson and Ainge won 62 games that year. After eliminating the Lakers, Spurs, and Sonics, the Suns advanced to the Finals for the second time in franchise history. They eventually lost to the Bulls, led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. This series included a triple-overtime game (Game 3) that along with game 4 of the 1976 series are the only triple overtime games in the history of the NBA finals. Approximately 300,000 fans braved the 105 degree heat to celebrate the memorable season in the streets of Phoenix.

The Suns continued to be successful in the regular season, going 178-68 during the 1992-93, 1993-94, and 1994-95 seasons. They continued to bolster their roster adding players such as A.C. Green, Danny Manning, Elliot Perry, and Wesley Person. Despite a Pacific Division title in 1995, the Suns ended up being eliminated in consecutive Western Conference Semifinal rounds by the Houston Rockets. In both years the Suns led the series by two games at one point (2-0 in 1994, 3-1 in 1995) only to see the Rockets come back to win the matchup.

At the end of the 1994-95 season, Phoenix Suns general manager, Bryan Colangelo (son of Jerry) initiated what proved to be a very costly trade, sending all star guard/forward Dan Majerle and a first round draft pick, to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for John "Hot Rod" Williams. Majerle was a favorite amongst the fans in Phoenix as well as the Suns locker room. The trade was made to address the Suns' desperate need of a shot blocking center, but proved frustrating as Majerle's presence was sorely missed, and Williams's production never met expectations.

The 1995-96 season turned into a very disappointing year for the Suns in which they posted a 41-41 record, and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs to the San Antonio Spurs. Westphal was fired mid-way through the season and replaced once again by Fitzsimmons. A combination of front office unrest, along with the dwindling possibility of winning a championship lead to turmoil in Barkley's relationship with Jerry Colangelo who both spurned each other publicly. This led to Barkley being traded to Houston for Sam Cassell, Robert Horry, Mark Bryant, and Chucky Brown, but the trade turned out be very unproductive for either team, as Barkley's best years were behind him in Houston, as age and physical ability quickly caught up with an already aging Rockets team. As for the Suns, three of the four players were not with the franchise just one year later, and furthermore the two most talented players (being Horry and Cassell) constantly clashed with the coach and seemed to be a negative influence in the locker room. (The feud between Barkley and Colangelo has since been repaired, and Barkley has appeared at a number of Suns home games in the years since. He was also present to see his number retired into the Suns "Ring Of Honor" in 2004.)

In the 1996 NBA Draft, the Suns used their 15th pick for guard Steve Nash, of Santa Clara University. Upon hearing the draft announcement, Suns fans booed in disapproval of the relatively unknown player (destined to win at least two Most Valuable Player awards with the Suns), due to the fact that he had not played in one of the major college conferences. During his first two seasons in the NBA, he played a supporting role behind NBA star point guards Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson. On June 25, 1998, Nash was traded from the Suns to the Mavericks in exchange for Martin Muursepp, Bubba Wells, the draft rights to Pat Garrity, and a first-round draft pick which was later used to select Shawn Marion.

1997-2004

After the trade, the Suns began the 1996-97 season miserably starting 0-13 which was a franchise record for the worst start. During the 13 game losing streak Fitzsimmons stepped down as coach and was replaced by former player Danny Ainge. After an on the court altercation between Ainge and Horry, Horry was traded to the Lakers for former Sun and NBA all-star Cedric Ceballos. Cassell was later traded to Dallas for all-star guard Jason Kidd. With a mostly small lineup, the Suns put together an 11 game win streak that put them in the playoffs, in a series that almost upset the highly favored Sonics. In the off-season prior to the 2000 NBA season the Suns traded for perennial All-Star Anfernee Hardaway (also known as "Penny" Hardaway) stirring a large amount of hype by creating the tandem of Kidd and Hardaway, which was called "Backcourt 2000". However, the combination of Hardaway and Kidd was never fully realized as Hardaway would miss a number of games during the middle of the 1999-2000 season and Kidd would break his ankle going into the playoffs just as Hardaway began his return to the court. As the Suns, now led by the returned Hardaway entered the 2000 playoffs, they shocked the favored San Antonio Spurs by ousting them from the playoffs 3-1 in the best of five series. However, even with the return of Kidd at Hardaway's side in the next round, the Suns fell to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in a 4-1 series. The Suns continued to make the playoffs until the 2001-02 campaign, when they fell short for the first time in 14 years. That season marked the trade of Jason Kidd, partly due to a publicized domestic violence episode, to the New Jersey Nets for Stephon Marbury. Lottery-bound, however, the Suns were able to draft Amare Stoudemire. The 2002-03 campaign saw the emergence of Amaré Stoudemire a graduate from Cypress Creek High School(Orlando, Florida), who many have likened to Hall of Fame forward/center Moses Malone. His size and athleticism, along with a strong work ethic, have many anticipating him to join the ranks of Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett as the best NBA players to have jumped from high school to the pro ranks. He became the first ever high school player to win the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 2002-03 season, during which the Suns posted a record of 44-38 and returned to the playoffs. The Suns were eliminated in the first round once again by the San Antonio Spurs, but only after a six game series with the eventual NBA champions.

In the 2003-04 season, the Suns again found themselves out of the playoffs. Following one of the worst pre-seasons in Suns franchise history, the Suns got off to a rocky start in the regular season. Convinced that the team was going nowhere, the Suns made a blockbuster mid-season trade sending Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway off to the New York Knicks. After the trade, the Suns continued to struggle, but the trade opened up opportunities for some of the Sun's young rising stars.

The Run n' Gun era (2004-present)

The beginning of 2004 saw the departure of the face of Suns management since the team's inception, when Jerry Colangelo announced that the Phoenix Suns were to be sold to an investment group headed by San Diego-based business executive (and Tucson native) Robert Sarver for $401 million. However, the 2004-05 season marked the Suns' return to the NBA's elite, with the Suns finishing with the best record in the NBA at 62-20, tying their franchise record that was set by the 1992-93 team. This feat was made possible by the offseason unrestricted FA signing of All-Star point guard and former Sun Steve Nash from Dallas. Nash would go on to win the MVP award that season. Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion were named All-Stars this year and first year coach, Mike D'Antoni, was named NBA Coach of the Year. In the 2005 playoffs, Phoenix was the first seed in the Western Conference, and because it owned the NBA's best record, it was guaranteed home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Suns swept the Memphis Grizzlies 4-0 and defeated the fourth-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the second round 4-2, Steve Nash forcing Game 6 into OT with a 3-pointer in the dying seconds. In the Western Conference Finals, the Suns played the San Antonio Spurs who won the series 4-1, ending Phoenix's outstanding season, partly due to Joe Johnson missing much of the series. The Suns narrowly lost the first 2 at home, fell behind 3-0 in the series but won Game 4 in San Antonio 111-106 but were eliminated at home 101-95. Amare Stoudemire averaged a staggering 37.0 ppg, the highest ever by a player in their first Conference Finals.

The 2005-06 season began negatively when Amare Stoudemire underwent microfracture knee surgery on October 18, 2005. He missed all but three games that year. Along with that, promising shooting guard Joe Johnson demanded a trade to the Atlanta Hawks, in which the Suns got Boris Diaw along with two future first round picks. Other acquisitions this year included Raja Bell and Kurt Thomas. Despite the turnover in players, the Suns were once again able to win the Pacific going 54-28 and capturing the second seed in the Western Conference. Steve Nash was awarded his second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Award, becoming the second point-guard (Magic Johnson was the first) to win the award multiple times. Also, Boris Diaw was named NBA Most Improved Player.

The Suns began the 2006 Western Conference Playoffs as favorites against the Los Angeles Lakers. After winning Game 1 in Phoenix, they found themselves trailing in the series 3-1 after impressive performances by Laker shooting guard Kobe Bryant. However, the Suns went on to win three straight games. They won Game 5 easily at home and Game 6 in OT, their first OT win all season despite 50 points from Bryant and Raja Bell out serving a one-game suspension (for a flagrant foul against Bryant in Game 5) with last second help from midseason acquisition Tim Thomas. On their home court, the Suns won Game 7 121-90, eliminating the Lakers for the first time since 1993. The Suns became only the eighth team in NBA history to win a playoff series after being behind 3-1.

In the second round, the Suns faced the Los Angeles Clippers. The series was played closely, with both teams trading games on each others' courts. The series was 2-2 and The Suns faced a huge deficit in Game 5 but fought back and won in double OT and after a Game 6 loss finally won the series in the decisive seventh game on their home court at US Airways Center, winning by a margin of 20 with an NBA record 15 3-point FG's May 22, 2006. They went on to play the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. Underdogs this time, The Suns took Game 1 in Dallas by a single point and their May 30 victory in Game 4 marked the most wins thus far for the franchise in a Conference Finals series since the 1993 season. Many credit this success (despite losing Stoudemire) to the emergence of Diaw, Bell (injured for most of this series), and Barbosa as clutch playoff performers; and an overall team depth they did not possess at all last season. The Suns fought hard in Games 5 and 6 but clearly missed the injured Raja Bell's hot shooting and defense and were finally eliminated from the series on June 3, 2006 in Game 6. In the 2006 offseason, the Suns signed Minnesota Timberwolves PG Marcus Banks to a five-year contract worth about $21 million. Also, the Suns signed G Leandro Barbosa to a five-year contract extension beginning in the 2007-08 season worth approximately $33 million. Boris Diaw was also extended to a five year deal worth approximately $45 million.

2006-07 season

The 2006-07 Phoenix Suns season started with the team trying to return to the Western Conference Finals, where they were eliminated in six games by the Dallas Mavericks in the previous season, 2005-06. After an excellent regular season in which they posted a 61-21 record, they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the opening round of the playoffs, but were defeated in the Western Conference Semifinals in six games by the San Antonio Spurs.

The Suns' marketing slogan for the 2006-07 season is Eyes on the Prize. Billboards and bus wraps show closeups of the eyes of a different Suns player, each face photographed in a strongly tinted purple color (orange on some ads), with small reflections of the NBA championship trophy reflected in the pupils.

Regular season

15-Game winning streak

On December 19th, the Suns made franchise history by winning their fifteenth straight game with a 115-98 win over the Toronto Raptors[1]; ironically, the Raptors are a franchise headed by Bryan Colangelo, former Suns president and son of Jerry Colangelo, longtime Suns owner and current Suns CEO (under new owner Robert Sarver). The younger Colangelo left the Suns' organization to accept the Raptors' president/GM position in late February 2006.

Steve Nash had 15 assists to go with 10 points, while Stoudemire scored a game-high 28 points and brought in 10 rebounds (in 28 minutes of playing time). The Suns' previous record was the 14-game win streak of the 1992-93 Suns, which made the NBA Finals but lost to the Chicago Bulls.

The streak ended on December 22nd against the Washington Wizards in overtime, by a score of 144-139, with Gilbert Arenas scoring a game high 54 points.

17-Game winning streak

On January 28th, 2007, the Suns made franchise history yet again by winning their seventeenth straight game with a 115-100 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, in a game played at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. Steve Nash contributed 23 points and 15 assists. Shawn Marion had 23 points, Amaré Stoudemire 22 and Leandro Barbosa scored 19.

The franchise's previous record of fifteen was set earlier in the season on December 19th (as noted above). The win against the Cavs also marked the 20th victory in 21 games this season to date against Eastern Conference teams.

Up to this point, the Suns' last loss was December 28 against the Dallas Mavericks. A victory at Minneapolis on Monday, January 29 against the Minnesota Timberwolves would have extended the streak to 18 games and again establish a franchise-best winning streak; however, the Suns fell to the T-Wolves by a score of 121-112. Kevin Garnett scored 44 points and had 11 rebounds for Minnesota, while Shawn Marion had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Leandro Barbosa had 17 for Phoenix in a losing cause; Raja Bell scored 26 points while Steve Nash had 20 points and 18 assists for the Suns, but he scored only three points and had just one assist in the final period as Garnett's scoring was too much for the Suns to overcome.

Better to lose that way than to lose when we beat ourselves," Nash said. "Kevin was sensational. We just didn't make shots at the end at the clip Kevin was making them.

Up to that time, the only other teams in NBA history with 17-game win streaks were the 1946-47 Washington Capitols, the 1959-60 Boston Celtics and the 1995-96 San Antonio Spurs. (The Suns' rival, the 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks would later go on their own 17-game winning streak).

This Suns' streak was the NBA's longest winning streak of the 2006-07 season to date, and the longest streak since the Lakers' 19-game streak in the 1999-2000 season. The all-time best winning streak in the NBA is 33 games, set by the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers. Steve Nash noted in an interview with the Associated Press:

People don't talk about the 33-game streak, they talk about who won the championship that year," Nash said, noting the Lakers won the league title in '71-'72. "I don't feel unbeatable. We've got a lot of improving to do.

As noted by Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, the Suns franchise has had nine double-digit win streaks in its history to date, with four of them alone under coach Mike D'Antoni since 2004-05. The Suns are the 12th franchise in NBA history to have multiple winning streaks of at least 10 games before the month of February, but they are also the only team to have two 15-game winning streaks before the All-Star break. [4] [5]

Steve Nash injury

Due to inflammation of his right shoulder (first experienced February 1), Nash did not play in the second half of a February 5 road game against the Denver Nuggets, a 113-108 Suns victory, at the insistence of Mike D'Antoni. Nash left the game with 9 points, 3 rebounds and a team-high 7 assists in the first half. It was also announced that he would miss the following night's game against the Portland Trail Blazers (guard/forward Eric Piatkowski started in his place)[6]. Both Nash and D'Antoni criticized the rest of the team for uninspired play during the first half, in a game that All-Star Allen Iverson and Marcus Camby did not participate in.

Phoenix suffered their worst loss of the season on February 14. The Suns fell to the Sonics at Key Arena, by a score of 114-90. Marcus Banks scored a season-high 21 points in a losing cause. In addition to Nash's injury, Boris Diaw missed a second straight game due to back spasms; F Kurt Thomas has been out since January 15 with a sore right elbow.

All-Star blowout: Suns do their part

Nash eventually was forced to withdraw from the 2007 NBA All-Star Game (played February 18 in Las Vegas). In the All-Star game, the Suns were represented by Amare Stoudemire (29 points) and Shawn Marion (18 points) in the 153-132 West squad victory over the East.

Stoudemire, by now seemingly fully recovered from the knee surgery, ended up scoring the most points ever by a Phoenix Suns player in an All-Star Game (29), more than the 21 points scored by Tom Chambers in 1990 and Paul Westphal in 1980.

Nash was replaced on the West All-Star squad by Seattle SuperSonics G Ray Allen; Nash was in attendance as a spectator.

Despite the setbacks, as of end of play on the 14th, the Suns enjoyed a 10-game first-place lead in the Pacific Division over the Los Angeles Lakers, and after the Suns struggled going 1-3 without Nash, he returned to action against the Los Angeles Clippers in a game played at Staples Center on February 20; Nash scored 13 points and had 12 assists in a decisive 115-90 victory. Shawn Marion scored 31 points. The following night, Nash continued his comeback with a double-double in a 118-108 home win against the Boston Celtics.

Road to the postseason

A key test for the Suns, as they began to prepare for postseason play, was a road game against their bitter conference rivals, the Dallas Mavericks, in a game played at American Airlines Center on March 14. The game was billed as a showdown of the two teams with the current best won-loss records in the NBA; one of the key factors in which team gets home-court advantage in the playoffs; and a possible preview of the Western Conference championship series.

The crowd of 20,525 was a season high for Dallas. The game was marked by controversial officiating and stellar offense by both teams (by their own standards the Suns' offense had been less than stellar, in general, in the period after the All-Star break).

Nash made a three-point play to send the game into overtime. The game went into a second overtime period tied at 120-120. During the second OT period, Amare Stoudemire took over. He scored six of the nine points the Suns scored in the OT period (13 of the Suns' 18 in both OT's) and did a good job rebounding alongside Shawn Marion. Stoudemire (41 points) and Nash combined for 73 total points in the game versus 33 points for Jerry Stackhouse (his best point total as a Dallas Maverick). Conversation thus began on a possible third MVP award for Nash (which would place him in the same company as NBA legends Bill Russell, Larry Bird and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), and a possible competition between him and his close friend, Mavericks' star forward Dirk Nowitzki for the honor (Nowitzki would go on to win the MVP award on May 11)).

The thriller ended 129-127, with the Suns edging the Mavericks to make the season series 2-1 favoring Dallas (it was the Mavs' first home loss in 24 games). The win moved the Suns to within 2 1/2 games of Dallas in the chase for the best record in the NBA. (They played again on April 1 in front of a sellout crowd and national ABC Sports audience at US Airways Center, Phoenix, to end their season series match up; the Suns won that game decisively by a score of 126-104. Barbosa led all scorers with 29 points; Stoudemire had 24 points; Nash had 23 points and 11 assists.)

Third straight Pacific Division title

In a home game played on March 20, the Suns defeated the Timberwolves 108-90 to clinch their third consecutive Pacific Division championship (and sixth overall for the franchise). Raja Bell hit six three-point shots in the winning cause, his most since January 26, and scored 22 points.

Phoenix ended its regular season on April 17 with a 103-99 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. The final regular season record is 61-21, one win fewer than the franchise best playoff teams of 1993 and 2005.

The 2007 playoffs

Opening Round vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Game 1

On Sunday, April 22, the Suns opened postseason play with a 95-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the first game of the playoffs (in a game played on the Suns' home court at US Airways Center). Leandro Barbosa scored 26 points (19 of those in the second half); Amaré Stoudemire, in his first playoff game since 2005, scored 23 points; Steve Nash scored 20 points and had 10 assists; Shawn Marion had 16 points. The Suns fell behind by halftime and the third quarter, but rallied in the fourth quarter as the Lakers' stamina gave out down the stretch. Kobe Bryant scored 39 points, but only 11 of those came in the second half.

Game 2

Game 2 was played Tuesday, April 24 at US Airways Center in Phoenix. The Suns engineered a decisive 126-98 win over the Lakers. Leandro Barbosa (who was awarded the NBA Sixth Man Award on April 23) scored 26 points and hit four three-point shots; Amaré Stoudemire scored 20 points; Shawn Marion had 18 points. Steve Nash had his third career postseason double-double with 16 points and 14 assists. Kobe Bryant was held to only 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting (and only scored two points in the entire second half). The Suns went on a 27-9 scoring run to take a 55-34 lead with 4:50 to go in the first half, and that seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game. The Suns shot 54.3 percent (50-of-92) from the field. All of the Suns players who played during the game scored at least once, including fan favorite Pat Burke and Eric Piatkowski, both of whom rarely see playing time during games.

The Suns had their first 2-0 lead in an NBA playoff series since sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the 2005 playoffs.

Game 3

The Los Angeles Lakers rallied to beat the Phoenix Suns by a score of 95-89 in front of their initially displeased home fans at Staples Center, getting the series a little closer by a margin of 2-1. The Suns scored the first 11 points unanswered, and built a 17-point lead in the first quarter, leading to boos from the Laker fans, but the Suns' offense did not hold up (Stoudemire and Raja Bell were hampered by foul trouble down the stretch). The Suns lethargic play was no match for the Lakers' desperate aggressiveness, especially from big men Kwame Brown and Lamar Odom. Bryant tallied 45 points. Brown scored 18 points. Amaré Stoudemire led the Suns with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Steve Nash scored 10 points and had 11 assists, while Leandro Barbosa had 20 points off the bench.

Game 4

The Phoenix Suns responded to their opponents with aggressiveness and energy of game 3, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers on their home turf by a score of 113-100. Point guard Steve Nash recorded a Suns post-season record 23 assists, falling one assist short of tying Magic Johnson and John Stockton for the NBA post-season record of 24.

Game 5

The Suns achieve a 4-1 series victory at home (by a score of 119-110), despite late fourth period back-to-back three-pointers by Bryant that brought the Lakers close enough to turn the tables. Nash had 17 points and 10 assists; Stoudemire had 27 points and 16 rebounds; Marion added 26 points and 10 rebounds. It was the 10th win by the Suns in the past 11 games against the Lakers.

Second Round vs. San Antonio Spurs

Game 1 was played on May 6 at the US Airways Center in downtown Phoenix. The Spurs won 111-106. Late in the 4th quarter, Steve Nash bumped heads with Tony Parker, who had possession of the ball. Nash sustained a deep cut on his nose that bled profusely for the remainder of the game. His nose was bandaged and tended to by the team trainer, but Nash was in and out of the game as the wound continued to bleed through the bandages. It was the first time this postseason that Nash did not record a double-double. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker led the Spurs with 32 and 33 points, respectively. Nash led the Suns with 31 points, while Amare Stoudemire scored 20 and pulled down 18 boards.

Game 2 was played May 8 at the US Airways Center in downtown Phoenix. The Suns blew out the Spurs 101-81 to even series at one game apiece. Mike D'Antoni's decision for Kurt Thomas to guard Tim Duncan helped Amare Stoudemire to focus on offense, scoring 21 of his 27 points in the second half. Tim Duncan scored 29 points while Tony Parker and Bruce Bowen both had 13 points each.

Game 3 was played on May 12 in San Antonio. The Spurs beat the Suns 108-101 as Tim Duncan rallied 33 points and 19 boards. Manu Ginobili got a bloodied and bruised eye when he collided with Marion. The Spurs led series 2-1.

Game 4 was played on May 14 in San Antonio. The Suns trailed by as much as 11 points throughout the 3rd quarter. Finally, the Suns took a lead near the end of the 4th quarter when Steve Nash fed Stoudemire back to back inside to make the game 100-97. Then, with his shoulder, Robert Horry knocked Nash down to the scorer's table midcourt. Raja Bell tried to come to Nash's aid, and was stopped by his teammates and referees. Horry was given a flagrant foul and was ejected. Bell also was given a technical foul to make the game 101-98. The Suns won 104-98, evening the series at 2-2. Nash finished the game with 24 points and 15 assists.

On May 15, the NBA announced that Horry would be suspended two games for flagrantly fouling Nash and striking Bell's shoulder. Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw have also been suspended one game each for leaving their bench during an altercation in violation of league rules. [7] [8] Coach D'Antoni was not happy with Stoudemire and Diaw's suspension, as they are critically important members of the Suns' squad:

We have the most powerful microscopes and telescopes in the world in Arizona, (and) you could use those instruments and not find a shred of fairness or common sense in that decision," D'Antoni said after the Suns' morning shooting session (May 16). "That's kind of how it feels. It really benefits no one. It doesn't benefit us, obviously. It doesn't benefit the Spurs. It doesn't benefit the fans. It doesn't benefit the NBA.

Game 5 was played May 16 at the US Airways Center in downtown Phoenix. After leading by as many as 16 points in the second quarter and ahead 79-71 with 5:18 to play, the Suns lost the game by a score of 88-85. Bruce Bowen hit a three-point shot with 36.4 seconds to go. The Suns, without Stoudemire and Diaw because of the aforementioned one-game suspension, were led by Shawn Marion, who scored 24 points and 17 rebounds, but only four of those points were scored in the second half. Kurt Thomas, playing in place of Stoudemire, had 15 points and 12 rebounds. Steve Nash finished with 19 points and 12 assists. Manu Ginobili scored 15 of his 26 points in the final quarter to lead the Spurs to the late rally as the Suns ran out of energy down the stretch.

Game 6 was played May 18 in San Antonio, Texas. With 2 fresh players coming back, in Boris Diaw and Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix was very anxious about this game. Phoenix started the game off going shot for shot with the Spurs. after trailing at halftime 53-51, Phoenix believed that they were going to force a game 7 back in Phoeinx, but a big 3rd quarter by San Antonio put the Spurs up by as many as 20. In the 4th quarter, the Suns almost rallied back by starting to hit big shots. But in the end, it was not enough as San Antonio ousted the second best team in the NBA with a 61-21 record.

Getting ready for next year: 2007 offseason

The Suns exit the 2007 playoffs disappointed but optimistic for their chances for the 2007-08 season. The big question mark going into this season, the health of Stoudemire, was resoundingly answered as Amaré returned to his pre-surgery form in excellent fashion; he ironically became the only Suns player to appear in all 82 regular-season games. In the postseason, Stoudemire averaged 25.3 points and 12.1 rebounds - both team highs.

F Shawn Marion is set to earn $36 million over the next two seasons, putting the Suns over the salary cap next season and fueling speculations that he, one of the key Suns, may be traded during the offseason.

PG Steve Nash will turn 34 years of age next year and there are concerns that health issues may catch up with him and limit his tremedous impact on the team and on the league. In regards to that topic, fans on some blogs want the team to trade up from the 24th and 29th picks in the 2007 NBA Draft to potentially get a young point guard to be Nash's backup and possibly a future replacement, which could end up being Acie Law IV from Texas A & M.

Few changes in the core of the team - Leandro Barbosa, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, Stoudemire, Marion and Nash - are expected, but some changes may be made in the supporting cast around them, some of whom (Marcus Banks, Jumaine Jones, Pat Burke, Jalen Rose) either performed below expectations or were underutilized under D'Antoni's system. PF/C Kurt Thomas' performance against Tim Duncan would potentially make him most likely to remain with the Suns in 2007-08. Fans on some blogs are calling for the Suns to make a trade for that one impact player (Kobe Bryant one notable name being mentioned) who will get them over the top, similar to the 1992 trade that brought Charles Barkley to the team and brought the Suns within one three-point shot from the 1993 NBA title. Former TNT Analyst and three-point specialist, Steve Kerr, has recently been appointed General Manager and President of Basketball Operations.

Franchise information

Logos

For the 2000-01 season, the Phoenix Suns introduced three new logos. Two of these were merely updates to existing logos, modernizing the themes and adding the gray color. The logo pictured here incorporates the mythical phoenix bird into the existing Suns' theme. It illustrates the team's hometown by picturing the bird it was named after rising out a ball with an abbreviation for Phoenix (which is also the IATA code for the city's airport). Of the team's three logos, this is the one that adorns the hardwood at center court. There is a media dispute over the usage of the logo, as many TV networks use the new one (left), but many video games and websites still use a secondary logo that had been the team's main logo of the 1990s.

Uniforms

Since the 2000-2001 season, the Suns have used the same home and road uniforms. In 2003-2004, an alternate uniform was introduced that is used at a minimum, five games a year. This orange uniform is used both at home and on the road. For the 2006-2007 season the Suns removed the uniform number from the side of the shorts, replacing it with the same sun logo that is found on the other side.

Suns mascots

The Suns Gorilla

For the first eleven seasons of their existence in the NBA, the Suns had no official mascot. An early attempt was made involving a sunflower costume, but it never caught on. In the winter of 1980, a singing telegram from Eastern Onion was sent to the arena in a gorilla costume. Security saw him and suggested to him to stay for a while to entertain the fans during the breaks. He kept coming to games until officially invited to be the Suns' mascot.

Since then, the gorilla, named Go, has been known for his slapstick humor during the games and the fantastic dunks that are performed before each 4th quarter. The gorilla was honored in 2005 when he was selected to be one of three inaugural members of the Mascots Hall of Fame.

Hairy and Hairyson

In 2002, an inflatable gorilla named Hairy was introduced as a new Suns mascot. Standing at 9'1", Hairy entertains the crowd during breaks by dancing with Hairyson who was introduced in 2004 and stands at about half the size.

Suns broadcasters and broadcasts

The first play by play announcer for the Suns was Bob Vache of KTAR radio, who died in an automobile accident midway through the 1969-70 season. Vache was replaced by the Suns' color commentator, Rodney "Hot Rod" Hundley, who would later go on to be the longtime voice of the Utah Jazz.

Legendary broadcaster Al McCoy has covered the team ever since (the 1971-72 season). McCoy, who in 2006-07, will broadcast Suns games on radio for the 37th consecutive season on KTAR Phoenix, which has carried Suns games for 38 seasons, as of 2006-07. McCoy's unique, folksy style of calling the games, including his signature catchphrases such as "Shazam!" for a three-point shot, endeared him to thousands of Suns fans across Arizona, the Southwest, and nationwide. McCoy was honored in March of 2007 by the Suns, who named their soon-to-be renovated media center at US Airways Center in his honor. McCoy was partnered for many years with legendary coach Cotton Fitzsimmons. In recent years, former NBA players Vinny Del Negro and Tim Kempton served as color commentators on the radio side, with Del Negro working most regular-season home games and all of the playoffs with McCoy (Del Negro subsequently accepted a position in the Suns' front office).

Until 2003-2004, Al McCoy's radio broadcast was simulcast on most television broadcasts. Former NBA on CBS broadcaster Gary Bender has handled the cable Fox Sports Net (FSN-Arizona) telecasts since the early 1990s that were not simulcast. Beginning with the 2003-04 season, Tom Leander assumed the reins on over-the-air TV; the games air on MyNetworkTV affiliate KUTP. Former Suns star Dan Majerle, a member of the team's Ring-of-Honor has served as a commentator on television broadcasts since 2004. He splits the color commentator duties with former Suns star Eddie Johnson.

The FSN Arizona broadcasts have been different from those of NBA teams on other affiliate networks, because the time-and-score graphic does not include an embedded shot clock. Instead, it has only been shown when the clock reaches eight seconds or less, is shown in large print, and is sponsored. Among the sponsors of the clock's appearances have been Henkel and the Arizona Department of Health Services (under the slogan "Inhale Life"). However, for the 2006-07 season, an embedded clock was added to the KUTP telecasts. On January 19, 2007, an embedded clock was part of the graphic during the FSN Arizona telecast of the team's victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, but the sponsored shot clock was still also on-screen when the time was expiring. It is unknown if the embedded clock was only a one-night change or will be a permanent feature of Suns broadcasts.

Trivia

Players of note

Basketball Hall of Famers

Retired numbers/Suns Ring of Honor

Franchise career statistical leaders