Will this finally be the season for the Phoenix Suns? This seems to be the talk of the town these days in Phoenix and elsewhere. Will this be the season the Suns overcome their odds and become NBA champions? The Suns have appeared in two NBA championships in their 38-year-old franchise and have been beaten both times. The first appearance was in 1976 against the Boston Celtics and the last was in 1993 against the Chicago Bulls. They also hold the record for the longest consecutive seasons without winning a championship, which is 38 years. Has any NBA franchise faced the setbacks and disappointments that this team has been through in its entire existence?
It all started in 1969, which was its first season, and the year I was born. The coin toss was between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns for the number one overall draft pick and the rights to Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul Jabbar). Milwaukee won the toss and the rights to one of the greatest NBA players to ever walk the court. The Phoenix Suns selected Neal Walk as the number two pick. Neal who??? The start of the team’s fate had begun.
Various other setbacks happened for this franchise. There was a major drug scandal in 1987 that led to a team roster shakeup and negative publicity throughout the NBA world. There was the 1993 NBA championship that had Charles Barkley and the Suns so close to sending Michael Jordan and the Bulls to a seventh game. It was John Paxson’s 3-point shot off a Jordan steal that ended the Suns’ season. The next two seasons were even more disappointing when the heavily favored Suns nearly wiped out the Houston Rockets each season only to produce one of the worst choke jobs of all time two years in a row. In 1994, the Suns were up 2-0 with road wins against the Rockets. They end up losing the series despite having home court advantage. In 1995, the Suns were winning 3 games to 1 game with home-field advantage and lost three straight to allow the Rockets to advance to the NBA Finals.
Charles Barkley’s days were numbered in Phoenix and he was traded. The team had to rebuild and start all over again. One of the few bright spots was the selection of two very talented young players from the drafts. The first pick was UNLV’s Shawn Marion who was drafted in 1999 and the other was Amare Stoudemire who was drafted in 2002. Finally, in the summer of 2004, the Suns selected Steve Nash from the Dallas Mavericks. Nash was a proven point guard who had a reputation as a great playmaker. He also had a great sense of the fast-break game that new Suns coach Mike D Antoni had been preaching since his days in Italy. They turned everything around that season and became one of the most improved NBA teams of all time. They improved their season record from 29-53 to 62-20. Steve Nash was voted the NBA’s Most Valuable Player and excelled in this high-octane offense. However, despite having the best record in the NBA, they were defeated by the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
The Suns felt they needed to improve their defense and rebounding to compete with the Spurs and Mavericks. They acquired Kurt Thomas and Raja Bell, who were known as two strong defensive players. Another big misfortune happened that offseason. Amare Stoudemire, who was now considered the most dominant big man in the game, suffered an injury that would sideline him for the entire 2006 season. The Suns, who were heavy favorites to win the NBA championship in 2006, are now forecast to be just a possible playoff contender. Despite Stoudemire’s absence, the Suns still managed to earn 54 wins the following season. They even made it to the Western Conference Finals once again only to lose to the Dallas Mavericks. Steve Nash won his second straight MVP award.
In the offseason, the Suns were not going to make any personnel changes and were hopeful that Amare would return from microfracture surgery to his former form. While struggling early in the season, he made giant leaps and drastically improved his game. He would eventually be selected for his second All-Star game. The Suns would finish the regular season with 61 wins and their third straight division title.
That brings us to where we are today, which is the 2007 playoffs. The Suns have shined again in the regular season and will now try to reach the NBA Finals for the third time. The expectations of this team are through the roof. According to many Suns fans and players, achieving anything less than an NBA championship would mean the season would be considered a failure. It could even lead to a major rebuild this offseason. The reason for these high expectations is that this is arguably the best Suns team ever assembled, plus the fact that all the players are healthy.
The entire philosophy of the Suns’ system is led by brilliant point guard Steve Nash. The difference between this Suns team and the Suns teams of the past two seasons is that they have added more defense and rebounding. These were two key variables missing from the equation that prevented this team from advancing to the NBA Finals. This season the team is completely healthy and ready to push. It won’t be an easy road to the finals as they will face the San Antonio Spurs in the second round. The Spurs are the only team in the NBA that knows how to slow down the Suns’ offense. Only time can tell if the Phoenix Suns have what it takes to be NBA champions this season, but the chances are better than ever.
