Phoenix Suns Brent Nebeker The Suns fulfilled Westphal’s prediction, beating the Lakers in L.A. twice before clinching the series at home with a hard- fought overtime win. Phoenix’s momentum helped them dispatch the San Antonio Spurs in six games and outlast the Seattle SuperSonics during a seven-game battle in the Western Conference Finals. A bigger fight awaited the Suns in the NBA Finals. Bulls on parade All eyes were on the Valley for Game 1 of the NBA Finals in 1993. The national spotlight might’ve been too bright for the Suns, though. Chicago ran up an early lead and never lost it, dominating Phoenix and snuffing out several comeback attempts. Barkley (on “All the Smoke”): [The NBA Finals are] different than the regular season, different than the playoffs. Every mother- fucker in the world is there. It’s a big deal … So [in] Game 1, I was like, “I need to get these guys started so they can get their confi- dence.” Everybody’s a little nervous. I’m not nervous, but these other guys never been in high-pressure situations like that. So I was a little passive. They beat us. McCoy: That’s the playoffs. If you’re not ready, if you’re back on your heels a bit, you get taken down. And, of course, the mark of a good team is the ability to come back. And [Phoenix] had the ability. It’d been that way the entire year. Shappell: In the first two games, I think the Suns’ eyeballs were the size of softballs. It was their first trip to the rodeo, and even though they’d had the best record in the NBA, and even though they had walked this ledge, falling behind in games and always finding ways to escape, now they’re in the finals playing Jordan and the Bulls, who’ve won two titles in a row. Chambers: Were the lights too bright? I don’t believe so. It was just like the other series: We got down, we tried coming back. We felt like the superior team. I don’t think the effort initially was as good as it needed to be — not to mention we’re playing against Michael Jordan. I mean, he takes it to another level in those situations. He’d been there before. Shappell: There were competing styles in the series. The Suns were run ‘n’ gun and exciting. The Bulls were more physical and slow, and the biggest thing is they had Michael Jordan. I think [the Suns] were overwhelmed, to be honest. Barkley (on “All the Smoke”): In Game 2, I said, “Fuck this shit. I’m going for it. Whatever it takes.” I come out. I’m so aggressive, but Michael knows I’m fucking aggressive. I can see he’s talking to Horace [Grant] and Scottie [Pippen]. He’s like, “Y’all got to slow that motherfucker down.” [When] they doubled me, I couldn’t see shit. But I still finished with [42 points]. But Michael fucking had like 55. That mother- fucker would not let me win that game. Jordan also caused Dan Majerle grief, showing up the Suns shooting guard who was defending him in the first two games. In an episode of the 2020 Netflix docuseries, “The Last Dance,” Jordan admitted he did so because of his dislike for Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Krause, a fan of Majerle’s. Shappell: Michael was incensed people were talking Dan Majerle up as this great defensive player who could check Jordan. And he had a lot of pride, saying, “Nobody can check me.” And he was right. He wanted to make a point, and he did. Chambers: I think every game was personal [for Jordan] because he wanted to win. He’s just the greatest competitor we’ve seen in basketball. Was he more athletic than Dan? Yes. Was he faster than Dan? Yes. But Dan was also a great defensive player. He just wasn’t Jordan. Shappell: [Game 2] was also pretty rough for Kevin Johnson. It was maybe one of the worst games he’d played all year. I remember Paul subbing Frank Johnson and there was cheering. When Kevin was coming off the floor, the fans were all over him. A lot of the news media was also all over him. Phoenix kept things closer in Game 2, but fell to the Bulls, 111-108. The Suns once again found themselves down 0-2 after losing the first two games at home. It wouldn’t be the last time history repeated itself in the series. Déjà vu all over again When the series shifted to the now-demolished Chicago Stadium for the next three games, sports pundits predicted the Bulls were on the cusp of a three-peat. Undaunted, Phoenix was ready to prove the naysayers wrong. Mark West, former Suns center: We were down 0-2, we lost in our building, and we needed a win, whatever it took. Shappell: On the plane to Chicago, Westphal decided they were changing up the defense. So he put KJ on Michael, Majerle on Pippin, Dumas took BJ Armstrong and Mark West took Horace Grant. And it worked because Kevin was quicker and more athletic than Majerle was in guarding Michael. Game 3 saw the Suns beat the Bulls, 129-121, in a triple-overtime nail-biter. In a quirk of history, Phoenix’s previous appearance in the NBA Finals in 1976 also involved a triple-over- time game, albeit against the Boston Celtics. McCoy: It’s the only time in the history of the league there has been the same team in two triple-overtime games. Chuck Swirsky, current Chicago Bulls radio announcer: It was a fantastic game [unless] you were a Bulls fan. Montilla: I remember Barkley absolutely taking over, nailing three after three. And Kevin Johnson was huge in that game. Novak: I remember KJ played every single minute of that and was unbelievable. Shappell: I think the Suns just wore Chicago out in that game. Chicago bounced back, winning Game 4 behind a 55-point performance by Jordan. Down 3-1 with their backs against the wall, Phoenix pulled all the stops for Game 5. Meanwhile, Barkley found extra motivation to win. Shappell: There’d been a riot the year before in Chicago after the Bulls won their second title. It was nasty. People got killed and there was massive violence and property damage. So they started prepping the city before Game 5. Barkley (on “All that Smoke”): These moth- erfuckers on TV [were] boarding up the city, telling people to calm down when they win the championship. [When] we got to the gym, I said, “Hey man, ain’t no fucking way we losing this bitch tonight.” Shappell: Everybody was sure that Chicago was winning that game and wrap- ping up [the series]. But the Suns rose to the occasion, beat the Bulls, and were pretty funny afterward. Novak: I remember Barkley on TV after the game saying they had to win to save [Chicago] from burning itself to the ground. Shot heard ’round the Valley Phoenix flew home feeling they had momentum on their side. Thousands greeted them at Sky Harbor International Airport. Super Snake: I had a great relationship with a lot of Suns [players]. They’d call me up when they were flying back from big games and we’d put it out on the radio when they were coming home and get 10,000 at the airport. Buoyed by the support, the Suns took it to the Bulls in Game 6, going up by 10 points in the fourth quarter. Shappell: Chicago started chipping away and chipping away. Even then, the Suns had a four-point lead and possession with a minute left. Frank Johnson was on the floor instead of [KJ], but they couldn’t get the ball to Barkley, which is the real irony. They got him specifically to execute half-court plays in tight playoff games. Jordan cut things to two points with 40 seconds left. Two plays later, Grant found a wide-open John Paxson, who sunk a dagger three-pointer to give Chicago a one-point lead, the game and the three-peat. Dumas: I thought, “How did we leave him open?” McCoy: Danny Ainge, to this day, says he still wakes up at 3 o’clock in the morning asking himself, why wasn’t he guarding Paxson? Robert Rehak, longtime Suns fan: No one is allowed to say the name Danny Ainge in our house ever again. Suns fans were devastated. Novak: My mom took me to McDonald’s afterward [and] the place was full of 8-year- old boys and we’re all in the ballpit crying. Neil Hounchell, longtime Suns fan: I’m still not over it. Less than a week later, the city staged a parade for the team in downtown Phoenix. Novak: We lost and still had a parade anyway. It was 110 degrees out and like 300,000 were there. It was insane. People were also saying, “It’s okay, we’re totally winning it [the following] year.” Montilla: With the Suns, it’s always been, “We’re gonna get ‘em next year.” like we’re always just a few missing pieces away from a title. Novak: It’ll happen eventually. When it does, all the suffering will make it all the sweeter. Note: Some quotes have been condensed for brevity and clarity. Favorite Suns from p 14 One of several city of Phoenix buses painted with a portrait of Suns players during the 1992/93 season. Legendary Phoenix announcer Al McCoy interviews Charles Barkley (center) with the late Cotton Fitzsimmons (right).
