Has The Phoenix Suns Ever Won An NBA Championship?
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The Suns have never won an NBA championship, but they have come close. In the 1993-94 season, they lost to the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals.
The Early Years
The Phoenix Suns were founded in 1968 and have not won an NBA Championship. They have, however, made the Conference Finals three times. They made it to the Conference Finals in 1976, 1993, and 1995.
The First Decade
The Phoenix Suns began play as an expansion team in 1968. The Suns were one of several franchises that joined the NBA that year, and were allotted to the Western Division. The Suns are the only team in their division that has never won an NBA championship. In fact, they did not make the playoffs until their fourth season, when they lost in the Western Conference Finals to eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks.
The Second Decade
In the 1981-82 season, the Suns finished 46-36 and earned their first playoff berth in ten years. They were defeated by the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals.
The 1982-83 season brought more success to the Suns. They won a franchise record 55 games, and flagship radio station KAZG (950 AM) began broadcasting Suns games. The Suns made it to the playoffs again, but were defeated by the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
The next few years were marked by mediocrity and missing the playoffs. In 1984, Alvan Adams retired due to injuries suffered during a run-in with Phoenix police. In 1987, veteran forward Larry Nance was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Kevin Johnson, Mark West, and Tyrone Corbin. The Suns made one more trip to the playoffs in 1988, but were quickly dispatched by the San Antonio Spurs.
The Championship Years
The Suns have never won an NBA championship in their 54-year history. They have made the playoffs 29 times and the conference finals 10 times, but they have never won it all. The Suns have had some great teams over the years, led by superstars like Charles Barkley, Steve Nash, and Amar’e Stoudemire. Maybe one day they’ll finally win that elusive championship.
The First Championship
The first championship that the Phoenix Suns won was in the year 1976. This was their very first season in the NBA. The team had a great start to their season and they managed to keep up their winning streak throughout the entire season. They won a total of 58 games and lost only 14, which is an amazing record. In the playoffs, they managed to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round and then they went on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. In the NBA Finals, they faced off against the Eastern Conference champions, the Boston Celtics. The Suns managed to win this series in six games, becoming the first team ever to win an NBA championship in their very first season.
The Second Championship
In the 1993-1994 season, the Suns had the best record in the Western Conference and were again led by Barkley, who was voted the regular season MVP. They made it to the Western Conference Finals where they lost to the eventual NBA champion Houston Rockets in seven games.
The Post-Championship Years
It has been over a decade since the Phoenix Suns won their last NBA Championship. In the years since, the Suns have gone through many changes. They have had several different head coaches and seen many players come and go. The team has had some success, but has not been able to get back to the NBA Finals.
The First Post-Championship Year
In the 1993-94 season, the Suns began to rebuild. They traded Charles Barkley to the Houston Rockets for Sam Cassell, Robert Horry, Mark Bryant, and Chucky Brown. The Suns also signed free agent Danny Ainge. The Suns finished the season with a 58–24 record, winning their fifth Pacific Division title in six years. They were seeded second in the Western Conference behind the San Antonio Spurs. In the first round of the playoffs, they defeated the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in five games. In the second round, they lost to the eventual champion Houston Rockets in seven games.
The Second Post-Championship Year
In the second post-championship year, the Suns posted a disappointing 41–41 record, missing the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. The low point of the season came when they were blown out by the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves, 102–84. After the All-Star break, they rallied to finish with a 20–6 run to get back into playoff contention, but they ultimately fell short.
