1993 NBA Finals: What happened when the Phoenix Suns last made it to the ultimate stage of the league?
The Phoenix Suns are back on the biggest stage almost 30 years since their improbable run to the 1993 NBA Finals.
Chris Paul and company revived the Phoenix Suns’ hopes of winning the first championship in franchise history after they eliminated the LA Clippers on Wednesday with a 130-103 win at Staples Center. They are now four wins away from winning the elusive championship after failing to make the playoffs for a decade.
Their victory on Wednesday reminded fans of the 1993 NBA Finals that pitted the Phoenix Suns against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
The Phoenix Suns' big offseason acquisition of 1992
During the 1992 offseason, the Phoenix Suns acquired All-Star forward Charles Barkley from the Philadelphia 76ers, and he quickly transformed the team into a championship-caliber squad. By the end of the regular season, they owned the best record in the league (62-20) and had home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Barkley won MVP honors after averaging 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. However, he would save his best performance for last. After dismissing their first three opponents in the playoffs, the Phoenix Suns were ready to rock and roll in the 1993 NBA Finals.
Phoenix Suns lose first two games of the 1993 NBA Finals
Despite playing the first two games of the 1993 NBA Finals at home, the inexperienced Phoenix Suns lost both of them.
Barkley had 21 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in his first Finals appearance, and rookie forward Richard Dumas added 20 points for the Phoenix Suns in their 100-92 loss in Game 1.
In Game 2, Barkley battled Jordan to a standstill as both players put up similar 40-point games. Unfortunately, Sir Charles’ 42 points and 13 rebounds weren’t enough to give them the victory against the Bulls, who won Game 2, 111-108.
Jordan nearly had a triple-double with 42 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists as he powered his team to a 2-0 lead in the 1993 NBA Finals. They headed back to Chicago with a chance to put a stranglehold on the series if they win Game 3.
Phoenix Suns win a classic Game 3
This was the best game of the 1993 NBA Finals, and it showed that the Phoenix Suns belonged on the world’s biggest stage.
The Phoenix Suns outlasted the Chicago Bulls 129-121 in three overtime periods, marked by fatigue with some sloppy plays from both teams down the stretch. After scoring nearly 30 points in each of the first three periods, the Suns and Bulls had 17 and 18 points, respectively, in the fourth quarter.
The first two overtime periods weren’t pretty either, as they each scored just four and seven points.
It wasn’t until the third overtime that the Phoenix Suns pulled away from the Bulls with a 15-point outburst. The pivotal play came when Barkley stole a pass under the Bulls' basket and scored on a layup with 1:43 remaining.
The Round Mound of Rebound had a monster game with 24 points and 19 rebounds while enduring an injured elbow. Dan Majerle and Kevin Johnson led the Phoenix Suns in scoring with 28 and 25 points, respectively, proving that the team was championship material.
More importantly, they survived Jordan’s 44-point explosion and avoided going down 0-3 in the 1993 NBA Finals.
Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns exchange wins
Game 4 was all about His Airness, who scored 55 points in his best game of the 1993 NBA Finals, carrying the Chicago Bulls to a 111-105 victory.
Down 3-1 and playing on the road for Game 5, the Phoenix Suns showed resilience and resolve that oozed out of their fearless leader. Barkley had 24 points and nine boards while still nursing an injury.
Johnson had another stellar performance with 25 points and eight assists, while Dumas scored 25 as well. They won 108-98 despite another otherworldly performance in the 1993 NBA Finals from Jordan, who had 41 points for the Chicago Bulls.
Phoenix Suns bow out of 1993 NBA Finals in Game 6
This series could have gone to a Game 7 had it not been for John Paxson. In the dying moments of Game 6, with the Phoenix Suns up 98-96, the Chicago Bulls’ unheralded shooter received a pass from Horace Grant and drained a wide-open three-point shot to give them a one-point lead with 3.9 seconds to play.
On the ensuing play, Grant blocked Johnson’s shot in the lane that ended the Phoenix Suns’ hopes of winning the 1993 NBA Finals.
Though Barkley, who had 21 points and 17 rebounds in Game 6, and his crew failed to capture the Larry O’Brien Trophy during the 1993 NBA Finals, it was a remarkable season that Phoenix Suns fans won’t forget, even if the 2021 Suns win the title this year.
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Rachel Syiemlieh