1982–83 Phoenix Suns season
NBA team season
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The 1982–83 Phoenix Suns season was the 15th season for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. The Suns were in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, extending a then-franchise record. The Suns were eliminated in the first round two games to one by the Denver Nuggets, a team they had beaten by the same margin a year earlier. The Suns were led by head coach John MacLeod and played all home games in Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
OwnersKarl Eller, Don Pitt, Don Diamond, Bhavik Darji, Marvin Meyer, Richard L. Bloch
| 1982–83 Phoenix Suns season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | John MacLeod |
| General manager | Jerry Colangelo |
| Owners | Karl Eller, Don Pitt, Don Diamond, Bhavik Darji, Marvin Meyer, Richard L. Bloch |
| Arena | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 53–29 (.646) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Pacific) Conference: 3rd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | First round (lost to Nuggets 1–2) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | KNXV |
| Radio | KTAR |
Walter Davis led the Suns in scoring with 19 points per game. Second-year player Larry Nance, who finished the season fourth in the NBA in blocks per game, was second in team scoring at 16.7, while fellow big man Maurice Lucas averaged a double-double with 16.5 points and 10.4 rebounds a contest. Lucas, a 30-year-old veteran who had played for four NBA teams and one ABA team before reaching the Suns, returned to his first All-Star Game after two seasons when he suited up with Phoenix. Point guard Dennis Johnson earned another spot on the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
Offseason
NBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | David Thirdkill | Forward |  United States |
Bradley |
| 2 | 39 | Kevin Magee | Forward | United States |
UC Irvine |
| 3 | 61 | Charles Pittman | Forward | United States |
Maryland |
| 4 | 86 | Rory White | Forward | United States |
South Alabama |
| 5 | 108 | Marvin McCrary | Guard | United States |
Missouri |
| 6 | 130 | Jake Bethany | Center | United States |
Hardin–Simmons |
| 7 | 155 | Phil Ward | Guard | United States |
North Carolina Charlotte |
| 8 | 177 | Rick Elrod | Guard | United States |
Georgetown (KY) |
| 9 | 199 | Ken Lyles | Forward | United States |
Washington |
| 10 | 221 | Dale Wilkinson | Center | United States |
Idaho State |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
|
Regular season
Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Los Angeles Lakers | 58 | 24 | .707 | – | 33–8 | 25–16 | 21–9 |
| x-Phoenix Suns | 53 | 29 | .646 | 5 | 32–9 | 21–20 | 21–9 |
| x-Seattle SuperSonics | 48 | 34 | .585 | 10 | 29–12 | 19–22 | 14–16 |
| x-Portland Trail Blazers | 46 | 36 | .561 | 12 | 31–10 | 15–26 | 16–14 |
| Golden State Warriors | 30 | 52 | .366 | 28 | 21–20 | 9–32 | 11–19 |
| San Diego Clippers | 25 | 57 | .305 | 33 | 18–23 | 7–34 | 7–23 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-Los Angeles Lakers | 58 | 24 | .707 | – |
| 2 | y-San Antonio Spurs | 53 | 29 | .646 | 5 |
| 3 | x-Phoenix Suns | 53 | 29 | .646 | 5 |
| 4 | x-Seattle SuperSonics | 48 | 34 | .585 | 10 |
| 5 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 46 | 36 | .561 | 12 |
| 6 | x-Denver Nuggets | 45 | 37 | .549 | 13 |
| 7 | Kansas City Kings | 45 | 37 | .549 | 13 |
| 8 | Dallas Mavericks | 38 | 44 | .463 | 20 |
| 9 | Utah Jazz | 30 | 52 | .366 | 28 |
| 9 | Golden State Warriors | 30 | 52 | .366 | 28 |
| 11 | San Diego Clippers | 25 | 57 | .305 | 33 |
| 12 | Houston Rockets | 14 | 68 | .171 | 44 |
Playoffs
Game log
| 1983 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Round: 1–2 (home: 1–1; road: 0–1)
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| 1983 schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Awards and honors
All-Star
- Maurice Lucas was voted as a starter for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. Lucas finished first in voting among Western Conference forwards with 431,288 votes. It was his fifth All-Star selection.
- The other Suns player receiving All-Star votes was Dennis Johnson (306,470).
Season
- Dennis Johnson was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
- Maurice Lucas finished 14th in MVP voting.
Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alvan Adams | 80 | 75 | 30.6 | .486 | .333 | .829 | 6.9 | 4.7 | 1.4 | .9 | 14.2 |
| Jeff Cook* | 45 | 2 | 12.2 | .430 | .000 | .759 | 2.9 | 1.3 | .3 | .3 | 3.6 |
| Walter Davis | 80 | 79 | 31.1 | .516 | .304 | .818 | 2.5 | 5.0 | 1.5 | .2 | 19.0 |
| James Edwards* | 16 | 1 | 17.8 | .487 | . | .660 | 3.7 | 1.7 | .3 | .3 | 8.8 |
| Johnny High | 82 | 2 | 14.1 | .461 | .200 | .463 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .4 | 3.2 |
| Dennis Johnson | 77 | 74 | 33.1 | .462 | .161 | .791 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 1.3 | .5 | 14.2 |
| Joel Kramer | 54 | 4 | 8.5 | .423 | .000 | .875^ | 1.6 | 0.7 | .3 | .1 | 1.9 |
| Maurice Lucas | 77 | 71 | 33.6 | .474 | .333 | .781 | 10.4 | 2.8 | .7 | .6 | 16.5 |
| Kyle Macy | 82 | 9 | 22.4 | .517 | .303 | .872^ | 2.0 | 3.4 | .8 | .1 | 9.9 |
| Larry Nance | 82 | 82 | 35.5 | .550 | .333 | .672 | 8.7 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 16.7 |
| Charles Pittman | 28 | 0 | 6.1 | .475 | .000 | .676 | 1.1 | 0.3 | .1 | .3 | 2.3 |
| Alvin Scott | 81 | 9 | 14.1 | .479 | .000 | .736 | 2.8 | 1.2 | .6 | .4 | 4.1 |
| David Thirdkill | 49 | 2 | 10.6 | .435 | .143 | .577 | 1.5 | 0.7 | .4 | .1 | 4.0 |
| Rory White | 65 | 0 | 9.6 | .543 | .000 | .642 | 1.6 | 0.5 | .2 | .0 | 5.0 |
* – Stats with the Suns.
^ – Minimum 125 free throws made.
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alvan Adams | 3 | 3 | 28.0 | .469 | . | .714 | 6.0 | 4.7 | .7 | 1.7 | 11.7 |
| Walter Davis | 3 | 3 | 37.7 | .435 | .500 | .810 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 26.0 |
| James Edwards | 3 | 0 | 18.0 | .423 | . | 1.000 | 6.0 | 1.3 | .3 | .3 | 9.3 |
| Johnny High | 3 | 0 | 15.0 | .455 | .000 | .000 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .3 | 3.3 |
| Dennis Johnson | 3 | 3 | 36.0 | .458 | .000 | .833 | 7.7 | 5.7 | 1.7 | .7 | 18.0 |
| Joel Kramer | 2 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | . | . | 0.0 | 0.0 | .0 | .0 | 0.0 |
| Maurice Lucas | 2 | 2 | 28.5 | .571 | . | .500 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 1.5 | .0 | 13.0 |
| Kyle Macy | 3 | 0 | 24.0 | .429 | .000 | .714 | 2.7 | 3.0 | .3 | .0 | 11.7 |
| Larry Nance | 3 | 3 | 34.3 | .400 | . | .800 | 8.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 12.0 |
| Charles Pittman | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | . | . | . | 0.0 | 0.0 | .0 | .0 | 0.0 |
| Alvin Scott | 3 | 1 | 20.7 | .462 | . | 1.000 | 4.0 | 1.7 | .7 | 1.7 | 4.7 |
| Rory White | 3 | 0 | 13.3 | .500 | .000 | .500 | 3.3 | 0.0 | .0 | .0 | 5.3 |
Transactions
Trades
| June 21, 1982 | To Denver Nuggets
Rich Kelley |
To Phoenix Suns
1982 first-round draft pick ( David Thirdkill) |
| July 7, 1982 | To New York Knicks
Truck Robinson |
To Phoenix Suns
Maurice Lucas |
| February 7, 1983 | To Cleveland Cavaliers
Jeff Cook
|
To Phoenix Suns
James Edwards
|
Free agents
Additions
| Date | Player | Contract | Old Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 1982 | Art Housey | Undisclosed | |
| July 7, 1982 | Johnny High | Undisclosed | Phoenix Suns |
| February 7, 1983 | Charles Pittman | Undisclosed | Phoenix Suns |
Subtractions
| Date | Player | Reason left | New team |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 1982 | Dudley Bradley | Waived | Chicago Bulls |
| October 21, 1982 | Art Housey | Waived | |
| October 28, 1982 | Charles Pittman | Waived | Phoenix Suns |
| December 21, 1982 | Craig Dykema | Waived |