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1993–94 Phoenix Suns season

NBA team season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1993–94 Phoenix Suns season was the 26th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association.[1] During the off-season, the Suns signed free agents; A.C. Green, who won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s,[2][3][4] and also signed Joe Kleine.[5]

Head coachPaul Westphal
General managerJerry Colangelo
OwnerJerry Colangelo
ArenaAmerica West Arena
Quick facts Phoenix Suns season, Head coach ...
1993–94 Phoenix Suns season
Head coachPaul Westphal
General managerJerry Colangelo
OwnerJerry Colangelo
ArenaAmerica West Arena
Results
Record56–26 (.683)
PlaceDivision: 2nd (Pacific)
Conference: 3rd (Western)
Playoff finishConference semifinals
(lost to Rockets 3–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television
RadioKTAR
< 1992–93 1994–95 >
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With the addition of Green, the Suns got off to a 15–3 start to the regular season after a seven-game winning streak in December, and later on held a 31–15 record at the All-Star break.[6] At mid-season, the team signed free agent and second-year guard Elliot Perry.[7] The Suns won their final seven games of the season, and finished in second place in the Pacific Division with a 56–26 record, earning the third seed in the Western Conference;[8] the team qualified for the NBA playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.[1]

Reigning MVP Charles Barkley averaged 21.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game in 65 games, missing 17 due to a quadriceps tendon injury,[9][10][11] while Kevin Johnson averaged 20.0 points, 9.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game. In addition, Cedric Ceballos showed improvement, averaging 19.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, but only appeared in 53 games due to a preseason foot injury,[12][13][14] while three-point specialist Dan Majerle contributed 16.5 points and 1.6 steals per game, and led the league with 192 three-point field goals, and Green provided the team with 14.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, second-year center Oliver Miller provided with 9.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 blocks per game, Danny Ainge contributed 8.9 points per game off the bench, Mark West averaged 4.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, and Perry contributed 3.9 points and 4.6 assists per game in 27 games.[15]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Barkley and Johnson were both selected for the 1994 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team, although Barkley did not participate due to injury; it was the eighth All-Star selection for Barkley, and the third and final All-Star appearance for Johnson.[16][17][18] Both players were also named to the All-NBA Second Team at the end of the season, while Barkley finished in tenth place in Most Valuable Player voting, and Johnson finished in eleventh place.[19][20]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1994 NBA playoffs, the Suns faced off against the 6th–seeded Golden State Warriors, a team that featured All-Star guard Latrell Sprewell, Rookie of the Year, Chris Webber, and All-Star forward Chris Mullin. The Suns won the first two games over the Warriors at home at the America West Arena, before winning Game 3 on the road, 140–133 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, in which Barkley scored a playoff career-high of 56 points; the Suns won the series over the Warriors in a three-game sweep.[21][22][23]

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Midwest Division champion Houston Rockets, a team that featured All-Star center, Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year, Hakeem Olajuwon, Otis Thorpe and Vernon Maxwell. The Suns managed to win their first two road games over the Rockets at The Summit; in Game 2, the Suns overcame a 20-point deficit to defeat the Rockets in overtime, 124–117, and took a 2–0 series lead.[24][25][26] The Suns lost the next three games to the Rockets, but managed to win Game 6 at the America West Arena, 103–89 to even the series.[27][28][29] However, the Suns lost Game 7 to the Rockets at The Summit, 104–94, thus losing in a hard-fought seven-game series.[30][31][32] The Rockets would go on to defeat the New York Knicks in a full seven-game series in the 1994 NBA Finals, winning their first ever NBA championship in franchise history.[33][34][35]

The Suns finished sixth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 779,952 at the America West Arena during the regular season.[15][36] Following the season, Ceballos was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers,[37][38][39] and Miller signed as a free agent with the Detroit Pistons, while West was traded to the Pistons in exchange for a future draft pick.[40][41][42]

Offseason

NBA draft

Main article: 1993 NBA draft
More information Round, Pick ...
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 27 Malcolm Mackey Forward  United States Georgia Tech
2 49 Mark Buford Center  United States Mississippi Valley State
2 54 Byron Wilson Guard  United States Utah
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Roster

More information Players, Coaches ...
1993–94 Phoenix Suns roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
G 22 Danny Ainge 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1959–03–17 BYU
F 34 Charles Barkley 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 263 lb (119 kg) 1963–02–20 Auburn
F 23 Cedric Ceballos 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1969–08–02 Cal State Fullerton
G 11 Duane Cooper 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1969–06–25 USC
F 21 Richard Dumas (S) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1969–05–19 Oklahoma State
F 45 A.C. Green 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1963–10–04 Oregon State
G 4 Herman Henry 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1967–12–08 Oklahoma
G 3 Frank Johnson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1958–11–23 Wake Forest
G 7 Kevin Johnson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1966–03–04 California
C 35 Joe Kleine 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1962–01–04 Arkansas
C 27 Malcolm Mackey 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 248 lb (112 kg) 1970–07–11 Georgia Tech
G 9 Dan Majerle 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1965–09–09 Central Michigan
C 25 Oliver Miller 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 280 lb (127 kg) 1970–04–06 Arkansas
F 0 Jerrod Mustaf 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 238 lb (108 kg) 1969–10–28 Maryland
G 2 Elliot Perry 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 150 lb (68 kg) 1969–03–28 Memphis
C 41 Mark West 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1960–11–05 Old Dominion
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Updated: April 15, 1994

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Roster Notes

  • Small forward Richard Dumas was suspended indefinitely without pay by the NBA for refusing to cooperate in substance-abuse rehabilitation.[43][44]

Regular season

Standings

More information W, L ...
Pacific Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Seattle SuperSonics 6319.768—37–426–1525–5
x-Phoenix Suns 5626.683736–520–2119–11
x-Golden State Warriors 5032.6101329–1221–2019–11
x-Portland Trail Blazers 4735.5731630–1117–2417–13
Los Angeles Lakers 3349.4023021–2012–297–23
Sacramento Kings 2854.3413520–218–339–21
Los Angeles Clippers 2755.3293617–2410–319–21
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More information #, Team ...
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Seattle SuperSonics6319.768–
2 y-Houston Rockets5824.7075
3 x-Phoenix Suns5626.6837
4 x-San Antonio Spurs5527.6718
5 x-Utah Jazz5329.64610
6 x-Golden State Warriors5032.61013
7 x-Portland Trail Blazers4735.57316
8 x-Denver Nuggets4240.51221
9 Los Angeles Lakers3349.40230
10 Sacramento Kings2854.34135
11 Los Angeles Clippers2755.32936
12 Minnesota Timberwolves2062.24443
13 Dallas Mavericks1369.15950
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Game log

Regular season

More information 1993–94 game log Total: 56–26 (home: 36–5; road: 20–21), Game ...
1993–94 game log
Total: 56–26 (home: 36–5; road: 20–21)
November: 8–3 (home: 6–0; road: 2–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1 November 5, 1993 @ L.A. Lakers L 108–116 Great Western Forum 0–1
2 November 7, 1993 Sacramento W 132–110 America West Arena 1–1
3 November 9, 1993 @ L.A. Clippers W 114–99 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 2–1
4 November 10, 1993 San Antonio W 101–93 America West Arena 3–1
5 November 13, 1993 @ Houston L 95–99 The Summit 3–2
6 November 16, 1993 @ Golden State W 116–104 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 4–2
7 November 19, 1993 Portland W 118–109 America West Arena 5–2
8 November 20, 1993 Cleveland W 112–96 America West Arena 6–2
9 November 24, 1993 Denver W 130–97 America West Arena 7–2
10 November 27, 1993 Utah W 120–98 America West Arena 8–2
11 November 30, 1993 @ Chicago L 113–132 Chicago Stadium 8–3
December: 13–2 (home: 8–1; road: 5–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
12 December 2, 1993 @ Detroit W 102–101 The Palace of Auburn Hills 9–3
13 December 3, 1993 @ New Jersey W 104–103 Brendan Byrne Arena 10–3
14 December 5, 1993 @ Milwaukee W 117–98 Bradley Center 11–3
15 December 9, 1993 Washington W 114–95 America West Arena 12–3
16 December 11, 1993 @ Dallas W 114–103 Reunion Arena 13–3
17 December 13, 1993 Milwaukee W 112–104 America West Arena 14–3
18 December 15, 1993 Golden State W 110–104 America West Arena 15–3
19 December 17, 1993 Orlando L 101–104 America West Arena 15–4
20 December 18, 1993 L.A. Clippers W 116–109 America West Arena 16–4
21 December 20, 1993 Indiana W 102–94 America West Arena 17–4
22 December 21, 1993 @ Denver L 95–121 McNichols Sports Arena 17–5
23 December 23, 1993 @ Seattle W 87–86 Seattle Center Coliseum 18–5
24 December 25, 1993 Houston W 111–91 America West Arena 19–5
25 December 27, 1993 Boston W 118–102 America West Arena 20–5
26 December 30, 1993 Philadelphia W 119–107 America West Arena 21–5
January: 7–8 (home: 3–2; road: 4–6)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
27 January 4, 1994 Seattle L 106–112 America West Arena 21–6
28 January 5, 1994 @ Utah W 107–91 Delta Center 22–6
29 January 7, 1994 @ Minnesota W 110–103 Target Center 23–6
30 January 9, 1994 Golden State W 122–107 America West Arena 24–6
31 January 11, 1994 Charlotte L 93–95 America West Arena 24–7
32 January 13, 1994 @ San Antonio L 88–107 Alamodome 24–8
33 January 15, 1994 @ Sacramento W 119–103 ARCO Arena 25–8
34 January 17, 1994 @ Golden State L 99–104 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 25–9
35 January 18, 1994 Dallas W 113–103 America West Arena 26–9
36 January 20, 1994 @ L.A. Lakers L 102–107 Great Western Forum 26–10
37 January 22, 1994 Portland W 118–117 America West Arena 27–10
38 January 25, 1994 @ New York L 96–98 Madison Square Garden 27–11
39 January 26, 1994 @ Atlanta L 107–116 The Omni 27–12
40 January 28, 1994 @ Philadelphia W 108–103 The Spectrum 28–12
41 January 30, 1994 @ Boston L 94–106 Boston Garden 28–13
February: 8–4 (home: 7–0; road: 1–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
42 February 1, 1994 L.A. Clippers W 108–106 America West Arena 29–13
43 February 3, 1994 @ Portland L 105–126 Memorial Coliseum 29–14
44 February 6, 1994 Chicago W 89–88 America West Arena 30–14
45 February 8, 1994 @ L.A. Lakers L 104–107 Great Western Forum 30–15
46 February 9, 1994 Minnesota W 111–106 America West Arena 31–15
All-Star Break
47 February 16, 1994 Portland W 126–100 America West Arena 32–15
48 February 18, 1994 L.A. Lakers W 113–96 America West Arena 33–15
49 February 19, 1994 @ Houston L 88–106 The Summit 33–16
50 February 21, 1994 Sacramento W 112–86 America West Arena 34–16
51 February 24, 1994 @ Minnesota W 120–101 Target Center 35–16
52 February 25, 1994 @ Utah L 87–107 Delta Center 35–17
53 February 27, 1994 New York W 92–78 America West Arena 36–17
March: 10–6 (home: 5–2; road: 5–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
54 March 3, 1994 @ Golden State L 107–120 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 36–18
55 March 4, 1994 Minnesota W 106–101 America West Arena 37–18
56 March 6, 1994 Utah L 92–103 America West Arena 37–19
57 March 8, 1994 @ Charlotte L 89–97 Charlotte Coliseum 37–20
58 March 9, 1994 @ Washington W 142–106 USAir Arena 38–20
59 March 11, 1994 @ Miami W 122–107 Miami Arena 39–20
60 March 13, 1994 @ Orlando W 100–93 Orlando Arena 40–20
61 March 15, 1994 @ Cleveland W 119–106 Richfield Coliseum 41–20
62 March 16, 1994 @ Indiana L 98–109 Market Square Arena 41–21
63 March 18, 1994 Detroit L 113–114 America West Arena 41–22
64 March 19, 1994 New Jersey W 105–93 America West Arena 42–22
65 March 22, 1994 Miami W 124–118 (OT) America West Arena 43–22
66 March 24, 1994 @ Seattle L 106–116 Seattle Center Coliseum 43–23
67 March 25, 1994 Dallas W 99–94 America West Arena 44–23
68 March 27, 1994 Houston W 113–98 America West Arena 45–23
69 March 31, 1994 @ L.A. Clippers W 117–102 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 46–23
April: 10–3 (home: 7–0; road: 3–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
70 April 1, 1994 Atlanta W 93–87 America West Arena 47–23
71 April 3, 1994 Denver W 108–98 America West Arena 48–23
72 April 5, 1994 @ Portland L 113–135 Memorial Coliseum 48–24
73 April 6, 1994 San Antonio W 107–95 America West Arena 49–24
74 April 8, 1994 @ Sacramento L 101–104 ARCO Arena 49–25
75 April 10, 1994 @ Seattle L 108–111 Seattle Center Coliseum 49–26
76 April 12, 1994 @ Denver W 107–102 McNichols Sports Arena 50–26
77 April 13, 1994 L.A. Lakers W 117–88 America West Arena 51–26
78 April 16, 1994 @ San Antonio W 96–94 Alamodome 52–26
79 April 18, 1994 @ Dallas W 106–97 Reunion Arena 53–26
80 April 19, 1994 Seattle W 122–116 America West Arena 54–26
81 April 22, 1994 L.A. Clippers W 127–121 America West Arena 55–26
82 April 23, 1994 Sacramento W 101–100 America West Arena 56–26
1993–94 schedule
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Playoffs

Game log

More information 1994 playoff game log, Game ...
1994 playoff game log
First Round: 3–0 (home: 2–0; road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 29, 1994 Golden State W 111–104 Charles Barkley (36) Charles Barkley (19) Barkley, Johnson (7) America West Arena
19,023		 1–0
2 May 1, 1994 Golden State W 117–111 Kevin Johnson (38) A.C. Green (10) Kevin Johnson (9) America West Arena
19,023		 2–0
3 May 4, 1994 @ Golden State W 140–133 Charles Barkley (56) Charles Barkley (14) Kevin Johnson (12) Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena
15,025		 3–0
Conference semifinals: 3–4 (home: 1–2; road: 2–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 May 8, 1994 @ Houston W 91–87 Charles Barkley (21) Charles Barkley (12) Kevin Johnson (12) The Summit
15,073		 1–0
2 May 11, 1994 @ Houston W 124–117 (OT) Charles Barkley (34) Charles Barkley (15) Barkley, Johnson (6) The Summit
16,611		 2–0
3 May 13, 1994 Houston L 102–118 Kevin Johnson (38) Charles Barkley (14) Kevin Johnson (12) America West Arena
19,023		 2–1
4 May 15, 1994 Houston L 96–107 Kevin Johnson (38) Charles Barkley (14) Kevin Johnson (12) America West Arena
19,023		 2–2
5 May 17, 1994 @ Houston L 86–109 Charles Barkley (30) Oliver Miller (7) Henry, Miller (3) The Summit
16,611		 2–3
6 May 19, 1994 Houston W 103–89 Kevin Johnson (28) Charles Barkley (15) Kevin Johnson (13) America West Arena
19,023		 3–3
7 May 21, 1994 @ Houston L 94–104 Kevin Johnson (25) Charles Barkley (15) Kevin Johnson (11) The Summit
16,611		 3–4
1994 schedule
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Awards and honors

Week/Month

  • Charles Barkley was named Player of the Week for games played November 15 through November 21.
  • Oliver Miller was named Player of the Week for games played December 27 through January 2.

All-Star

  • Charles Barkley was voted as a starter for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his eighth consecutive All-Star selection. Barkley led all players in voting with 794,936 votes. Barkley was unable to play due to injury and was replaced by Gary Payton.
  • Kevin Johnson was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his third All-Star selection. Johnson finished third in voting among Western Conference guards with 431,885 votes.
  • Other Suns players receiving All-Star votes were A.C. Green (368,601) and Dan Majerle (329,618).

Season

Player statistics

Legend
  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

More information Player, GP ...
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Danny Ainge68122.9.417.328.830^1.92.6.8.18.9
Charles Barkley656535.4.495.270.70411.24.61.6.621.6
Cedric Ceballos534330.2.535.000.7246.51.71.1.419.1
Duane Cooper2325.9.439.143.7330.41.2.1.02.1
Joe Courtney*3315.1.513..7190.80.3.1.23.1
A.C. Green825534.5.502.229.7359.21.7.9.514.7
Skeeter Henry403.8.200.000.5000.51.0.0.01.0
Frank Johnson70512.5.448.167.7831.22.1.6.04.6
Kevin Johnson676736.6.487.222.819^2.59.51.9.120.0
Joe Kleine74411.5.488.455†.7692.60.6.2.33.9
Negele Knight*108.0.250..0.00.0.01.02.0
Malcolm Mackey2203.1.378.000.5001.10.0.0.11.5
Dan Majerle807640.1.418.382†.7394.43.41.6.516.5
Oliver Miller693025.9.609.222.5846.93.51.22.39.2
Jerrod Mustaf3325.9.357..5911.70.2.1.22.2
Elliot Perry27916.0.372.000.7501.44.6.9.03.9
Mark West825015.1.566..5003.60.4.41.34.7
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* – Stats with the Suns.
† – Minimum 50 three-pointers made.
^ – Minimum 125 free-throws made.

Playoffs

More information Player, GP ...
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Danny Ainge10023.0.458.425.7142.32.1.6.18.6
Charles Barkley101042.5.509†.350.76413.04.82.5.927.6
Cedric Ceballos10821.2.462.000.8334.40.8.8.210.1
A.C. Green10235.0.482.412.6138.41.31.0.212.5
Skeeter Henry305.3.167.000.1.01.0.0.00.7
Frank Johnson706.6.083.000.5000.60.7.3.00.4
Kevin Johnson101042.7.458.300.8523.59.61.0.126.6
Joe Kleine8010.1.429..6672.10.4.1.53.5
Dan Majerle101041.0.362.339.6884.32.41.1.412.3
Oliver Miller10414.6.593†..4294.41.3.61.23.5
Elliot Perry403.3.143..0.00.3.3.00.5
Mark West769.9.333..7002.90.0.01.02.4
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† – Minimum 20 field goals made.

Player statistics citation:[15]

Transactions

Trades

November 8, 1993 To San Antonio Spurs
United States Negele Knight		 To Phoenix Suns
1994 second-round draft pick (United States Antonio Lang)

Free agents

Additions

More information Date, Player ...
Date Player Contract Old Team
July 23, 1993 Richard Dumas Re-signed to multi-year contract Phoenix Suns
July 28, 1993 Frank Johnson Re-signed to 1-year contract for $500,000 Phoenix Suns
August 13, 1993 Joe Kleine Signed to 4-year contract for $3.8 million Boston Celtics
August 26, 1993 Cedric Ceballos Re-signed to 5-year contract for $11 million Phoenix Suns
September 3, 1993 Joe Courtney Signed to 1-year contract for $150,000 Golden State Warriors
September 28, 1993 A.C. Green Signed to 5-year contract for $15.1 million Los Angeles Lakers
October 7, 1993 Rod Higgins Undisclosed Sacramento Kings
November 10, 1993 Duane Cooper Signed to 1-year contract for $150,000 Los Angeles Lakers
January 22, 1994 Elliot Perry Signed to two 10-day contracts Grand Rapids Hoops (CBA)
February 11, 1994 Elliot Perry Signed for rest of season Phoenix Suns
April 15, 1994 Skeeter Henry Signed for rest of season Dijon (France)
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Subtractions

More information Date, Player ...
Date Player Reason left New team
June 25, 1993 Tom Chambers Free agent Utah Jazz
October 16, 1993 Byron Wilson Waived Oklahoma City Cavalry (CBA)
November 2, 1993 Rod Higgins Waived Cleveland Cavaliers
January 21, 1994 Tim Kempton Waived Charlotte Hornets
February 26, 1994 Joe Courtney Waived Milwaukee Bucks
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Player Transactions Citation:[45]

References

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