1995–96 Phoenix Suns season

The 1995–96 Phoenix Suns season was the 28th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association.^[1] The Suns had the 21st overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard Michael Finley from the University of Wisconsin.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired Hot Rod Williams from the Cleveland Cavaliers,^[5][6][7] and signed free agent Tony Smith.^[8]

With the addition of Finley and Williams, the Suns got off to a 13–13 start to the regular season, but then lost eight of their next nine games, falling below .500 in winning percentage with a 14–21 record as of January 19, 1996. Head coach Paul Westphal was fired after a 14–19 start to the season, and was replaced with former Suns coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, who came in to coach in his third stint with the team.^[9][10][11] Under Fitzsimmons, the Suns won 9 of their 13 games in February, and held a 22–24 record at the All-Star break.^[12] At mid-season, the team traded Smith to the Miami Heat in exchange for rookie point guard Terrence Rencher.^[13][14][15] The Suns played above .500 for the remainder of the season, and finished in fourth place in the Pacific Division with a 41–41 record, earning the seventh seed in the Western Conference;^[16] the team qualified for the NBA playoffs for the eighth consecutive year.^[1]

Charles Barkley averaged 23.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, while Kevin Johnson averaged 18.7 points, 9.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game, but only played 56 games due to hamstring and groin injuries,^[17][18][19] and Finley provided the team with 15.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In addition, sixth man Danny Manning averaged 13.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game off the bench, but only played just 33 games due to a torn ACL, and sprained ankle,^[20][21] while second-year guard Wesley Person contributed 12.7 points per game, and led the Suns with 117 three-point field goals, and Wayman Tisdale contributed 10.7 points per game off the bench. Meanwhile, Elliott Perry provided with 8.6 points and 4.4 assists per game, A.C. Green contributed 7.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, and Hot Rod Williams averaged 7.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.^[22]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Barkley was selected for the 1996 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was his tenth consecutive All-Star selection.^[23][24][25] Meanwhile, Finley was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Western Conference Rookie team,^[26][27] and also participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.^[26][28] Barkley also finished tied in twelfth place in Most Valuable Player voting,^[29] while Finley finished tied in fourth place in Rookie of the Year voting.^[30][29]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1996 NBA playoffs, the Suns faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Midwest Division champion San Antonio Spurs, who were led by All-Star center David Robinson, All-Star forward Sean Elliott, and Avery Johnson. However, despite playing all 82 games, Finley suffered an ankle injury on the final day of the regular season, and did not play in any of the Suns' playoff games.^[31][32][33] Without Finley, the Suns lost the first two games to the Spurs on the road at the Alamodome, but managed to win Game 3 at home, 94–93 at the America West Arena.^[34] However, the Suns lost Game 4 to the Spurs at home, 116–98, thus losing the series in four games.^[35][36][37]

The Suns finished eighth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 779,943 at the America West Arena during the regular season.^[22][38] The Suns were also one of the nine teams to defeat the 72–10 Chicago Bulls during the regular season; defeating them by a score of 106–96 at the America West Arena on February 6, 1996.^[17][39] Following the season, Barkley was traded to the Houston Rockets after four seasons with the Suns,^[40][41][42] while Perry was dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks,^[43][44] and Rencher was released to free agency.