What If? The 2006-2007 Suns Revisited
By Kory Miller
I’ve been a Suns fan for practically my entire existence. 2007 was the year we were supposed to win it all. It’s been a decade since that season, and I’m still not over it.
I wasn’t born yet in 1976 and thus unable to experience the Sunderella Suns’ shocking run to the NBA Finals. In 1993 I was a young child and have only vague memories of the Suns’ return to the Finals and subsequent loss to the Jordan led Chicago Bulls. I have more vivid memories of the following two years, seasons filled with championship expectations that both ended to the Houston Rockets in the playoffs. The 1994-95 season ended in excruciating fashion, a 115-114 defeat in game 7 of the Western Conference semi-finals at home. These years typically make up the list of any Suns fan’s “What If?” seasons. While it’s obvious that these seasons haunt the dreams of many Suns fans (thanks in no small part to John Paxson and Mario Elie), the year at the top of my list is definitely 2006-2007.
Phoenix entered 2006-2007 with high expectations. The Suns were in the midst of their “7 Seconds or Less” popularity and were coming off back-to-back Western Conference finals appearances. The hype around the team specifically celebrated the heralded return of Amare Stoudemire. Amare, an All-NBA forward, had missed all but 3 games of the previous season due to knee surgery. The 2005-2006 team had surpassed expectations without Stoudemire, losing in the conference finals in six games to eventual champion Dallas Mavericks. With the team now back at full strength, championship talk was at a fever pitch.