Phoenix Suns: Recapping the incredible 1992-1993 season

With the latest episode of The Last Dance showcasing the Chicago Bulls’ third NBA Championship against the Phoenix Suns, let’s recap the beautiful 1992-1993 season.

There was no way to tell how amazing the 1992-1993 season would turn out to be for the Phoenix Suns, but going into it, they had a lot to be excited about. From a brand new arena to new jerseys and a superstar power forward, Suns fans were definitely in for a treat.

The fun all started with a trade of sharpshooting guard Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang and Tim Perry to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for the 6-time All-Star, Charles Barkley. This move would prove to be vital to the success of the Suns for this upcoming season. Barkley would go on to win MVP and lead the Suns to a franchise-best 62 wins and their second-ever NBA Finals appearance.

The Suns were red hot right out the gate under the guidance of head coach Paul Westphal. Phoenix exploded to a 21-4 start, and at one point even went on a 14 game win streak. Even though Charles Barkley was named the MVP, it wasn’t just him going 1 on 5 every night. He had a whole team full of really good players.

Kevin Johnson was the Suns’ starting point guard and the second-best player on the team. Johnson averaged 16.1 points per game and 7.8 assists during the regular season while only playing 49 games. KJ didn’t have his usual eye-popping per game, but he still managed to fill up the box score that season. In fact, Johnson scored below 10 points in only seven games and dished out eight or more dimes in 24 games. One of the most impressive parts of Johnson’s game was his defense. He compiled 85 steals and 19 blocks in his limited regular-season action. Despite the injuries throughout the year, KJ would go on to play all but one of the Suns’ playoff games.

Behind Barkley and Johnson was star shooting guard Dan Majerle. Majerle was known for his lights-out shooting and lockdown defense, although fans knew him better as Thunder Dan for his dunking ability. Despite adding a dominant superstar-caliber player, Majerle’s numbers did not fall off. He averaged 16.9 points on 46/38/77 shooting. With Johnson missing so many games with injury, Thunder Dan stepped up as ole reliable for Phoenix, playing in all 82 games and contributing in every one of them.

While Johnson and Majerle were very good players, one man helped turn this team from good to great, and it was Charles Barkley. Barkley had an amazing season as usual, with 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. He earned his 7th All-Star appearance, an All-NBA 1st Team selection, and was named the MVP of the NBA. Barkley was dominant throughout the whole season, grabbing 10+ rebounds in 54 games, and leading the Suns to 62 wins (most in the league) and a trip to the NBA finals.