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Great Moments in Phoenix Suns History
THE OFFICIAL MASCOT OF THE SUNS IS A GORILLA, but an underdog might have been a more appropriate choice. No offense, Mr. Gorilla, Sir. It's just that the Suns have always fared better as underdogs than favorites, especially in postseason play. You could look it up. Their most memorable moments have come when all seemed surely lost, their most forgettable ones when all seemed surely won -- an upside down sort of tradition that started with their very first playoff trip. The year was 1970, and the Suns, who were barely two years old, drew a Laker team that included three all-time greats in Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor in the first round. Reputation-wise, at least, the mother of all mismatches.
True, Chamberlain had been out most of the year after suffering a torn tendon in his right kneecap against the Phoenix Suns in November and there was some thought (hope) he might be rusty. But even though the Phoenix Suns had future Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins, had gone 24-20 after General Manager Jerry Colangelo replaced coach John Kerr with himself, and won the season series 4-3, they got short shrift from the experts.And even shorter shrift from the L.A. press."For the Lakers to lose to Connie Hawkins and 10 rejects," sniffed one paper, "would be unthinkable."And sure enough, in Game 1, Baylor had 32 points, West added 27, and the Lakers cruised, 128-112. Oh, and a "rusty" Wilt had 26 points and 18 rebounds. But in Game 2, the Hawk delivered 34 points and 20 rebounds, Paul Silas not only shut down Baylor, but added 25 points and 19 rebounds, and the Phoenix Suns won, 114-101. The mother of all mismatches was turning into a match. And suddenly the Suns had the full attention of not only the Lakers but their own fans.
The Coliseum had been half empty for the Lakers' first two regular-season appearances, but a record crowd of 12,324 wedged its way into it for Game 3, and roared with delight as Gail Goodrich scored 29 points, Silas had 16 rebounds, and the Hawk narrowly missed a triple double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in a 112-98 victory. Game 4 brought an even bigger crowd and an even more stunning victory as the Suns jumped off to an amazing 19-2 lead, and never looked back. The final score was 112-102, Goodrich had 34 points and team captain Dick Van Arsdale chipped in 24. Silas had 16 rebounds and Hawkins, once again, flirted with the triple double (24 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists). "Not bad for a bunch of rejects," observed coach Colangelo. Looking back on it today, he says, "Being up 3-1 on the Lakers was an incredible feat for a second-year team. One thing that really sticks out in my mind is coming home to the sellout crowd and standing ovations in Game 3. It was a far cry from our first year, and I felt for the first time that we had really established ourselves. "When Wilt and West scored 36 points apiece to lead the Lakers to a 138-121 rout in Game 5 in Los Angeles, Valley fans shrugged. No large deal, they said.
In fact, a welcome interlude giving them time to regain their voices and get the champagne properly chilled for the Game 6 celebration in Phoenix, where the Lakers were now 0-5 on the season. But in the euphoria of the moment, nobody paid much attention to center Jim Fox's ankle injury, though his straight-ahead speed and effective outside shots were keys to survival against Wilt. And when the Phoenix Suns jumped to a 22-9 lead, still ANOTHER record crowd all but jumped out of its skin. Little did the delirious fans know a tradition was being born that would endure to this very day. That for their heroes it would always be dawnest just before the dark, and vice versa. As though overcome by the enormity of what they were about to do, the Phoenix Suns lost their cool, Wilt grabbed 26 rebounds, West came up with 11 steals, and the Lakers won going away, 104-93.
Going back to the Forum for Game 7, the Phoenix Suns bravely insisted all was not lost and the Lakers prudently insisted all was not won, but neither side sounded very convincing. And it was no real surprise to anybody that, with Wilt scoring 30 points, grabbing 27 rebounds and blotting out the middle defensively, the Lakers romped 124-94. "Not taking anything away from the Lakers," says Colangelo in retrospect, "but I really think that when we lost Fox, that changed everything. "The Hawk, who now nests in the Suns' community relations department, seconds the notion. "We were doing real good until Fox was hurt," he recalls.
Captain Van, who had the unenviable task of guarding West, which among other things meant being run repeatedly into rib-shattering picks by Wilt, also thought Fox's loss was a major blow. "Jim could really hit that shot from the top of the key," says Van, now vice president for player personnel with the club. "And Wilt never did like to come out to the top of the key. "Those 39-42 Suns would prove their strong showing was no fluke by winning 48 and 49 games in the next two seasons, but that glorious near miss against the Lakers would turn out to be not only the first but also last hurrah for them. |
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