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2013 NBA Draft Lottery Results: Suns get No. 5 Pick

2013-05-22T01:38:02Z

Well, so much for Nerlens Noel. The Washington Wizards jumped up to No. 3 in the draft, which means the Suns dropped down to No. 5. On the Bright Side, we avoided the worst case scenario of falling all the way to No. 7.

As Sean broke down a week-and-a-half ago, the No. 5 pick was the most likely scenario. Jim went out on a limb and called the Suns getting the fifth pick in an email conversation as well.

It would have been great to win the top pick, or even to move up from four. But with the lack of stand-out talent at the top, picking five in this draft isn't too much of a loss anyway.

The Suns have only picked at No. 5 one time in team history, and that was in 1977 when they selected Walter Davis.

Looking back over the last decade, here are the players picked at No. 5: Thomas Robinson (SAC), Jonas Valanciunas (TOR), DeMarcus Cousins (SAC), Ricky Rubio (MIN), Kevin Love (MEM to MIN), Jeff Green (BOS to SEA/OKC), Shelden Williams (ATL), Raymond Felton (CHA), Devin Harris (WAS to DAL), Dwyane Wade (MIA).

A couple great players, a few really good players, some solid players and only one real bust so far (Shelden Williams).

The Suns need to get a quality player with this pick. We won't get a superstar and maybe not even an All-Star, but we do have to get a surefire starter that can be part of the core moving forward.

Nerlens Noel and Ben McLemore are almost assuredly out of the picture. The group we are looking at is Otto Porter, Victor Oladipo, Anthony Bennett, Alex Len, Trey Burke, Rudy Gobert and C.J. McCollum.

ESPN's Chad Ford has the Suns taking Bright Side favorite Oladipo in his post-lottery mock draft. Kris has the freakishly long Rudy Gobert heading to Phoenix. Jonathan Givony of Draft Express has Otto Porter coming to the desert.

So what say you Bright Siders? Now that we know where the Suns will be drafting, who is your pick?

NBA Draft Lottery: Phoenix Suns get 10th chance to win lottery - best odds since 1987, highest pick since 1988

2013-05-21T14:45:29Z

Tonight, the Phoenix Suns try to get lucky and move up in the draft for the first time since 1987. There are two ways to move up - via the lottery system, or via trade. The Suns have benefited from the lottery system only once (1987, Armen Gilliam) and have rarely drafted higher than their record-based slot.

The Suns did acquire Atlanta's future #1 pick in 2005, which finally conveyed to Phoenix in 2008 as 15th overall (Robin Lopez). But they have never made a draft-day trade to move up to get a player they liked.

The Suns also acquired the Lakers' 1995 #1 pick in 1994 for Ced Ceballos, which became Michael Finley.

Other than those three times, the Suns stayed right where they were to take the best player.

Lottery Odds

The Suns have the 4th-highest chance to move up to the top-3 pick tonight - nearly 33% overall.

Their chance to get #1 overall: 11.9%

Chance for #2: 12.2%

Chance for #3: 13.3%

Lon Babby will represent the Suns tonight in the lotto room.

"My grandson (Josh) is playing on a T-Ball team at age 4 so he's got a little baseball card. I got him to sign it for me so he wrote his name on it. I'll have it in my pocket," Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby said to Arizonasports.com.

"I don't know if he's good luck, but I always like having his picture with me, anyway. That will be my good luck charm."

So, no personal superstitions?

"I didn't say that. Everybody is superstitious," he said. "I used to have a lucky pair of pants that I wore for every exam in college. The trouble is they don't fit anymore.

"The other thing is," Babby continued, "I'm going to stay as close as I can to (Orlando Magic senior vice president) Pat Williams because he's won it four times (with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1986 and the Magic in 1992, 1994 and 2004). I'm going to see if I can touch him a couple of times just to get some good luck."

Trade, trade away

On the opposite end of the move-up spectrum, the Suns have traded away at least one first round pick a whopping ELEVEN times (1990, 1991, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012) in the last 26 years, since Gilliam was drafted in 1987. The 2008 and 2012 picks were "second" picks, later in the first round. But still. Gulp.

Since the draft lottery came to fruition in time for the 1985 draft, the Suns have been bad enough to get ping pong balls ten times, including this year (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013).

Never the bride

While the Suns have never drafted #1 overall in their existence, twice the Suns have drafted as high as #2 overall. The first time, they lost out on Lew Alcindor on a coin flip (settling for Neal Walk at #2 overall).

The second time, the Suns moved up to second overall in the 1987 lottery. The Suns lost out on David Robinson, instead taking Armen Gilliam #2 overall in 1987.

Highest pick since 1988 guaranteed

No matter what happens tonight, the Suns will draft no worse than 7th overall. This guarantees the Suns their highest selection since Tim Perry in 1988 - 25 years ago.

Other top-7 picks - besides Walk and Gilliam - include Corky Calhoun (4th, 1972), John Shumate (4th, 1974), Alvan Adams (4th, 1975), Walter Davis (5th, 1978), William Bedford (6th, 1986), Tim Perry (7th, 1988).

Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire were both drafted 9th overall, while Ed Pinckney was drafted 10th in 1985.

Logistics

The lottery drama begins at 5:30pm AZ Time on ESPN, with picks revealed in inverse order. Start paying attention immediately. The Suns begin in 4th position overall. If a later team jumps ahead of the Suns, then the Suns will drop to as low as 7th unless they too win a higher spot.

Phoenix Suns 2012-13 Player Review: Hamed Haddadi

2013-05-20T21:23:57Z

First, let me qualify the rest of this review by disclosing that not much was expected from Haddadi. Hamed was a throw in for a trade that sent Sebastian Telfair to the Toronto Raptors for a second round draft pick. The only reason he played as many minutes as he did, which wasn't many, was due to injuries and leaves of absence to players above him on the depth chart.

I just felt it was somewhat obligatory to preface the rest of this scathing analysis by offering that Hamed's bar was pretty low. Somehow he still managed to crawl under it.

Judging Haddadi based on improvement

As the chart depicts, Haddadi regressed quite declivitously from the 2011-12 season. As I mentioned previously, Hamed just turned 28... which made him 27 during the recently concluded ~~bloodbath~~ campaign. The fact that a player at that age bottomed out in that fashion is... unsettling. Is it possible that Haddadi could regain his previous form? Quite possible. Does it suggest that scenario is the best possible case moving forward? Quite possibly.

Just because his numbers were worse nearly across the board isn't completely condemning in and of itself, though. Haddadi could have been coming off a ~~less futile~~ career year. Or not.

While Hamed's numbers in 2011-12 were gaudy compared to other seasons, his performance last season was well below his career averages. Also note that many of those career numbers were drug down by his miserable "contribution" in 2012-13. For instance, Haddadi's career points per 36 for his first four seasons was 12.5, but after five years it has dipped to 11.6. His recent numbers were detrimental to his career averages in many ways.

It is basically unarguable that Haddadi showed significant decline, not improvement.

Grade: F

Judging Haddadi compared to the Suns' other centers

This comparison is probably unfair considering that both of the other two players have significantly better pedigree than Hamed. One is a former multiple time all-star selection and the other is a solid starting center. Hamed, on the other hand, is a career ~~bench warmer~~ backup.

Obviously those two preponderate Haddadi's less than stellar numbers. To further illustrate this dynamic, he wouldn't even have seen the limited minutes he did if it weren't for unfortunate circumstances. Ironically, I can vaguely remember some whispers that the Suns wouldn't even miss Gortat when he went down to injury. Then Haddadi made a solid contribution in two straight games, including being a major cog in a win against the Rockets. That game was the highlight of Hamed's time as a Sun. Pretty much the only highlight.

The Suns finished the season 4-17 after Gortat's injury. Even worse, they went 2-14 in games Haddadi appeared in.

Grade: F

Judging Haddadi re: Memphis vs. Phoenix

Finally an area where Hamed ~~is less putrid~~ shines... and by shines I mean is still well below most of his career averages. It's kind of like going from living in a tent to sleeping in a box to taking refuge under a bridge. Sure the bridge looks good compared to the box, and Hamed is a serviceable troll, but the whole situation kind of sucks. Do I come off as being too captious? Well, that's how I roll.

Still, he did increase his production, so give credit where credit is due (just not too much).

Grade: C-

Overall Grade: D-

I was going to give Haddadi another grade based on physical appearance, but that just seemed cruel. Haddadi falls somewhere between journeyman and bench towel in terms of his NBA career. He will most likely bounce around for a couple years because of his size despite his glaring lack of basketball skills. I just hope it isn't for the Suns. Even if Channing Frye doesn't come back, Jermaine O'Neal leaves in free agency and Marcin Gortat is traded I still wouldn't want Haddadi as a third string center behind two rookies. His full potential has already been realized, and it makes Markieff Morris look like a gamechanger.

I would rather take a 22 year old big from the D-League on the Powerball-like chance he actually turns into a legitimate NBA player than keep Haddadi around. Buy out his $200,000 and send him on his way. The Suns don't need anymore middle-aged (in terms of NBA years) players with no futures. We've already had enough of that.

Barkey Blasts Spurs! Twenty years ago today, Charles Barkley hits winner, Phoenix Suns drop Spurs to win Western Semis

2013-05-20T20:48:42Z

Since the current iteration of the Phoenix Suns is on vacation during these playoffs, we at Bright Side thought it would be fun to relive the Suns' exciting 1993 playoff run with recaps of each game. Today, the Suns and Charles Barkley end the Spurs season with a game-ending clincher by Barkley. One of the greatest moments in Suns history.

May 20, 1993: Suns beat Spurs 102-100 on Barkley jumper, win series!

Boxscore - courtesy of basketball-reference.com

The Phoenix Suns couldn't find a way to win either of their first tries in San Antonio, shooting less than 42% each time and generally wishing they were playing at home.

But in Game 6 in San Antonio, the Suns would not be denied. Specifically, Charles Barkley would not be denied. Barkley posted 28 points, 21 rebounds (21!), 4 assists and 4 steals.

Dan Majerle played every minute of the game, tallying 18 points and 4 rebounds while defending like a madman. KJ had 18, 8 and 3 steals. A "big" surprise was Oliver Miller. The Big O put up 12 points, 5 rebounds and a huge FIVE blocks along with 2 steals. When you get contributions like that, it's easier to win on the road.

But this was Barkley's show.

For more coverage of the 1993 playoff run, including quotes and recollections, check out azcentral.com's band of Suns-covering dudes and dudettes!

Solar Flares - Open NBA/Suns Thread - On coaching opening, lotto luck, etc

2013-05-20T14:30:25Z

It's lotto week!

The last couple of weeks have provided Suns fans with next to zero news, despite this being one of the Suns' most important offseasons in franchise history. Clearly, new GM Ryan McDonough is not all about flash and sound bytes. He'd rather just pick the right people - coaches and players - to move this franchise forward.

Lotto

Tuesday night, Suns fans will finally find out what all this angst for the past few years has brought on the Suns franchise. While it's just about random bouncing balls, fans will undoubtedly apply the results to some version of 'karma'. If the Suns lose ground (ie. pick 5-7), then the franchise is now cursed. If the Suns gain ground (ie. 1-3) then it's the basketball gods laughing at us since this is the worst Top-3 draft in years. This draft is heavy on depth but lacks any surefire superstars at the top.

For luck, the Suns are sending Lon Babby to the show.

Coach

In another lottery, the Suns are soon going to pick from a pile of up-and-coming assistant coaches to lead this team into the next few years. Expect the hire to be a guy who embraces analytics and is willing to take a job likely to produce 50-60 losses in the next 12 months. The coach will be growing with the team, much like Monty Williams in New Orleans (still respected despite horrific loss counts) and hopefully not like Mike Dunlap in Charlotte (fired after one season).

Rumor has it that the Suns want a coach in place for individual player workouts in prep for the draft, and the sooner the better. The problem with that is some of the best options - Brian Shaw (Indiana), Mike Budenholzer (Spurs), Lionel Hollins and Dave Joerger (Grizzlies) - are all coaching for at least 1-2 more weeks and possible right up until mere days before the draft.

An inquiry to Lon Babby about the timing of a hiring went unanswered, so we don't know if the Suns are willing to wait until mid-June to hire their next coach.

The hot assistants available at this moment include J.B. Bickerstaff and Kelvin Sampson (Rockets), Jeff Hornacek (Jazz), Quin Snyder (Russia/Lakers) and Steve Clifford (Lakers). Suns GM Ryan McDonough used to work with Rockets GM Daryl Morey, so you can expect some real talk between them about the two Rockets guys.

Will the Suns choose from that letter group, or wait patiently for the playoffs to end?

Will they surprise us with someone we haven't heard of?

Or will they keep Lindsey Hunter, who got an interview last week?

Stay tuned.

Draft

No word yet on the profile of pick the Suns want in June.

Smart money says that's because there's not a single untouchable position on the roster, leaving every prospect still on the Suns' board. And that likely won't change with the lottery on Tuesday night. The top picks are so interchangeable that we won't know who "won" the draft for at least a year, if not three.

If McDonough can pick out a future star like he did Rajon Rondo in 2006 (was drafted 21st but Celtics had him in the top 2), then we are in good shape. That's the real key to the draft. Have the draft position and player-evaluation talent to pick the best of the bunch.

No word of workouts in Phoenix, or even of favorites from the Combine last weekend. Heck, we don't even know who the Suns interviewed among the top talents.

Ok, I'm done rambling about absolutely nothing. No news is no news.

Your turn!

NBA Draft 2013 Official Combine Measurements, Results, Comparisons: Bigs

2013-05-19T14:00:09Z

Centers/Power Forwards:

Measurements:

Name	Height W/O Shoes	Height With Shoes	Weight	Wingspan	Standing Reach	Body Fat	Hand Length	Hand Width
Gorgui Dieng	6' 9.75''	6' 10.75''	229.6	7' 3.5''	9' 3.5''	5.35	9	10
Rudy Gobert	7' 0.5''	7' 2''	237.6	7' 8.5''	9' 7''	4.4	9.75	10
Alex Len	NULL	NULL	NULL	7' 3.5''	NULL	6.4	9	10.75
Nerlens Noel	6' 10''	6' 11.75''	206.4	7' 3.75''	9' 2''	4.15	9.5	10
Kelly Olynyk	6' 10.75''	7' 0''	234	6' 9.75''	9' 0''	6.65	8.5	10
Mason Plumlee	6' 11.25''	7' 0.5''	238.2	6' 11''	9' 0''	6.15	9.75	9.5
Cody Zeller	6' 10.75''	7' 0.25''	230	6' 10.75''	8' 10''	4.75	8.5	10.5

The seven bigs listed above all have a chance of being lottery picks (along with Anthony Bennett who didn't attend), though some of their performances may have hurt those chances. Judging by the measurables alone, Rudy Gobert from France was by far the most impressive. Gobert has a massive standing reach of 9'7" and a 7'8.5" wingspan. However, when speaking of players you've actually heard of, Gorgui Dieng, Alex Len, and Nerlens Noel measured out the best. Dieng and Len edged out Noel in the standing reach category, but Noel has a slightly longer wingspan than Dieng. It's also worth noting that Alex Len only participated in a couple of these events because of a freshly repaired stress fracture, so with his wingspan and height, his standing reach would have been second only to Gobert.

Kelly Olynyk and Cody Zeller were the least impressive of the group, with shorter arms/reaches compared to other players their height. We knew Zeller's reach wasn't that great, but an 8'10" standing reach for a 7-footer is pretty low. The same can be said for Olynyk and his reach which is actually one inch shorter than his height. Therefore, Olynyk earns the T-Rex distinction of the group for this year's group of prospects.

Results:

Name	3/4 Court Sprint Time	Lane Agility Time	Modified Time	Standing Vertical	Max Vertical
Gorgui Dieng	NULL	NULL	NULL	NULL	NULL
Rudy Gobert	3.57	12.85	3.19	25	29
Alex Len	NULL	NULL	NULL	NULL	NULL
Nerlens Noel	NULL	NULL	NULL	NULL	NULL
Kelly Olynyk	3.59	11.42	2.99	24.5	29.5
Mason Plumlee	3.29	10.89	2.76	30.5	36
Cody Zeller	3.15	10.82	2.69	35.5	37.5

Just when you thought Cody Zeller was finished, he comes storming back to relevance by showing just how underrated his athleticism was this year. Everyone knew how skilled he was offensively, but super athletic?

I have mentioned it many times before...Zeller is a much better athlete than his brother and was very underrated in that respect, but even I was surprised by his results. Zeller not only had the best standing vertical of any big at the combine, it's the highest standing vertical by any player over 6'9" in the history of the NBA Combine. If you don't think this is important, ask yourself how many times bigs have to jump straight up from a stand still to grab rebounds or putbacks. Not only that, but his speed at running the floor and his lane agility were all tops as well...very impressive numbers overall for a big. Although Zeller lacks in wingspan and reach, his agility and hops help to make up for it...which could really help his case among scouts and front offices who may have been leery of him otherwise.

Mason Plumlee also showed off his expected agility and athleticism which could possibly help him to become a late lottery pick as well. As for Gobert who was highly touted as being very athletic for a man his size, well...maybe not so much. Gobert came crashing back down to earth on the second day with some less than impressive numbers across all categories. I still think he moves well for a big and seems to play more athletically than he tested at the combine, but I think these numbers significantly hurt his chances of rising up the mocks into the lottery.

Conclusion:

The bigs were far less telling than the guards, because of the number of top prospects who were injured and not participating. While Cody Zeller and Mason Plumlee probably did the most to help their cases of being lottery picks, the real winners here were still Nerlens Noel, Alex Len, and Anthony Bennett, who although missed many, or all, of the categories, were still able to retain their top rankings...due to none of the other prospects doing enough to unseat them.

NBA Draft 2013 Official Combine Measurements, Results, Comparisons: Wings

2013-05-18T18:37:16Z

Shooting Guards/Small Forwards:

Measurements:

Name	Height W/O Shoes	Height With Shoes	Weight	Wingspan	Standing Reach	Body Fat	Hand Length	Hand Width
Shooting Guards
C.J. McCollum (SG)	6' 2.25''	6' 3.25''	197	6' 6.25''	8' 0.5''	8.6	8	9.5
Ben McLemore (SG)	6' 3.5''	6' 4.75''	189.2	6' 7.75''	8' 4.5''	5	8.75	9.5
Victor Oladipo (SG)	6' 3.25''	6' 4.25''	213.2	6' 9.25''	8' 4.5''	6.55	8.75	9.25
Small Forwards
Shabazz Muhammad (SF)	6' 4.75''	6' 6.25''	221.8	6' 11''	8' 8.5''	9	9	10
Otto Porter (SF)	6' 7.5''	6' 8.5''	197.6	7' 1.5''	8' 9.5''	6.65	8.75	9.25

For the shooting guards, Oladipo stood out the most overall with his 6"9.25" reach, making him the longest guard in this group. While McLemore is technically the tallest, it's hard to call that a win for him being that he is only one-quarter of an inch taller than Oladipo, when many scouts thought he was 1"-2" inches taller. McLemore is the leanest with only 5% body fat, but Oladipo isn't much more at 6.55%, and when you couple that with his weight of 213 lbs, it shows that he has the strongest, most NBA-ready body by far.

As for the small forwards, it's a two-man competition for the prospective lottery players with Dario Saric not participating in the NBA Combine. Porter wins the measurabes with ease as he registers nearly three inches taller than Shabazz without shoes. Although Muhammad's 6'11" wingspan is very impressive, Porter still manages to one-up him here registering a 7'1.5" measurement. Muhammad does win the size contest weighing in at 221lbs compared to Porter at a svelte 197.6, but he's also at 9% body fat compared to Porter at only 6.65%. Still, Shabazz calculates to around 20lbs of total body fat compared to Porter at around 13lbs....only a 7lb difference. So Muhammad's weight advantage is still mostly muscle...which is good.

Results:

Name	3/4 Court Sprint Time	Lane Agility Time	Modified Time	Standing Vertical	Max Vertical
Shooting Guards
C.J. McCollum (SG)	3.32	11.02	2.91 (14th overall)	32 (15th overall)	38.5 (14th overall)
Ben McLemore (SG)	3.27 (20th overall)	11.87	3.11	32.5 (13th overall)	42 (Tied 2nd overall)
Victor Oladipo (SG)	3.25 (17th overall)	10.69 (11th overall)	3.14	33 (11th overall)	42 (Tied 2nd overall)
Small Forwards
Shabazz Muhammad (SF)	3.32	10.99	2.93	29.5	37
Otto Porter (SF)	3.4	11.25	3.06	27	36

The story here for the guards is Oladipo's athleticism. While McLemore proved he is no doubt an elite athlete, Oladipo proved he is even more so. McLemore and Oladipo tied for 2nd place overall with 42" max verticals (only PG Shane Larkin registered higher at 44"). While Oladipo registered slightly higher in the standing vertical and 3/4 court sprint, the difference was very minor, so they are both fairly comparable in these regards. The biggest difference was in the lane agility drill, where Oladipo showed his lateral quickness and ability to move side-to-side, forward, and backwards with a substantial advantage over McLemore...who actually fell down at the conclusion of the drill by losing his balance. In contrast, Oladipo stayed very low to the court and showed terrific agility and body control...this was apparent just by watching him.

As for the small forwards, Muhammad ran the table on Porter here, but didn't really set himself apart from the rest of the pack in any substantial way. Porter is not an elite athlete, and while Muhammad is more athletic, he isn't considered high-level or elite by any means either. Tim Hardaway Jr. was actually the most impressive small forward in this regard, but is not considered a lottery pick by most accounts, so he was not part of this comparison.

Conclusion:

If the Suns are going to draft a wing with their first round pick, which will fall somewhere between 1-7, there's a 99% chance it will be one of these five players. For the shooting guards, Oladipo showed he was the fastest, strongest, quickest, and most athletic, as well as the longest of the potential lottery SGs. As for the small forwards, in my opinion, Porter was slightly more impressive overall by virtue of his measurables. Although Muhammad showed he is the more athletic of the two, even his scores were mediocre, so I wouldn't really call that a win in his favor.

One thing to keep in mind is that these measurements and skills are only a small part of the total package of what constitutes a great basketball player. However, in a league where relatively small differences separate the cream from the crop, these metrics are important to many scouts and front office personnel who are trying to find the best indicators of potential and productivity. In other words, this isn't the be-all-end-all by any means, but it can certainly help or hurt your draft stock.

*All officially recorded stats from NBA.com

Back to the future game recap: 1993 Phoenix Suns drop Spurs in Game 5, 109-97

2013-05-18T13:15:10Z

Since the current iteration of the Phoenix Suns is on vacation during these playoffs, we at Bright Side thought it would be fun to relive the Suns' exciting 1993 playoff run with recaps of each game, starting with Game 5 of the Western Semis. Revisit yesteryear while we wait for the Suns to rise again.

After a thrilling come-from-behind first round series win over the Los Angeles Lakers ("and everyone's gonna say what a great series it was"), the Phoenix Suns faced an equally big opponent in the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs had just beaten defending Western Champ Portland Trailblazers in round one, and saw the smaller Suns as their next step on a Finals run of their own.

David Robinson was a beast surrounded by role players that made them greater - and more frustrating - than the sum of their parts (where have I heard this one before). Avery Johnson. Sean Elliot. J.R. Reid. Antoine Carr. Dale Ellis. All good players, but all role players around a Hall of Fame center.

The smaller Suns had led the league in scoring, by a wide margin, and boasted a passable defense (9th in efficiency vs. 18th in points allowed) to win a club record 62 games before the playoffs started.

(again, where have I heard all this before?)

Charles Barkley was the Suns Hall of Famer in 1993, putting up 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game, along with a block for a good measure. Charles had truly an historic season, one that has not been topped in the valley - either in terms of raw stats or raw impact - since. You could argue that Steve Nash made the same, if not bigger, impact (and certainly a more long-lasting one) but Nash never guided the Suns to the Finals and never in the way that Charles did.

The Suns supporting cast was a who's who for Suns fans: PG Kevin Johnson (MIP, 3-time All-Star, 5-time All-NBA). SG/SF Dan Majerle (3-time All-Star, 2-time All-Defensive). F Tom Chambers (4-time All-Star, 2-time All-NBA). Danny Ainge (1-time All-Star). Ced Ceballos (1-time All-Star). Mark West. Oliver Miller. Richard Dumas. Tim Kempton. 4th-quarter Frank Johnson.

Man, that was an exciting team. The Suns painted the town orange that year. Chambers, Kempton and West still work for the Suns to this day. Ceballos was their in-game entertainer for years. Majerle was a TV guy, then coach. Barkley still lives in the valley. In many ways, the 1993 team is still part of the franchise fabric.

May 18, 1993: Suns beat Spurs 109-97, take 3-2 series lead

Boxscore - courtesy of basketball-reference.com

The Suns returned home for Game 5 after letting the series get tied up 2-2. "It's never very hard to play on the road," shooting guard Danny Ainge quipped. "It's just hard to win on the road."

Feasting on home cooking and a rocking home crowd, the Suns muddled through three tight quarters before Charles Barkley lit up the night with 19 fourth-quarter points, including 16 in a 6-minute stretch. Barkley put the Suns on his back and carried them home when they needed it the most.

Barkley finished the game with 36 points (on 16 shots and 15 free throws) and 12 rebounds. He got great support from Kevin Johnson (15 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds) and Dan Majerle (17 points, 4 rebounds). As a team, the Suns shot 59.7% for the game, a huge improvement over shooting less than 42% in each of the losses in San Antonio.

The crowd was electric. The Suns attendance ranked 5th in the league that year, with every single game sold out and playoff tickets really hard to come by. My dad went to every game and will never forget that series.

Up next: another showdown in the Alamo for Game 6. Could Barkley and the Suns step up on the road?