The

1989–90 NBA season The 1989–90 NBA season was the 44th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Detroit Pistons winning their second consecutive NBA Championship, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. ...

was the 21st season for the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

.record. Cotton Fitzsimmons was

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

for a club that returned to the Western Conference Finals. All home games were played at

Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, also called the Madhouse Coliseum or Phoenix Memorial Coliseum, is a 14,870-seat multi-purpose indoor arena in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, located at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. It hosted the Phoenix Su ...

. In December, the team traded

Armen Gilliam Armen Louis Gilliam (born Armon Louis Gilliam; May 28, 1964 – July 5, 2011) was an American professional basketball player who played 13 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1987 to 2000. He also played one season for the P ...

to the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

in exchange for Kurt Rambis, who won four championships with the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. The Suns held a 28–17 record at the All-Star break, and finished third in the Pacific Division with a 54–28 record. Tom Chambers averaged 27.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while last season's Most Improved Player, Kevin Johnson averaged 22.5 points and 11.4 assists per game. Chambers and Johnson were both selected for the

1990 NBA All-Star Game The 40th National Basketball Association All-Star Game was played on February 11, 1990, at Miami Arena in Miami. Magic Johnson was named the game's MVP as well as the leading scorer with 22 points. The Eastern Conference All-Star Starters as ...

, which was Johnson's first All-Star selection, and were both named to the

All-NBA Second Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

at season's end. In addition,

Jeff Hornacek Jeffrey John Hornacek (; born May 3, 1963) is an American professional basketball coach and a former player who is a coaching consultant for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously was the head coach for both the ...

provided the team with 17.6 points, 5.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while sixth man Eddie Johnson provided with 16.9 points per game off the bench, second-year guard Dan Majerle contributed 11.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game also off the bench, and Mark West averaged 10.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. In the Western Conference First Round of the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

, the Suns lost Game 1 to the 4th-seeded

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

, but managed to defeat them in five games. In the Western Conference Semi-finals, they upset

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...

and the top-seeded

in five games, but lost to the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

four games to two in the Western Conference finals. The Blazers would lose to the defending champion

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in five games in the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

. The season was also highlighted by Chambers setting a franchise record for

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

scored in one game, when on February 18, 1990, he scored 56 points in a 131–113 road win over the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. Just over a month later, he would break his own record when he scored 60 against his former team, the Seattle SuperSonics on March 24, 1990, which the Suns won at home, 121–95. Chambers' record would be broken by

Devin Booker Devin Armani Booker (born October 30, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball, ...

on March 24th, 2017 by scoring 70 points against the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

, and technically a second time on January 26th, 2024 against the Indiana Pacers with 62 points.

NBA draft

The Suns traded first-round pick Anthony Cook on draft night to the

for 27th pick Kenny Battle and Micheal Williams. Battle played for a season and a half before being waived in January 1991. Micheal Williams would play six games for the Suns before being waived. The Suns received the 46th pick ( Ricky Blanton) from the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

when they traded

Craig Hodges Craig Anthony Hodges (born June 27, 1960)
''basketball-reference.com''. Retrieved March 19, 2011 is an ...

for Ed Nealy. Blanton, after knee surgery, sat on the bench for the 89–90 season, and was waived shortly after the start of the 90–91 season. Mike Morrison played sparingly in the 89–90 season, and was traded before the start of the 90–91 season. Greg Grant played the season as a backup to Kevin Johnson, before being released in the 1990 offseason.

Roster

Regular season

Standings

Record vs. opponents

Playoffs

The Suns entered the postseason as the fifth seed in the Western Conference, opening the playoffs against the fourth-seeded

. With stomach flu limiting All-Star point guard Kevin Johnson to only 9 minutes, the Jazz took game one with a 17-point victory in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

. Johnson returned for game two, leading the Suns to an 18-point victory. After splitting two games in Phoenix, the Suns headed back to Salt Lake for the decisive fifth game. Kevin Johnson sealed the game with a last-second jump shot to give the Suns a 104–102 victory. The Suns would next face-off against the top-seeded

, who finished the season with a league-best 63–19 record. Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons came into game one with an 0–37 record coaching against the Lakers at the

Great Western Forum The Kia Forum, also known as Los Angeles Forum and formerly Great Western Forum, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Inglewood, California, United States, adjacent to Los Angeles. Located on West Manchester Boulevard, with Laffit Pincay Jr., P ...

. The Suns had lost 21 consecutive games at the Forum dating back to 1984. They ended the streak with a 104–102 upset, stealing homecourt advantage. Center Mark West led the Suns with 24 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocks. The Lakers would recover in game two, blowing out the Suns 100–124 to even the series. After winning games three and four in Phoenix, the Suns returned to the Forum with a 3–1 series lead. Despite an early 15-point lead and a 43-point performance from

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

, the Suns rallied to a 106–103 victory, behind 37 points from Kevin Johnson. The Suns headed to the Western Conference finals to face the

. Looking to steal homecourt advantage for the third straight series, the Suns fell 98–100 in a closely contested game one. A last second shot from reserve shooting guard Mike McGee was blocked by Blazers guard Danny Young. Game two saw the Suns run to a 22-point lead in the second quarter, finishing the first half leading 59–41. The Blazers launched a furious second-half comeback, tying the game 106–106 after a

Terry Porter Terry Porter (born April 8, 1963) is an American former college basketball coach and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was most recently the head men's basketball coach at the Portland Pilots, University of Portland ...

three-pointer with 28 seconds left. Kevin Johnson was immediately fouled, missing the first free throw and making the second to give the Suns a one-point lead. Porter would give the Blazers the lead after a 14-foot jump shot with 12 seconds left. Suns forward Eddie Johnson missed a 20-foot jumper with 4 seconds left, giving the Blazers a 108–107 victory. The Suns would beat the Blazers by 34 and 12 in games three and four in Phoenix, before the Blazers retook the series lead with a 6-point victory in game five. Fortune turned against the Suns in game six, when Kevin Johnson went down with a hamstring injury at the end of the second quarter. Shooting guard

led the team in Johnson's absence, scoring a career playoff high 36 points. The Suns led 109–108 with 55 seconds left in the game. Blazers forward Jerome Kersey blocked a shot by Hornacek and scored a fast-break layup, giving the Blazers a 110–109 lead with 27 seconds left. Looking to regain the lead, Suns forward Tom Chambers had the ball stripped by

Buck Williams Charles Linwood "Buck" Williams (born March 8, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was well known for his rebounding ability and trademark goggles. Williams, ...

. Star

Clyde Drexler Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player who currently works as the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Bask ...

would make two free-throws to put the Blazers up 112–109. Hornacek missed a last-second three-pointer, ending the Suns unlikely playoff run.

Game log

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , April 27 , @

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

L 96–113
, Dan Majerle (23) , Kurt Rambis (9) ,

(6) ,

Salt Palace The Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center, more commonly known as the Salt Palace, is a convention center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Named after Utah's 11th governor, Calvin L. Rampton, the moniker "Salt Palace" was previously used by ...

12,616 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 29 , @

W 105–87
, Kevin Johnson (22) , Mark West (21) , Kevin Johnson (7) ,

12,616 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 2 ,

W 120–105
, Kevin Johnson (29) , Mark West (10) , Kevin Johnson (12) ,

14,487 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 4 ,

L 94–105
, Eddie Johnson (33) , Mark West (11) , Kevin Johnson (13) ,

14,487 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 6 , @

W 104–102
, Tom Chambers (32) , Mark West (11) , Kevin Johnson (9) ,

12,616 , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 8 , @ L.A. Lakers
W 104–102
, Tom Chambers (26) , Mark West (16) , Kevin Johnson (12) ,

17,505 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 10 , @ L.A. Lakers
L 100–124
,

(18) , five players tied (5) , Kevin Johnson (12) ,

17,505 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 12 , L.A. Lakers
W 117–103
, Tom Chambers (34) , Chambers, K. Johnson (7) , Kevin Johnson (8) ,

14,487 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , May 13 , L.A. Lakers
W 114–101
, Kevin Johnson (30) , Mark West (15) , Kevin Johnson (16) ,

14,487 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 15 , @ L.A. Lakers
W 106–103
, Kevin Johnson (37) , Mark West (16) , Kevin Johnson (8) ,

17,505 , 4–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , May 21 , @ Portland
L 98–100
, Tom Chambers (29) , Mark West (12) , Kevin Johnson (11) , Memorial Coliseum
12,884 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 23 , @ Portland
L 107–108
, Tom Chambers (28) , Tom Chambers (14) , Kevin Johnson (8) , Memorial Coliseum
12,884 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 25 , Portland
W 123–89
, Tom Chambers (24) ,

Andrew Lang Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 – 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a folkloristics, collector of folklore, folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectur ...

(10) , Kevin Johnson (12) ,

14,487 , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , May 27 , Portland
W 119–107
, Kevin Johnson (28) , Mark West (12) , Kevin Johnson (17) ,

14,487 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 5 , May 29 , @ Portland
L 114–120
, Kevin Johnson (28) , Tom Chambers (13) , Kevin Johnson (14) , Memorial Coliseum
12,884 , 2–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 6 , May 31 , Portland
L 109–112
,

(36) , Kurt Rambis (12) , Hornacek, K. Johnson (6) ,

14,487 , 2–4 , -

Player statistics

Season

* – Stats with the Suns.
† – Minimum 25 three-pointers made.
^ – Minimum 125 free throws made.

Playoffs

Awards and honors

Week/Month

* Tom Chambers was named Player of the Week for games played February 5 through February 18. * Kevin Johnson was named Player of the Week for games played March 12 through March 18.

All-Star

* Tom Chambers was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

. Chambers finished 9th in voting among Western Conference forwards with 64,028 votes. * Kevin Johnson was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the

. Johnson finished 6th in voting among Western Conference guards with 78,812 votes.

Season

* Tom Chambers was named to the

. Chambers finished 8th in

voting. * Kevin Johnson was named to the

. * Eddie Johnson finished 3rd in Sixth Man of the Year voting. He won the award the previous year in the 1988–89 season. * Mark West led the league in

field goal percentage Field goal percentage in basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. Its abbreviation is FG%. Although three-point field goal percentage is often calculated separately, three-point field goals are included in the gene ...

, making .625% of his shots.

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

Player Transactions Citation:

References

Standings on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1989-90 Phoenix Suns season Phoenix Suns seasons