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Phoenix Suns · Franchise era 1 of 7

Expansion to the 1976 Finals: the Phoenix Suns story

Franchise era

1968–69—1975–76

Expansion to the 1976 Finals

Phoenix Suns

The story in one sentence

Phoenix grew from expansion team into an improbable finalist, pushing Boston through one of the greatest Finals games ever.

01

The Sunderella run

02

Connie Hawkins, Paul Westphal and Alvan Adams gave the era its recognizable core.

03

Its ending created the conditions for a steady western presence.

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. The foundation

    The franchise context

    Phoenix has produced some of the league's most memorable teams without securing the final win: the 1976 underdogs, Barkley's finalists, Nash's pace revolution and Booker's new contender.

  2. 1970

    Western Conference First Round: Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers

    Western ConferenceFirst Round
    1970
    PHOENIXSUNS
    LOS ANGELESLAKERS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Western Conference First Round · 7 games

    Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 7 · Apr 9, 1970Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers →Closest game · Game 4 · Apr 4, 1970Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix Suns →

  3. 1976

    Western Conference Semifinals: Phoenix Suns vs Golden State Warriors

    Western ConferenceSemifinals
    1976
    PHOENIXSUNS
    GOLDEN STATEWARRIORS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Western Conference Semifinals · 7 games

    Phoenix Suns vs Golden State Warriors

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 7 · May 16, 1976Phoenix Suns at Golden State Warriors →Closest game · Game 6 · May 14, 1976Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns →

  4. 1976

    NBA Finals: Phoenix Suns vs Boston Celtics

    NBA Finals
    1976
    PHOENIXSUNS
    BOSTONCELTICS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    NBA Finals · 6 games

    Phoenix Suns vs Boston Celtics

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 6 · Jun 6, 1976Boston Celtics at Phoenix Suns →Closest game · Game 4 · Jun 2, 1976Boston Celtics at Phoenix Suns →

  5. After 1975–76

    What came next

    The Suns remained a frequent playoff team behind fluid offense before off-court turmoil forced a broad reset.

The core

Faces of the chapter

01Connie Hawkins→02Paul Westphal→03Alvan Adams→
Next era →A steady Western presence1976–77—1987–88