Team:
Phoenix Suns
Sport: NBA Basketball
Background: The Phoenix Suns
are a National Basketball Association team
based in Phoenix, Arizona.
Founded: 1968
Home Arena: America West
Arena
Uniform colors: Purple and
Orange
Logo design: A burning basketball,
the letters "PHX" superimposed
Franchise history:
The Suns came to the Valley of the Sun in
1968. They began with a victory over the Seattle
SuperSonics on opening night.
The brainchild of former Chicago Bulls assistant
coach and Arizona sports magnate Jerry Colangelo,
the Suns in the 1970s had mild success, combining
the talents of such players like Dick Van
Arsdale (The Original Sun), his twin brother
Tom Van Arsdale, Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins,
Len "Truck" Robinson, Alvan Adams,
and center Neal Walk, who sadly, in 1974 had
a car accident that left him paralyzed. In
1976, the year the movie Rocky was released,
the Suns proved to be a real-life, basketball
version of Rocky. They finished the season
with 40 wins and 42 losses, but shockingly
they beat the defending NBA champion Golden
State Warriors in the playoffs and went on
to play the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals,
giving the Celtics a tough battle before falling
in 6 games. Game 3 was a triple-overtime classic
that is considered by many to be the greatest
game in NBA history.
