|
|
The Suns were created in 1968 by former Chicago Bulls assistant coach and Arizona sports magnate Jerry Colangelo. In the 1970s, Suns coach experienced mild success, combining the skills of such NBA players as 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. In 1976, the year the movie Rocky was released, the Suns proved to be a real-life basketball version of Rocky. The Suns finished the season with 42 wins and 40 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 5 was a triple-overtime classic that is measured by many to be the supreme game in NBA Basketball history.
The next few years for the NBA team were not as successful. In 1987 the Maricopa County Attorney's Office indicted 13 people on drug-related charges, of which three were active Suns players (which are James Edwards, Jay Humphries and Grant Gondrezick). These indictments were partly based on testimony from star player Walter Davis, who was given protection. No defendants ever went to trial: two of the NBA players went into a prosecution diversion program, while another established probation. Nevertheless, the scandal, although now perceived in many respects to be a witchhunt, tarnished the reputation of the franchise both nationally and within the community. The scandal did provide an opening for then-general manager Jerry Colangelo to lead a group that bought the Suns team for a $44 million, a record at that time.
|
|
|
