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1969–70 Phoenix Suns season
Professional basketball season
Professional basketball season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| team | Phoenix Suns |
| end_year | 1970 |
| wins | 39 |
| losses | 43 |
| division | Western |
| division_place | 4 |
| gm | Jerry Colangelo |
| owners | Karl Eller, Don Pitt, Don Diamond, Bhavik Darji, Marvin Meyer, Richard L. Bloch |
| arena | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| playoffs | [Division semifinals](1970-nba-playoffs-bracket) |
| (lost to [Lakers](1969-70-los-angeles-lakers-season) 3–4) | |
| bbr_team | PHO |
| television | KTAR-TV |
| radio | KTAR |
- Johnny "Red" Kerr (fired)
- Jerry Colangelo (interim) (lost to Lakers 3–4) The 1969–70 Phoenix Suns season was the second season of the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the first season, however, for eventual Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins, who was a star in the ABA before switching to the NBA to join the Suns. Head coach Johnny "Red" Kerr was replaced by general manager Jerry Colangelo after the Suns started 15–23. All home games were played at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Hawkins led the Suns in scoring with 24.6 points per game, which was also sixth in the league. He teamed with Dick Van Arsdale's 21.3 points to create the highest-scoring season for a Suns duo until the 1977–78 Suns season, when Paul Westphal and Walter Davis combined for 49.4 points.
After a 16–66 finish in 1968–69, Hawkins and the Suns made a 23-game improvement to 39–43, making their first playoff appearance in only their second season. Facing off against Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Division semifinals, the Suns took an improbable 3–1 lead, before falling to the Lakers in seven games. The Suns wouldn't return to the playoffs again until their cinderella run to the NBA Finals in 1976.
Offseason
NBA draft
Main article: 1969 NBA draft
| Phoenix Suns}}" width="10%" | Round | Phoenix Suns}}" width="10%" | Pick | Phoenix Suns}}" width="20%" | Player | Phoenix Suns}}" width="15%" | Position | Phoenix Suns}}" width="15%" | Nationality | Phoenix Suns}}" width="20%" | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Neal Walk | Center | United States | Florida | ||||||
| 2 | 24 | Gene Williams | Forward | United States | Kansas State | ||||||
| 3 | 30 | Floyd Kerr | Guard | United States | Colorado State | ||||||
| 3 | 33 | Lamar Green | Forward | United States | Morehead State | ||||||
| 3 | 39 | Lloyd Kerr | Guard | United States | Colorado State | ||||||
| 4 | 41 | Dennis Stewart | Forward | United States | Michigan | ||||||
| 5 | 58 | Rich Jones | Forward | United States | Memphis | ||||||
| 6 | 72 | Dan Sadlier | Forward | United States | Dayton | ||||||
| 7 | 86 | Bill Sweek | Guard | United States | UCLA | ||||||
| 8 | 100 | Bob Edwards | Center | United States | Arizona State | ||||||
| 9 | 14 | Steve Jennings | Guard | United States | USC | ||||||
| 10 | 128 | Rich Abrahamson | Guard | United States | Oregon | ||||||
| 11 | 142 | Fred Lind | Forward | United States | Duke | ||||||
| 12 | 156 | Bob Miller | Forward | United States | Toledo | ||||||
| 13 | 169 | Andy White | Guard | United States | UTEP | ||||||
| 14 | 180 | Marv Schmidt | Guard | United States | Western New Mexico | ||||||
| 15 | 189 | Bob Beamon | Guard | United States | UTEP | ||||||
| 16 | 195 | Wayne Huckel | Guard | United States | Davidson | ||||||
| 17 | 201 | Howie Dickenman | Center | United States | Central Connecticut | ||||||
| 18 | 207 | Al Nuness | Guard | United States | Minnesota | ||||||
| 19 | 212 | Solomon Davis | Forward | United States | Kentucky State | ||||||
| 20 | 216 | Jim Plump | Forward | United States | Northern Arizona |
Prior to the inception of the NBA draft lottery, the first pick in the draft was decided by a coin flip between the teams with the worst record in the league's two divisions. The NBA's two expansion teams from 1968, the Suns (16–66) and the Milwaukee Bucks (27–55), finished last in the Western Division and Eastern Division, respectively. Prior to the flip, Suns general manager Jerry Colangelo chose "heads", losing the first pick to the Bucks when the coin landed "tails". According to Jerry Colangelo, the coin flip originally landed on heads from what he heard on the phone, but then-commissioner J. Walter Kennedy flip the coin onto his hand to showcase tails instead. The Bucks would select prized UCLA center Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) with the first pick. Alcindor, in three years at UCLA, led the Bruins to three national championships and an 88–2 record. Considered by many to be the greatest college basketball player of all-time, Abdul-Jabbar would lead the Bucks to a championship in just his second season, and would eventually win six Most Valuable Player awards, six NBA Championships, and retire as the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
The Suns would use the second pick to select center Neal Walk from Florida. Walk averaged 25.2 points and 18.4 rebounds per game in his final two seasons with the Gators. Walk would play five seasons with the Suns before being traded to the New Orleans Jazz in 1974. While overshadowed by Abdul-Jabbar, Walk was productive for the Suns, averaging a double-double in two consecutive seasons (20.2 points and 12.4 rebounds in 1972–73 and 16.8 points and 10.2 rebounds in 1973–74). The only other draft pick who played for the franchise was Lamar Green, who, like Walk, would play five seasons with the Suns before being drafted by the Jazz in the 1974 expansion draft. "Leapin' Lamar" was known for his vertical leap and rebounding ability, averaging a career high 9.3 rebounds per game in 1972–73 while playing 25.6 minutes a game. In the fifteenth round, the Suns selected Bob Beamon, a famous track and field athlete who broke Jesse Owens' 25-year world record in the long jump at the 1968 Summer Olympics.
Free agency
Despite losing the number one draft pick to the Bucks, the Suns would win another significant coin flip. The Suns bested the Seattle SuperSonics for the rights to ABA star Connie Hawkins. In his freshman year with Iowa, Hawkins was implicated, without evidence, in a point shaving scandal, which led to his expulsion from the university. While eligible, Hawkins went undrafted in the 1964, 1965 and 1966 NBA drafts, before being officially barred from the league. Hawkins would star in the upstart American Basketball League (ABL), winning the Most Valuable Player Award in the ABL's inaugural 1961–62 season. Hawkins would then spend four years with the Harlem Globetrotters, before joining the Pittsburgh Pipers of the upstart American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1967. Hawkins led the league in scoring, while leading the Pipers to the first ABA championship, and receiving the ABA's first Most Valuable Player Award in 1968. In 1966, Hawkins' attorneys filed a $6 million anti-trust lawsuit against the NBA. In 1969, a Time Magazine article absolved Hawkins from involvement in the point shaving scandal, leading the NBA to pay a $1.3 million settlement and allow Hawkins into the league. "The Hawk" would become the Suns first official star, making the All-NBA First Team in 1970, and appearing in four consecutive All-Star Games. On November 19, 1976, Hawkins became the first player in Suns franchise history to have his number retired. On September 11, 1969, the Suns waived swingman Bob Warlick. Warlick would sign as a free agent with the Los Angeles Stars of the ABA. On October 1, 1969, Dave "Big Daddy D" Lattin was waived. Lattin would later sign with the Pittsburgh Condors of the ABA.
Trades
On May 8, 1969, the Suns traded Gary Gregor to the Atlanta Hawks for Paul Silas. Gregor, the Suns first draft pick, was named to the All-Rookie Team in 1969 after averaging 11.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Silas would join Connie Hawkins and Jim Fox to form a formidable starting frontcourt that would combine to average over 50 points and 29 rebounds a game. As a Sun, Silas would become an All-Star, and be selected to two All-Defensive teams. The Suns also traded the rights to expansion draft picks Bill Melchionni and Bumper Tormohlen for a 1970 second-round draft pick (Joe DePre) and a 1970 third-round draft pick (Vann Williford). Neither pick would play for the franchise.
Roster
- Jerry Colangelo ()
- Joe Proski ()
Regular season
Standings
Game log
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | October 16 | San Diego | W 116–114 | Jim Fox (29) | Paul Silas (15) | Gail Goodrich (9) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,053 | 1–0 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | October 18 | @ Atlanta | L 116–121 | Gail Goodrich (28) | Paul Silas (23) | Connie Hawkins (7) | Alexander Memorial Coliseum 3,742 | 1–1 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | October 21 | @ New York | L 116–140 | Connie Hawkins (27) | Jim Fox (12) | Gail Goodrich (8) | Madison Square Garden 15,116 | 1–2 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4 | October 22 | @ Philadelphia | L 119–122 | Gail Goodrich (24) | Connie Hawkins (16) | Gail Goodrich (19) | The Spectrum 7,215 | 1–3 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | October 24 | Chicago | L 115–116 (OT) | Jim Fox (28) | Jim Fox (14) | Connie Hawkins (10) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 4,576 | 1–4 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6 | October 25 | @ San Diego | W 115–107 | Gail Goodrich (31) | Paul Silas (16) | Gail Goodrich (13) | San Diego Sports Arena 5,269 | 2–4 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 7 | October 26 | Milwaukee | L 99–119 | Jim Fox (22) | Connie Hawkins (14) | Dick Van Arsdale (5) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,149 | 2–5 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 8 | October 30 | Cincinnati | W 106–104 | Gail Goodrich (27) | Neal Walk (13) | Gail Goodrich (7) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,699 | 3–5 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 9 | November 4 | New York | L 99–116 | Connie Hawkins (39) | Paul Silas (9) | Gail Goodrich, Connie Hawkins (4) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 10,552 | 3–6 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 10 | November 7 | @ Los Angeles | W 122–120 | Gail Goodrich (37) | Paul Silas (14) | Dick Van Arsdale (7) | The Forum 10,557 | 4–6 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 11 | November 9 | Detroit | W 140–129 | Connie Hawkins (35) | Paul Silas (14) | Gail Goodrich (12) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,500 | 5–6 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 12 | November 13 | Philadelphia | L 110–124 | Dick Van Arsdale (30) | Jim Fox (14) | Gail Goodrich (7) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,440 | 5–7 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 13 | November 14 | @ Los Angeles | L 112–127 | Jim Fox (39) | Jim Fox (23) | Connie Hawkins (7) | The Forum 8,902 | 5–8 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 14 | November 15 | Los Angeles | W 114–111 | Gail Goodrich (31) | Connie Hawkins (18) | Gail Goodrich (6) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,318 | 6–8 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 15 | November 16 | Atlanta | W 139–118 | Connie Hawkins (29) | Paul Silas (15) | Gail Goodrich, Connie Hawkins (8) | University Arena 5,094 | 7–8 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 16 | November 18 | @ Boston | L 119–120 (OT) | Dick Van Arsdale (32) | Connie Hawkins (17) | Connie Hawkins, Dick Van Arsdale (6) | Baltimore Civic Center 6,028 | 7–9 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 17 | November 19 | @ Baltimore | L 118–133 | Gail Goodrich (29) | Lamar Green (16) | Dick Van Arsdale (11) | The Spectrum 9,287 | 7–10 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 18 | November 21 | @ Baltimore | L 116–126 | Dick Van Arsdale (26) | Connie Hawkins (18) | Gail Goodrich, Connie Hawkins, Dick Van Arsdale (5) | Baltimore Civic Center 5,215 | 7–11 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 19 | November 22 | @ New York | L 114–128 | Dick Van Arsdale (24) | Paul Silas (10) | Gail Goodrich (12) | Madison Square Garden 19,401 | 7–12 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 20 | November 23 | @ Cincinnati | L 123–137 | Jerry Chambers (31) | Connie Hawkins (9) | Gail Goodrich (9) | Cincinnati Gardens 2,866 | 7–13 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 21 | November 25 | Baltimore | L 124–134 | Dick Van Arsdale (30) | Connie Hawkins (16) | Gail Goodrich (10) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,776 | 7–14 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 22 | November 29 | @ Seattle | L 129–130 | Jim Fox (31) | Jim Fox (13) | Dick Van Arsdale (9) | Seattle Center Coliseum 9,418 | 7–15 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 23 | November 30 | Seattle | W 116–108 | Connie Hawkins (26) | Paul Silas (13) | Gail Goodrich (5) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 3,621 | 8–15 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 24 | December 2 | Chicago | W 121–110 | Dick Van Arsdale (38) | Paul Silas (16) | Gail Goodrich (9) | Salt Palace 3,220 | 9–15 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 25 | December 4 | Los Angeles | W 119–109 | Connie Hawkins (28) | Paul Silas (10) | Gail Goodrich (9) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,165 | 10–15 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 26 | December 5 | Chicago | W 114–113 | Gail Goodrich (28) | Neal Walk (16) | Gail Goodrich (10) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,021 | 11–15 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 27 | December 7 | Detroit | L 113–118 | Gail Goodrich (29) | Paul Silas (14) | Gail Goodrich (9) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 4,335 | 11–16 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 28 | December 9 | @ Chicago | L 102–109 | Dick Van Arsdale (25) | Paul Silas (14) | Gail Goodrich (8) | Chicago Stadium 10,833 | 11–17 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 29 | December 10 | @ Baltimore | W 137–107 | Jim Fox (24) | Paul Silas (16) | Gail Goodrich (7) | Baltimore Civic Center 2,842 | 12–17 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 30 | December 12 | @ Seattle | W 130–116 | Connie Hawkins (37) | Lamar Green (7) | Gail Goodrich (11) | Seattle Center Coliseum 6,146 | 13–17 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 31 | December 13 | Cincinnati | W 126–110 | Dick Van Arsdale (31) | Jim Fox (12) | Gail Goodrich (12) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,786 | 14–17 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 32 | December 14 | Cincinnati | L 130–137 (2OT) | Connie Hawkins (37) | Paul Silas (13) | Gail Goodrich (18) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 7,075 | 14–18 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 33 | December 16 | Philadelphia | L 119–141 | Jerry Chambers (23) | Jim Fox, Paul Silas (10) | Gail Goodrich, Art Harris (8) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,268 | 14–19 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 34 | December 20 | @ Detroit | L 113–114 | Dick Van Arsdale (30) | Paul Silas (12) | Paul Silas (6) | Cobo Arena 5,021 | 14–20 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 35 | December 21 | @ Milwaukee | L 111–118 | Connie Hawkins (28) | Paul Silas (16) | Gail Goodrich (12) | Milwaukee Arena 10,201 | 14–21 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 36 | December 25 | Boston | W 127–116 | Jim Fox (31) | Paul Silas (18) | Gail Goodrich (14) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 10,137 | 15–21 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 37 | December 28 | New York | L 116–135 | Connie Hawkins (31) | Paul Silas (12) | Gail Goodrich (11) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 11,286 | 15–22 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 38 | December 30 | @ Seattle | L 121–134 | Connie Hawkins (37) | Lamar Green (13) | Gail Goodrich (5) | Seattle Center Coliseum 5,201 | 15–23 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 39 | January 2 | San Diego | W 121–120 | Connie Hawkins (24) | Connie Hawkins (13) | Gail Goodrich (10) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 4,875 | 16–23 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 40 | January 3 | Detroit | W 114–109 | Jim Fox (29) | Paul Silas (11) | Gail Goodrich (10) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,551 | 17–23 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 41 | January 4 | @ Los Angeles | L 112–120 | Jim Fox (27) | Jim Fox (14) | Connie Hawkins (6) | The Forum 11,055 | 17–24 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 42 | January 6 | @ Cincinnati | L 124–128 | Dick Van Arsdale (30) | Gail Goodrich (10) | Gail Goodrich (10) | Cincinnati Gardens 3,426 | 17–25 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 43 | January 8 | @ Chicago | L 123–152 | Connie Hawkins (29) | Paul Silas (8) | Gail Goodrich (10) | Chicago Stadium 5,086 | 17–26 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 44 | January 9 | @ Milwaukee | L 116–120 | Dick Van Arsdale (26) | Jim Fox (9) | Gail Goodrich, Art Harris, Connie Hawkins (5) | Milwaukee Arena 7,237 | 17–27 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 45 | January 10 | @ Philadelphia | W 119–117 | Dick Van Arsdale (26) | Jim Fox (15) | Gail Goodrich (11) | Baltimore Civic Center 7,423 | 18–27 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 46 | January 11 | @ Cincinnati | W 125–118 | Connie Hawkins (39) | Paul Silas (14) | Art Harris (4) | Omaha Civic Auditorium 6,129 | 19–27 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 47 | January 12 | New York | L 114–130 | Connie Hawkins, Dick Van Arsdale (26) | Connie Hawkins, Paul Silas (13) | Gail Goodrich (6) | Salt Palace 12,384 | 19–28 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 48 | January 15 | Baltimore | W 124–115 | Gail Goodrich, Connie Hawkins (29) | Lamar Green (12) | Gail Goodrich (8) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,636 | 20–28 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 49 | January 17 | Seattle | L 131–134 | Connie Hawkins (35) | Connie Hawkins (11) | Gail Goodrich (10) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,094 | 20–29 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 50 | January 18 | Baltimore | W 134–133 | Dick Van Arsdale (30) | Connie Hawkins (11) | Connie Hawkins (8) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,009 | 21–29 |- align="center" |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 51 | January 22 | Seattle | W 129–120 | Art Harris (23) | Lamar Green (12) | Gail Goodrich, Art Harris (9) | Pan American Center 2,805 | 22–29 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 52 | January 23 | San Francisco | L 132–138 | Connie Hawkins (28) | Connie Hawkins (11) | Gail Goodrich (10) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,024 | 22–30 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 53 | January 24 | @ San Francisco | W 109–99 | Connie Hawkins (25) | Jim Fox (15) | Gail Goodrich, Connie Hawkins (5) | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 6,466 | 23–30 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 54 | January 25 | @ Los Angeles | L 106–118 | Gail Goodrich (22) | Connie Hawkins (10) | Connie Hawkins (10) | The Forum 11,483 | 23–31 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 55 | January 29 | Atlanta | W 111–102 | Dick Van Arsdale (31) | Jim Fox (10) | Dick Van Arsdale (6) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,658 | 24–31 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 56 | January 30 | @ San Francisco | L 116–125 | Connie Hawkins, Dick Van Arsdale (28) | Connie Hawkins (11) | Art Harris, Stan McKenzie (basketball) (5) | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 6,308 | 24–32 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 57 | January 31 | Milwaukee | L 106–107 | Connie Hawkins (35) | Paul Silas (20) | Connie Hawkins (6) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 11,814 | 24–33 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 58 | February 1 | @ San Diego | W 105–103 | Connie Hawkins (24) | Jim Fox, Connie Hawkins (12) | Gail Goodrich (7) | San Diego Sports Arena 4,582 | 25–33 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 59 | February 3 | Philadelphia | W 131–123 | Gail Goodrich, Connie Hawkins (28) | Connie Hawkins (13) | Connie Hawkins (9) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,543 | 26–33 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 60 | February 6 | San Francisco | W 122–117 | Paul Silas (23) | Paul Silas (13) | Gail Goodrich (6) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,599 | 27–33 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 61 | February 7 | Los Angeles | W 121–117 (OT) | Connie Hawkins (37) | Paul Silas (13) | Art Harris, Connie Hawkins (6) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 10,459 | 28–33 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 62 | February 10 | @ Boston | W 122–117 | Connie Hawkins (35) | Paul Silas (21) | Gail Goodrich (8) | Boston Garden 4,761 | 29–33 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 63 | February 11 | @ Milwaukee | L 120–127 | Connie Hawkins (32) | Paul Silas (11) | Connie Hawkins (6) | Milwaukee Arena 10,746 | 29–34 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 64 | February 12 | @ Chicago | L 121–122 | Connie Hawkins (37) | Connie Hawkins, Paul Silas (10) | Gail Goodrich (9) | Chicago Stadium 11,190 | 29–35 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 65 | February 13 | @ Detroit | L 120–132 | Dick Van Arsdale (27) | Connie Hawkins, Paul Silas (10) | Dick Van Arsdale (6) | Cobo Arena 3,029 | 29–36 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 66 | February 15 | @ Philadelphia | L 125–159 | Dick Van Arsdale (21) | Paul Silas (15) | Art Harris (4) | The Spectrum 8,163 | 29–37 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 67 | February 17 | @ Seattle | W 129–118 | Gail Goodrich (44) | Paul Silas (13) | Gail Goodrich (10) | Seattle Center Coliseum 8,220 | 30–37 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 68 | February 18 | Boston | L 113–116 | Dick Van Arsdale (26) | Connie Hawkins (14) | Gail Goodrich (9) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,818 | 30–38 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 69 | February 20 | San Diego | W 126–117 | Gail Goodrich (31) | Paul Silas (15) | Gail Goodrich (12) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,136 | 31–38 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 70 | February 22 | Milwaukee | L 124–144 | Connie Hawkins (25) | Connie Hawkins (14) | Gail Goodrich, Dick Van Arsdale (5) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 11,541 | 31–39 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 71 | February 24 | @ New York | L 105–121 | Connie Hawkins (26) | Connie Hawkins (21) | Art Harris (8) | Madison Square Garden 19,011 | 31–40 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 72 | February 26 | @ Detroit | W 131–123 | Connie Hawkins (33) | Paul Silas (15) | Gail Goodrich (7) | Cobo Arena 2,552 | 32–40 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 73 | February 27 | @ Boston | W 134–125 | Dick Van Arsdale (37) | Connie Hawkins (10) | Connie Hawkins, Paul Silas (6) | Boston Garden 8,933 | 33–40 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 74 | March 1 | @ Atlanta | W 109–98 | Connie Hawkins (30) | Connie Hawkins (17) | Gail Goodrich (6) | Alexander Memorial Coliseum 5,735 | 34–40 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 75 | March 3 | Boston | L 111–123 | Dick Van Arsdale (25) | Paul Silas (15) | Gail Goodrich, Dick Van Arsdale (7) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,699 | 34–41 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 76 | March 6 | @ San Francisco | L 97–107 | Connie Hawkins (27) | Connie Hawkins (15) | Paul Silas (4) | Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Arena 4,316 | 34–42 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 77 | March 8 | Atlanta | W 130–119 | Gail Goodrich (24) | Paul Silas (17) | Connie Hawkins (9) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,526 | 35–42 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 78 | March 15 | @ Atlanta | L 111–126 | Connie Hawkins (30) | Paul Silas (19) | Gail Goodrich, Connie Hawkins (5) | Alexander Memorial Coliseum 6,066 | 35–43 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 79 | March 17 | San Francisco | L 133–121 | Gail Goodrich (36) | Paul Silas (17) | Connie Hawkins, Dick Van Arsdale (7) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,486 | 36–43 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 80 | March 19 | Boston | W 127–123 | Gail Goodrich (32) | Connie Hawkins (14) | Connie Hawkins (9) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,570 | 37–43 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 81 | March 20 | San Diego | W 127–104 | Connie Hawkins (29) | Paul Silas (12) | Connie Hawkins (8) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,026 | 38–43 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 82 | March 22 | @ San Diego | W 130–129 | Connie Hawkins (44) | Connie Hawkins (20) | Gail Goodrich, Connie Hawkins (8) | San Diego Sports Arena 4,558
| 39–43 |
|---|
| ! colspan=2 style="color:#FF8800" |
| } |
Team-by-team results
| Phoenix Suns}}" width="20%" | Opponent | Phoenix Suns}}" width="8%" | Home | Phoenix Suns}}" width="8%" | Road | Phoenix Suns}}" width="8%" | Total | Phoenix Suns}}" width="16%" | All-time record | Phoenix Suns}}" width="20%" | Suns leading scorer | Phoenix Suns}}" width="20%" | Opp. leading scorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Hawks | 3–0 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 4–8 (.333%) | Connie Hawkins (25.8) | Joe Caldwell (24.0) | |||||||
| Baltimore Bullets | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 3–9 (.250%) | Dick Van Arsdale (22.7) | Earl Monroe (20.2) | |||||||
| Boston Celtics | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 4–8 (.333%) | Dick Van Arsdale (25.5) | John Havlicek (24.8) | |||||||
| Chicago Bulls | 2–2 | 0–3 | 2–5 | 4–9 (.308%) | Dick Van Arsdale (25.4) | Bob Love (27.1) | |||||||
| Cincinnati Royals | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 5–7 (.417%) | Connie Hawkins (26.5) | Oscar Robertson (24.7) | |||||||
| Detroit Pistons | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 5–7 (.417%) | Dick Van Arsdale (23.0) | Dave Bing (22.2) | |||||||
| Los Angeles Lakers | 3–0 | 1–3 | 4–3 | 4–9 (.308%) | Connie Hawkins (22.4) | Elgin Baylor (29.0) | |||||||
| Milwaukee Bucks | 0–3 | 0–3 | 0–6 | 2–12 (.143%) | Connie Hawkins (26.5) | Lew Alcindor (25.8) | |||||||
| New York Knicks | 0–3 | 0–3 | 0–6 | 1–11 (.083%) | Connie Hawkins (28.0) | Willis Reed (27.3) | |||||||
| Philadelphia 76ers | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–4 | 3–9 (.250%) | Dick Van Arsdale (21.5) | Billy Cunningham (25.8) | |||||||
| San Diego Rockets | 4–0 | 3–0 | 7–0 | 8–7 (.533%) | Connie Hawkins (25.7) | Elvin Hayes (28.7) | |||||||
| San Francisco Warriors | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 5–7 (.417%) | Connie Hawkins (24.5) | Jerry Lucas (19.5) | |||||||
| Seattle SuperSonics | 2–1 | 2–2 | 4–3 | 7–6 (.538%) | Connie Hawkins (29.9) | Bob Rule (24.3) |
Playoffs
Game log
Main article: 1970 NBA playoffs
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | March 25 | @ Los Angeles | L 112–128 | Paul Silas (26) | Paul Silas (18) | Connie Hawkins (6) | The Forum 15,046 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | March 29 | @ Los Angeles | W 114–101 | Connie Hawkins (34) | Connie Hawkins (20) | Hawkins, Van Arsdale (7) | The Forum 17,501 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | April 2 | Los Angeles | W 112–98 | Gail Goodrich (29) | Paul Silas (16) | Connie Hawkins (9) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,324 | 2–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | April 4 | Los Angeles | W 112–102 | Gail Goodrich (34) | Paul Silas (16) | Gail Goodrich (11) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,356 | 3–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | April 5 | @ Los Angeles | L 121–138 | Connie Hawkins (28) | Connie Hawkins (19) | three players tied (5) | The Forum 17,475 | 3–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 6 | April 7 | Los Angeles | L 93–104 | Connie Hawkins (24) | Paul Silas (21) | Goodrich, Van Arsdale (4) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,386 | 3–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 7 | April 9 | @ Los Angeles | L 94–129 | Connie Hawkins (25) | Connie Hawkins (15) | Hawkins, Silas (4) | The Forum 17,519
| 3–4 |
|---|
Awards and honors
All-Star
- Connie Hawkins was voted as a starter for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. Hawkins led all Western Conference forwards in voting. It was his first All-Star selection in the NBA.
- Dick Van Arsdale was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his second consecutive All-Star selection.
Season
- Connie Hawkins was named to the All-NBA First Team. Hawkins also finished fifth in MVP voting.
Player statistics
| Legend |
|---|
| GP |
| MPG |
| FT% |
| APG |
Season
| Player | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79 | 14.4 | .430 | .728 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 8.3 | |
| 81 | 25.2 | .524 | .770 | 7.0 | 1.1 | 12.9 | |
| 81 | 39.9 | .454 | .808^ | 4.2 | 7.5 | 20.0 | |
| 58 | 12.1 | .432 | .586 | 4.8 | 0.3 | 4.2 | |
| * | 76 | 18.1 | .395 | .656 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 7.8 |
| 81 | 40.9 | .490 | .779 | 10.4 | 4.8 | 24.6 | |
| 28 | 4.9 | .333 | .667 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 1.7 | |
| 58 | 9.1 | .393 | .795 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 3.8 | |
| 78 | 36.4 | .464 | .607 | 11.7 | 2.7 | 12.8 | |
| * | 6 | 24.5 | .489 | .875^ | 2.5 | 1.5 | 8.5 |
| 77 | 38.5 | .508 | .798 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 21.3 | |
| 82 | 17.0 | .470 | .640 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 8.2 |
- – Stats with the Suns.
^ – Minimum 70 games played.
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | 10.4 | .378 | .625 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 4.7 | |
| 6 | 6 | 29.0 | .362 | .708 | 10.7 | 1.3 | 11.2 | |
| 7 | 7 | 37.9 | .475 | .857 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 20.3 | |
| 6 | 0 | 11.5 | .286 | .400 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 3.0 | |
| 7 | 0 | 12.7 | .357 | .000 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 4.3 | |
| 7 | 7 | 46.9 | .413 | .818 | 13.9 | 5.9 | 25.4 | |
| 2 | 0 | 3.5 | .333 | . | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | |
| 7 | 0 | 10.1 | .276 | .800 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 2.9 | |
| 7 | 7 | 40.9 | .422 | .656 | 15.9 | 4.3 | 16.1 | |
| 7 | 7 | 36.4 | .430 | .879 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 16.4 | |
| 5 | 1 | 12.6 | .395 | .750 | 7.0 | 0.4 | 8.0 |
Transactions
Trades
Free agents
Additions
| Date | Player | Contract | Former Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 20, 1969 | Connie Hawkins | Undisclosed | Minnesota Pipers (ABA) |
Subtractions
| Date | Player | Reason left | New team |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 11, 1969 | Bob Warlick | Waived | Los Angeles Stars (ABA) |
| October 1, 1969 | Dave Lattin | Waived | Pittsburgh Condors (ABA) |
References
References
- "Tip-Off Timer: How '69 Coin Flip Cursed The Phoenix Suns". AOLnews.com.
- (2018-07-19). "Phoenix Suns Since '68: The Coin Flip".
- "Chuck Klosterman on Lew Alcindor, Pete Maravich, Bill Walton, and the 50 greatest basketball players in college basketball history". Grantland.com.
- "100 Best Players in College Basketball History". BleacherReport.com.
- (8 March 2008). "25 Greatest Players In College Basketball". ESPN.go.com.
- "Neal Walk". TheDraftReview.com.
- "Neal Walk NBA & ABA Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com.
- (January 7, 1973). "Green leaping into spotlight". Rome News-Tribune.
- "Lamar Green NBA & ABA Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com.
- "NBA.com: Draft Oddities". NBA.com.
- "Layups: More Info on Connie Hawkins". ESPN.go.com.
- "NBA.com: Connie Hawkins Summary". NBA.
- "Remember the ABA: Connie Hawkins". RemembertheABA.com.
- "Connie Hawkins Biography". vegasbettinglines.com.
- "SUNS: The Starting Five". NBA.com/Suns.
- "Bob Warlick NBA & ABA Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com.
- "Dave Lattin NBA & ABA Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com.
- "Gary Gregor NBA & ABA Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com.
- "Paul Silas NBA & ABA Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com.
- "1969–70 Phoenix Suns Transactions". Basketball-Reference.com.
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