# 1969–70 Phoenix Suns season

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

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | 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.

## Regular season
### Standings

| Western Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB |
| x-Atlanta Hawks | 48 | 34 | .585 | – |
| x-Los Angeles Lakers | 46 | 36 | .561 | 2 |
| x-Chicago Bulls | 39 | 43 | .476 | 9 |
| x-Phoenix Suns | 39 | 43 | .476 | 9 |
| Seattle SuperSonics | 36 | 46 | .439 | 12 |
| San Francisco Warriors | 30 | 52 | .366 | 18 |
| San Diego Rockets | 27 | 55 | .329 | 21 |

### Record vs. opponents

1969–70 NBA records :
| Team | ATL | BAL | BOS | CHI | CIN | DET | LAL | MIL | NYK | PHI | PHO | SDR | SFW | SEA |
| Atlanta | — | 2–4 | 6–0 | 5–2 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 5–2 | 4–2 |
| Baltimore | 4–2 | — | 5–2 | 5–1 | 4–3 | 5–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 6–0 | 2–4 | 5–1 |
| Boston | 0–6 | 2–5 | — | 3–3 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 1–6 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 2–4 |
| Chicago | 2–5 | 1–5 | 3–3 | — | 3–3 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 0–6 | 3–3 | 5–2 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 4–3 |
| Cincinnati | 3–3 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 3–3 | — | 4–2 | 2–4 | 2–5 | 2–5 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 1–5 |
| Detroit | 3–3 | 2–5 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 2–4 | — | 3–3 | 1–6 | 1–6 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 |
| Los Angeles | 3–4 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 3–3 | — | 3–3 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 5–2 | 5–2 | 6–0 |
| Milwaukee | 3–3 | 3–3 | 6–1 | 2–4 | 5–2 | 6–1 | 3–3 | — | 2–4 | 5–2 | 6–0 | 6–0 | 4–2 | 5–1 |
| New York | 2–4 | 5–1 | 3–4 | 6–0 | 5–2 | 6–1 | 4–2 | 4–2 | — | 5–2 | 6–0 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 4–2 |
| Philadelphia | 3–3 | 4–3 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 5–1 | 2–4 | 2–5 | 2–5 | — | 4–2 | 4–2 | 6–0 | 0–6 |
| Phoenix | 4–2 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 2–5 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 0–6 | 0–6 | 2–4 | — | 7–0 | 3–3 | 4–3 |
| San Diego | 2–4 | 0–6 | 2–4 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 0–6 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 0–7 | — | 5–2 | 4–2 |
| San Francisco | 2–5 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 2–4 | 1–5 | 0–6 | 3–3 | 2–5 | — | 3–4 |
| Seattle | 2–4 | 1–5 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 0–6 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 6–0 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 4–3 | — |

### Game log

1969–70 game log Total: 39–43 (home: 25–16; road: 14–27) :
October: 3–5 (home: 2–2; road: 1–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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
2
October 18
@ Atlanta
L 116–121
Gail Goodrich (28)
Paul Silas (23)
Connie Hawkins (7)
Alexander Memorial Coliseum 3,742
1–1
3
October 21
@ New York
L 116–140
Connie Hawkins (27)
Jim Fox (12)
Gail Goodrich (8)
Madison Square Garden 15,116
1–2
4
October 22
@ Philadelphia
L 119–122
Gail Goodrich (24)
Connie Hawkins (16)
Gail Goodrich (19)
The Spectrum 7,215
1–3
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
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
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
8
October 30
Cincinnati
W 106–104
Gail Goodrich (27)
Neal Walk (13)
Gail Goodrich (7)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,699
3–5 :
November: 5–10 (home: 4–3; road: 1–7)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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
10
November 7
@ Los Angeles
W 122–120
Gail Goodrich (37)
Paul Silas (14)
Dick Van Arsdale (7)
The Forum 10,557
4–6
11
November 9
Detroit
W 140–129
Connie Hawkins (35)
Paul Silas (14)
Gail Goodrich (12)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,500
5–6
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
13
November 14
@ Los Angeles
L 112–127
Jim Fox (39)
Jim Fox (23)
Connie Hawkins (7)
The Forum 8,902
5–8
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
15
November 16
Atlanta
W 139–118
Connie Hawkins (29)
Paul Silas (15)
Gail Goodrich, Connie Hawkins (8)
University Arena 5,094
7–8
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
17
November 19
@ Baltimore
L 118–133
Gail Goodrich (29)
Lamar Green (16)
Dick Van Arsdale (11)
The Spectrum 9,287
7–10
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
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
20
November 23
@ Cincinnati
L 123–137
Jerry Chambers (31)
Connie Hawkins (9)
Gail Goodrich (9)
Cincinnati Gardens 2,866
7–13
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
22
November 29
@ Seattle
L 129–130
Jim Fox (31)
Jim Fox (13)
Dick Van Arsdale (9)
Seattle Center Coliseum 9,418
7–15
23
November 30
Seattle
W 116–108
Connie Hawkins (26)
Paul Silas (13)
Gail Goodrich (5)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 3,621
8–15 :
December: 7–8 (home: 5–4; road: 2–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
24
December 2
Chicago
W 121–110
Dick Van Arsdale (38)
Paul Silas (16)
Gail Goodrich (9)
Salt Palace 3,220
9–15
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
26
December 5
Chicago
W 114–113
Gail Goodrich (28)
Neal Walk (16)
Gail Goodrich (10)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,021
11–15
27
December 7
Detroit
L 113–118
Gail Goodrich (29)
Paul Silas (14)
Gail Goodrich (9)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 4,335
11–16
28
December 9
@ Chicago
L 102–109
Dick Van Arsdale (25)
Paul Silas (14)
Gail Goodrich (8)
Chicago Stadium 10,833
11–17
29
December 10
@ Baltimore
W 137–107
Jim Fox (24)
Paul Silas (16)
Gail Goodrich (7)
Baltimore Civic Center 2,842
12–17
30
December 12
@ Seattle
W 130–116
Connie Hawkins (37)
Lamar Green (7)
Gail Goodrich (11)
Seattle Center Coliseum 6,146
13–17
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
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
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
34
December 20
@ Detroit
L 113–114
Dick Van Arsdale (30)
Paul Silas (12)
Paul Silas (6)
Cobo Arena 5,021
14–20
35
December 21
@ Milwaukee
L 111–118
Connie Hawkins (28)
Paul Silas (16)
Gail Goodrich (12)
Milwaukee Arena 10,201
14–21
36
December 25
Boston
W 127–116
Jim Fox (31)
Paul Silas (18)
Gail Goodrich (14)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 10,137
15–21
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
38
December 30
@ Seattle
L 121–134
Connie Hawkins (37)
Lamar Green (13)
Gail Goodrich (5)
Seattle Center Coliseum 5,201
15–23 :
January: 9–10 (home: 6–4; road: 3–6)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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
40
January 3
Detroit
W 114–109
Jim Fox (29)
Paul Silas (11)
Gail Goodrich (10)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,551
17–23
41
January 4
@ Los Angeles
L 112–120
Jim Fox (27)
Jim Fox (14)
Connie Hawkins (6)
The Forum 11,055
17–24
42
January 6
@ Cincinnati
L 124–128
Dick Van Arsdale (30)
Gail Goodrich (10)
Gail Goodrich (10)
Cincinnati Gardens 3,426
17–25
43
January 8
@ Chicago
L 123–152
Connie Hawkins (29)
Paul Silas (8)
Gail Goodrich (10)
Chicago Stadium 5,086
17–26
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
45
January 10
@ Philadelphia
W 119–117
Dick Van Arsdale (26)
Jim Fox (15)
Gail Goodrich (11)
Baltimore Civic Center 7,423
18–27
46
January 11
@ Cincinnati
W 125–118
Connie Hawkins (39)
Paul Silas (14)
Art Harris (4)
Omaha Civic Auditorium 6,129
19–27
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
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
49
January 17
Seattle
L 131–134
Connie Hawkins (35)
Connie Hawkins (11)
Gail Goodrich (10)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,094
20–29
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
All-Star Break
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
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
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
54
January 25
@ Los Angeles
L 106–118
Gail Goodrich (22)
Connie Hawkins (10)
Connie Hawkins (10)
The Forum 11,483
23–31
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
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
57
January 31
Milwaukee
L 106–107
Connie Hawkins (35)
Paul Silas (20)
Connie Hawkins (6)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 11,814
24–33 :
February: 9–7 (home: 4–2; road: 5–5)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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
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
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
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
62
February 10
@ Boston
W 122–117
Connie Hawkins (35)
Paul Silas (21)
Gail Goodrich (8)
Boston Garden 4,761
29–33
63
February 11
@ Milwaukee
L 120–127
Connie Hawkins (32)
Paul Silas (11)
Connie Hawkins (6)
Milwaukee Arena 10,746
29–34
64
February 12
@ Chicago
L 121–122
Connie Hawkins (37)
Connie Hawkins, Paul Silas (10)
Gail Goodrich (9)
Chicago Stadium 11,190
29–35
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
66
February 15
@ Philadelphia
L 125–159
Dick Van Arsdale (21)
Paul Silas (15)
Art Harris (4)
The Spectrum 8,163
29–37
67
February 17
@ Seattle
W 129–118
Gail Goodrich (44)
Paul Silas (13)
Gail Goodrich (10)
Seattle Center Coliseum 8,220
30–37
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
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
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
71
February 24
@ New York
L 105–121
Connie Hawkins (26)
Connie Hawkins (21)
Art Harris (8)
Madison Square Garden 19,011
31–40
72
February 26
@ Detroit
W 131–123
Connie Hawkins (33)
Paul Silas (15)
Gail Goodrich (7)
Cobo Arena 2,552
32–40
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 :
March: 6–3 (home: 4–1; road: 2–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
74
March 1
@ Atlanta
W 109–98
Connie Hawkins (30)
Connie Hawkins (17)
Gail Goodrich (6)
Alexander Memorial Coliseum 5,735
34–40
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
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
77
March 8
Atlanta
W 130–119
Gail Goodrich (24)
Paul Silas (17)
Connie Hawkins (9)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,526
35–42
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
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
80
March 19
Boston
W 127–123
Gail Goodrich (32)
Connie Hawkins (14)
Connie Hawkins (9)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,570
37–43
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
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 :
1969–70 season schedule :

### Team-by-team results

| Opponent | Home | Road | Total | All-time record | Suns leading scorer | 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

1970 playoff game log :
Division semifinals: 3–4 (home: 2–1; road: 1–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
March 25
@ Los Angeles
L 112–128
Paul Silas (26)
Paul Silas (18)
Connie Hawkins (6)
The Forum 15,046
0–1
2
March 29
@ Los Angeles
W 114–101
Connie Hawkins (34)
Connie Hawkins (20)
Hawkins, Van Arsdale (7)
The Forum 17,501
1–1
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
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
5
April 5
@ Los Angeles
L 121–138
Connie Hawkins (28)
Connie Hawkins (19)
three players tied (5)
The Forum 17,475
3–2
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
7
April 9
@ Los Angeles
L 94–129
Connie Hawkins (25)
Connie Hawkins (15)
Hawkins, Silas (4)
The Forum 17,519
3–4 :
1970 schedule :

## 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
### Season

| Player | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
| Jerry Chambers | 79 | 14.4 | .430 | .728 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 8.3 |
| Jim Fox | 81 | 25.2 | .524 | .770 | 7.0 | 1.1 | 12.9 |
| Gail Goodrich | 81 | 39.9 | .454 | .808^ | 4.2 | 7.5 | 20.0 |
| Lamar Green | 58 | 12.1 | .432 | .586 | 4.8 | 0.3 | 4.2 |
| Art Harris* | 76 | 18.1 | .395 | .656 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 7.8 |
| Connie Hawkins | 81 | 40.9 | .490 | .779 | 10.4 | 4.8 | 24.6 |
| Neil Johnson | 28 | 4.9 | .333 | .667 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 1.7 |
| Stan McKenzie (basketball) | 58 | 9.1 | .393 | .795 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 3.8 |
| Paul Silas | 78 | 36.4 | .464 | .607 | 11.7 | 2.7 | 12.8 |
| Dick Snyder* | 6 | 24.5 | .489 | .875^ | 2.5 | 1.5 | 8.5 |
| Dick Van Arsdale | 77 | 38.5 | .508 | .798 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 21.3 |
| Neal Walk | 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 |
| Jerry Chambers | 7 | 0 | 10.4 | .378 | .625 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 4.7 |
| Jim Fox | 6 | 6 | 29.0 | .362 | .708 | 10.7 | 1.3 | 11.2 |
| Gail Goodrich | 7 | 7 | 37.9 | .475 | .857 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 20.3 |
| Lamar Green | 6 | 0 | 11.5 | .286 | .400 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 3.0 |
| Art Harris | 7 | 0 | 12.7 | .357 | .000 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 4.3 |
| Connie Hawkins | 7 | 7 | 46.9 | .413 | .818 | 13.9 | 5.9 | 25.4 |
| Neil Johnson | 2 | 0 | 3.5 | .333 | . | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Stan McKenzie (basketball) | 7 | 0 | 10.1 | .276 | .800 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 2.9 |
| Paul Silas | 7 | 7 | 40.9 | .422 | .656 | 15.9 | 4.3 | 16.1 |
| Dick Van Arsdale | 7 | 7 | 36.4 | .430 | .879 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 16.4 |
| Neal Walk | 5 | 1 | 12.6 | .395 | .750 | 7.0 | 0.4 | 8.0 |

## Transactions
### Trades

| May 8, 1969 | To Atlanta Hawks Gary Gregor | To Phoenix Suns Paul Silas |
| September 13, 1969 | To Philadelphia 76ers Bill Melchionni | To Phoenix Suns 1970 second-round draft pick ( Joe DePre) |
| September 20, 1969 | To Atlanta Hawks Bumper Tormohlen | To Phoenix Suns 1970 third-round draft pick ( Vann Williford) |
| October 26, 1969 | To Seattle SuperSonics Dick Snyder | To Phoenix Suns Art Harris |

### 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) |