# 1975–76 Phoenix Suns season

The 1975–76 Phoenix Suns season was the eighth season for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. The season included an improbable run to the NBA Finals by a team that had never won a playoff series and made the playoffs only one other season in the franchise's existence.
With a regular season record of 42–40, the Suns had finished third in the Pacific division standings and improved upon last season's win total by 10 games. The ensuing playoff run took plenty by surprise, including a seven-game series win against the Western Conference's top seed and defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, a team that had finished 17 games ahead of the Suns in the divisional standings.
The franchise's first Finals appearance pitted them against a 12-time champion in the Boston Celtics, whose roster featured three players from that season's All-Star Game. The 1976 NBA Finals would feature a memorable Game 5 triple-overtime thriller filled with controversies, in which the Suns narrowly lost. Returning home for Game 6, the demoralized Suns would lose Game 6 and the series but not before endearing a generation of fans to the Suns franchise and showcasing basketball from the desert southwest.
The team's "Cinderella" season earned them the nickname Sunderella Suns. John MacLeod was head coach and the Suns played their home games at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

## Offseason
### NBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
| 1 | 4 | Alvan Adams | Center | United States | Oklahoma |
| 1 | 16 | Ricky Sobers | Guard | United States | UNLV |
| 2 | 35 | Allen Murphy | Guard | United States | Louisville |
| 2 | 36 | Jimmy Dan Conner | Guard | United States | Kentucky |
| 3 | 54 | Bayard Forrest | Center | United States | Grand Canyon |
| 4 | 58 | Sam McCants | Guard | United States | Oral Roberts |
| 5 | 76 | Joe Pace | Center | United States | Coppin State |
| 6 | 94 | Clark "Biff" Burrell | Guard | United States | USC |
| 7 | 112 | Dave Edmunds | Guard | United States | West Georgia |
| 8 | 130 | Jack Schrader | Forward | United States | Arizona State |
| 9 | 147 | Owen Brown | Forward | United States | Maryland |
| 10 | 163 | Mike Moon | Guard | United States | Arizona State |
Finishing the previous season with a 32–50 record, the Suns earned the fourth pick in the draft, which they used to select center Alvan Adams from Oklahoma. Adams averaged 23.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game in three seasons with the Sooners. With averages of 19 points, 9.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks a game, Adams would become an All-Star in his first NBA season, and go on to be named Rookie of the Year. Adams would spend his entire 13-year career with the Suns, and would have his #33 jersey retired by the franchise in 1988.
On draft day, the Suns traded one of their 1976 first-round picks (acquired from a trade with the New Orleans Jazz in 1974) to the Buffalo Braves for the 16th pick in the 1975 draft. The Suns used their additional pick to select guard Ricky Sobers from UNLV. In 1976, the Braves would use the sixth pick to select future Hall of Famer Adrian Dantley. Sobers would play two seasons for the Suns, contributing significantly to their Finals run, before being traded to the Indiana Pacers for Don Buse.
In the third round, the Suns selected center Bayard Forrest from Grand Canyon University. Forrest would play another season with the Antelopes, and be drafted again by the Seattle SuperSonics in 1976. The Sonics would trade the rights to Forrest back to the Suns in 1977 for a 1979 second-round pick. Forrest played two seasons for the Suns as a backup center, before being sidelined by thyroid cancer, forcing him to retire in 1980.

### Free agency

On June 10, the Suns signed free agent point guard Dennis "Mo" Layton. Layton began his career with the Suns in 1971, playing two seasons before being waived. He would then play for the Portland Trail Blazers and the Memphis Tams of the ABA in 1973–74, and sit for the 1974–75 season as a free agent. Layton was waived by the Suns during the preseason and would again sit through 1975–76 season as a free agent.
On October 24, the Suns claimed veteran swingman John Wetzel off of waivers from the Atlanta Hawks. Wetzel would play sparingly throughout the season, averaging 6.7 minutes in 37 regular season games, and 2.5 minutes in two playoff games. Wetzel had played for the Suns from 1970 to 1972, and would spend his final season with the Suns before retiring in August 1976. Wetzel would later become an assistant coach with the Suns from 1979 to 1987, before becoming the team's head coach for the 1987–88 season.

### Trades

On May 23, the Suns traded three-time All-Star guard Charlie Scott to the Boston Celtics for guard Paul Westphal, a 1975 second-round draft pick, and a 1976 second-round draft pick. Suns general manager Jerry Colangelo released this statement after the trade:
   It takes a team concept of play to win in this league. Although Charlie Scott is a talent, our decision was made on the basis that Scott's talents were of an individual nature and did not fit into a team style of play. In Paul Westphal, we are acquiring a player from a winning situation. He is a stable, quality individual who will add leadership and experience to our club. We are confident that this decision will prove to be a major step in developing a winner and that the Phoenix Suns are more important than any one individual.
Westphal had spent his first three years playing a limited role for Boston, but would blossom as a starter for the Suns. From 1976–77 to 1979–80, Westphal would make four consecutive All-Star appearances, voted as a starter three times, and be named to four All-NBA Teams, including three First Team selections. Scott's minutes and points would decrease with the Celtics, and he would not again be selected as an All-Star. Later, Westphal would join the Suns for a second stint during the 1983-84 NBA season, his last in the NBA as a player. Westphal would then pursue a coaching career eventually joining the Suns as an assistant coach in 1988 under Cotton Fitzsimmons and would succeed him as head coach in 1992 and coach the Suns to their second Finals appearance.
On May 28, the Suns traded center Earl Williams to the Detroit Pistons for forward Willie Norwood. Unable to play in training camp due to knee injuries, the Suns exercised a contract clause that allowed them to send Norwood back to the Pistons. On September 30, the Pistons would send the Suns a 1976 second-round draft pick as compensation for Williams.
On June 9, the Suns traded a 1976 second-round draft pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for guard Phil Lumpkin. Playing the 1975–76 season as a backup point guard, Lumpkin would average 2.1 points and 1.4 assists in 34 regular season games, and 1.8 points and 1.2 assists in 17 playoff games. Lumpkin was waived prior to the 1976–77 season and would not play in the NBA again.
On September 17, the Suns traded guard Greg Jackson to the Washington Bullets for future draft considerations. Jackson was waived by the Bullets a month later and did not play in the NBA again.

## Preseason

The Suns held their training camp from September 25 to October 5 at the Yavapai College Gymnasium in Prescott, Arizona. The initial training camp roster consisted of returning Suns Dennis Awtrey, Mike Bantom, Keith Erickson, Nate Hawthorne, Gary Melchionni, Curtis Perry, Fred Saunders and Dick Van Arsdale, as well as newly acquired players Mo Layton, Phil Lumpkin, Willie Norwood and Paul Westphal, rookies Alvan Adams, John Shumate and Ricky Sobers, and training camp invitee Duane Read. Norwood, acquired in an earlier trade with the Detroit Pistons, was unable to play due to knee problems and sent back to the Pistons on October 30. Layton was waived on October 2 after appearing in one exhibition game. Read, a free agent guard from Portland State, had impressed the Suns staff during Los Angeles summer league play and was invited to training camp. Read started in the Suns first preseason game but was cut from the roster before the season. Melchionni was waived on October 24, one day prior to the start of the regular season. Melchionni had played with the Suns for the last two years as a backup point guard, averaging 7.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 137 games.
The loss of Norwood and injuries to Awtrey, Lumpkin, Melchionni and Saunders cut the team's initial preseason roster down to 11. Even with an abbreviated roster, the Suns finished the preseason with a 5–1 record, including three wins over the rival Los Angeles Lakers, a win over the Seattle SuperSonics, and a win over the Kansas City Kings. Their one loss came at the hands of the Kings, who beat the Suns 105–109 in overtime to close the preseason. Westphal led the Suns with 21.2 points a game in exhibition play, while Adams averaged 15.3 points and a team high 6.2 assists a game. Not included in the Suns preseason record was an exhibition game against the United States Pan American team on October 6 at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The collegiate squad, who would go on to win the gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games, narrowly defeated the Suns 72–70 off a last second layup from future NBA champion Johnny Davis.

### Game log

1975 preseason game log :
October: 5–1
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsLocation AttendanceRecordStreak
1
October 1
Los Angeles
W 114–112
Alvan Adams (24)
Robertson Gymnasium
1–0
W 1
2
October 8
Los Angeles
W 111–106
Alvan Adams (17)
Bakersfield, CA
2–0
W 2
3
October 11
Los Angeles
W 104–94
Paul Westphal (26)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
3–0
W 3
4
October 12
Seattle
W 104–92
Paul Westphal (32)
Ellensburg, WA
4–0
W 4
5
October 18
Kansas City
W 101–90
5–0
W 5
6
November 8
Kansas City
L 105–109 (OT)
Paul Westphal (17)
Las Vegas, NV
5–1
L 1 :

## Regular season
### Standings

| Pacific Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
| y-Golden State Warriors | 59 | 23 | .720 | – | 36–5 | 23–18 | 17–9 |
| x-Seattle SuperSonics | 43 | 39 | .524 | 16 | 31–10 | 12–29 | 12–14 |
| x-Phoenix Suns | 42 | 40 | .512 | 17 | 27–14 | 15–26 | 15–11 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 40 | 42 | .488 | 19 | 31–11 | 9–31 | 10–16 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 37 | 45 | .451 | 22 | 25–15 | 12–30 | 11–15 |
| # | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| 1 | z-Golden State Warriors | 59 | 23 | .720 | – |
| 2 | x-Seattle SuperSonics | 43 | 39 | .524 | 16 |
| 3 | x-Phoenix Suns | 42 | 40 | .512 | 17 |
| 4 | y-Milwaukee Bucks | 38 | 44 | .463 | 21 |
| 5 | x-Detroit Pistons | 36 | 46 | .439 | 23 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Lakers | 40 | 42 | .488 | 19 |
| 7 | Portland Trail Blazers | 37 | 45 | .451 | 22 |
| 8 | Kansas City Kings | 31 | 51 | .378 | 28 |
| 9 | Chicago Bulls | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 |

### Record vs. opponents

1975–76 NBA records :
| Team | ATL | BOS | BUF | CHI | CLE | DET | GSW | HOU | KCK | LAL | MIL | NOJ | NYK | PHI | PHO | POR | SEA | WAS |
| Atlanta | — | 2–3 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 2–5 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–5 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–5 |
| Boston | 3–2 | — | 4–3 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 5–2 | 4–3 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–2 |
| Buffalo | 3–2 | 3–4 | — | 3–1 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 4–3 | 3–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–3 |
| Chicago | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | — | 0–4 | 3–4 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 1–6 | 3–2 | 3–4 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 2–3 | 0–4 |
| Cleveland | 5–2 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 4–0 | — | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–4 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 4–3 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 4–2 |
| Detroit | 3–1 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 4–3 | 2–2 | — | 0–5 | 2–2 | 5–2 | 1–4 | 3–4 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 2–2 |
| Golden State | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 5–0 | — | 2–2 | 4–1 | 5–2 | 5–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 3–1 |
| Houston | 5–2 | 1–4 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | — | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–4 |
| Kansas City | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 6–1 | 3–1 | 2–5 | 1–4 | 2–2 | — | 2–3 | 2–5 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 0–5 | 2–3 | 1–3 |
| Los Angeles | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–5 | 3–1 | 3–2 | — | 2–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 1–3 |
| Milwaukee | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 4–3 | 0–4 | 4–3 | 0–5 | 2–2 | 5–2 | 3–2 | — | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 2–2 |
| New Orleans | 4–2 | 1–4 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 3–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | — | 2–3 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 4–3 |
| New York | 2–3 | 2–5 | 3–4 | 4–0 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–2 | — | 5–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 3–2 |
| Philadelphia | 3–2 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 4–0 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–5 | — | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–3 |
| Phoenix | 4–0 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 4–1 | 2–4 | 4–0 | 2–3 | 4–2 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | — | 5–2 | 4–3 | 0–4 |
| Portland | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 0–4 | 3–2 | 2–4 | 1–3 | 5–0 | 4–3 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–5 | — | 3–3 | 2–2 |
| Seattle | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 3–4 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–4 | 3–3 | — | 1–3 |
| Washington | 5–1 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 2–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 4–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–4 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | — |

### Game log

1975–76 game log Total: 42–40 (home: 27–14; road: 15–26) :
October: 1–1 (home: 0–0; road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsLocation AttendanceRecordStreak
1
October 25
@ Portland
W 89–88
Paul Westphal (17)
Memorial Coliseum 11,274
1–0
W 1
2
October 26
@ Seattle
L 99–113
Alvan Adams (29)
Seattle Center Coliseum 13,288
1–1
L 1 :
November: 6–6 (home: 5–1; road: 1–5)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsLocation AttendanceRecordStreak
3
November 1
@ Kansas City
L 100–106
Paul Westphal (22)
Kemper Arena 6,632
1–2
L 2
4
November 4
@ Chicago
W 96–80
Alvan Adams (18)
Chicago Stadium 5,216
2–2
W 1
5
November 7
@ Philadelphia
L 99–103
Curtis Perry (21)
The Spectrum 9,549
2–3
L 1
6
November 8
@ Buffalo
L 105–110
Paul Westphal (29)
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 10,253
2–4
L 2
7
November 11
New York
W 112–81
Paul Westphal (21)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 8,576
3–4
W 1
8
November 13
Seattle
W 106–103
Dick Van Arsdale (20)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,016
4–4
W 2
9
November 14
@ Los Angeles
L 107–114
Alvan Adams (35)
The Forum 11,450
4–5
L 1
10
November 19
Milwaukee
L 94–96
Dick Van Arsdale (18)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,582
4–6
L 2
11
November 21
Houston
W 107–92
Paul Westphal (22)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,230
5–6
W 1
12
November 26
Buffalo
W 107–106
John Shumate (25)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 8,157
6–6
W 2
13
November 28
Portland
W 110–101
Paul Westphal (21)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 7,769
7–6
W 3
14
November 29
@ Golden State
L 100–112
Paul Westphal (27)
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 12,787
7–7
L 1 :
December: 8–7 (home: 5–5; road: 3–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsLocation AttendanceRecordStreak
15
December 2
Golden State
W 115–98
Alvan Adams (23)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,179
8–7
W 1
16
December 5
Washington
L 87–92
Alvan Adams (17)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 8,065
8–8
L 1
17
December 7
Chicago
W 114–97
Dick Van Arsdale (23)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 4,383
9–8
W 1
18
December 9
@ New Orleans
W 104–89
Dick Van Arsdale (25)
Louisiana Superdome 7,619
10–8
W 2
19
December 10
@ Houston
W 105–91
Paul Westphal (32)
The Summit 5,358
11–8
W 3
20
December 11
Philadelphia
L 106–110
Alvan Adams (21)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,310
11–9
L 1
21
December 13
Los Angeles
W 116–108
Paul Westphal (26)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 7,842
12–9
W 1
22
December 14
@ Portland
W 105–96
Alvan Adams (20)
Memorial Coliseum 10,544
13–9
W 2
23
December 17
Milwaukee
W 116–111
Alvan Adams, Keith Erickson (25)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,689
14–9
W 3
24
December 19
Cleveland
L 124–128 (2OT)
Keith Erickson, Dick Van Arsdale (26)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,809
14–10
L 1
25
December 21
New Orleans
L 107–120
John Shumate (18)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,853
14–11
L 2
26
December 25
Kansas City
W 122–111
Curtis Perry (27)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 11,114
15–11
W 1
27
December 26
Boston
L 106–112
Paul Westphal (22)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 11,842
15–12
L 1
28
December 28
@ Milwaukee
L 85–88
Keith Erickson (22)
MECCA Arena 10,938
15–13
L 2
29
December 30
@ New York
L 88–114
John Shumate (21)
Madison Square Garden 16,064
15–14
L 3 :
January: 4–13 (home: 2–6; road: 2–7)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsLocation AttendanceRecordStreak
30
January 1
@ Washington
L 103–114
Paul Westphal (25)
Capital Centre 4,919
15–15
L 4
31
January 3
@ Atlanta
W 100–89
Dick Van Arsdale (18)
Omni Coliseum 5,803
16–15
W 1
32
January 4
@ Kansas City
L 86–98
Keith Erickson (17)
Kemper Arena 5,040
16–16
L 1
33
January 7
Golden State
L 110–114
Paul Westphal (23)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,696
16–17
L 2
34
January 8
@ Golden State
L 113–129
Keith Erickson (25)
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 9,807
16–18
L 3
35
January 9
Seattle
L 110–112 (OT)
Alvan Adams (29)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,774
16–19
L 4
36
January 11
New York
L 98–99
Keith Erickson (21)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,429
16–20
L 5
37
January 15
Buffalo
L 119–126
John Shumate (25)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,138
16–21
L 6
38
January 17
@ Cleveland
L 85–105
Alvan Adams (18)
Coliseum at Richfield 8,082
16–22
L 7
39
January 18
@ Detroit
W 122–118
John Shumate (28)
Cobo Arena 3,054
17–22
W 1
40
January 20
@ Buffalo
L 103–112
Paul Westphal (27)
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 8,478
17–23
L 1
41
January 21
@ Boston
L 100–114
Alvan Adams (23)
Boston Garden 11,562
17–24
L 2
42
January 23
Houston
W 124–115
Paul Westphal (28)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,341
18–24
W 1
43
January 24
Washington
L 84–100
Alvan Adams, Paul Westphal (16)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 7,263
18–25
L 1
44
January 28
@ Los Angeles
L 118–121
Paul Westphal (30)
The Forum 11,735
18–26
L 2
45
January 29
Milwaukee
L 96–105
Paul Westphal (29)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 7,125
18–27
L 3
46
January 31
Philadelphia
W 119–105
Alvan Adams (30)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 8,134
19–27
W 1 :
February: 8–5 (home: 4–2; road: 4–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsLocation AttendanceRecordStreak
All-Star Break
47
February 6
Golden State
W 118–111
Alvan Adams (33)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 7,187
20–27
W 1
48
February 8
@ Seattle
W 107–101 (OT)
Nate Hawthorne (25)
Seattle Center Coliseum 13,039
21–27
W 2
49
February 11
Detroit
W 123–94
Alvan Adams (22)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,718
22–27
W 3
50
February 13
Boston
L 108–109
Paul Westphal (31)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 8,130
22–28
L 1
51
February 14
New Orleans
W 112–93
Alvan Adams (25)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,539
23–28
W 1
52
February 17
@ Chicago
L 111–114 (OT)
Alvan Adams (32)
Chicago Stadium 4,313
23–29
L 1
53
February 18
@ Detroit
L 94–105
Paul Westphal (22)
Cobo Arena 3,045
23–30
L 2
54
February 20
@ New Orleans
W 103–102
Alvan Adams (28)
Louisiana Superdome 10,519
24–30
W 1
55
February 21
@ Houston
W 110–108 (OT)
Alvan Adams, Paul Westphal (24)
The Summit 6,043
25–30
W 2
56
February 24
Kansas City
L 117–120 (OT)
Alvan Adams (30)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,416
25–31
L 1
57
February 26
Atlanta
W 115–97
Ricky Sobers, Paul Westphal (27)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,820
26–31
W 1
58
February 28
@ Washington
L 89–92
Paul Westphal (23)
Capital Centre 9,245
26–32
L 1
59
February 29
@ Detroit
W 109–98
Paul Westphal (32)
Cobo Arena 6,143
27–32
W 1 :
March: 12–5 (home: 8–0; road: 4–5)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsLocation AttendanceRecordStreak
60
March 3
Cleveland
W 108–92
Paul Westphal (31)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 4,523
28–32
W 2
61
March 5
Chicago
W 99–97
Alvan Adams, Paul Westphal (22)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,346
29–32
W 3
62
March 6
@ Portland
L 99–118
Nate Hawthorne (19)
Memorial Coliseum 9,142
29–33
L 1
63
March 7
Portland
W 106–84
Paul Westphal (30)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,039
30–33
W 1
64
March 10
@ Philadelphia
L 108–125
Alvan Adams (24)
The Spectrum 10,061
30–34
L 1
65
March 11
@ Atlanta
W 104–99
Paul Westphal (32)
Omni Coliseum 4,137
31–34
W 1
66
March 13
@ Cleveland
L 77–99
Curtis Perry (14)
Coliseum at Richfield 17,592
31–35
L 1
67
March 14
@ Milwaukee
W 108–106
Alvan Adams (25)
MECCA Arena 10,938
32–35
W 1
68
March 16
@ Chicago
L 87–120
Alvan Adams (15)
Chicago Stadium 3,392
32–36
L 1
69
March 18
Detroit
W 106–100
Gar Heard (27)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5,687
33–36
W 1
70
March 20
Los Angeles
W 106–93
Alvan Adams (29)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,123
34–36
W 2
71
March 23
Seattle
W 104–97
Paul Westphal (39)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 7,589
35–36
W 3
72
March 25
Atlanta
W 107–98
Paul Westphal (27)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6,257
36–36
W 4
73
March 27
Kansas City
W 117–110
Paul Westphal (27)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,386
37–36
W 5
74
March 28
@ Los Angeles
W 100–97
Paul Westphal (27)
The Forum 11,732
38–36
W 6
75
March 30
@ New York
W 113–97
Paul Westphal (29)
Madison Square Garden 13,494
39–36
W 7
76
March 31
@ Boston
L 102–122
Nate Hawthorne (22)
Boston Garden 8,200
39–37
L 1 :
April: 3–3 (home: 3–0; road: 0–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsLocation AttendanceRecordStreak
77
April 2
Portland
W 106–103
Alvan Adams (20)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 10,424
40–37
W 1
78
April 3
@ Portland
L 97–112
Paul Westphal (28)
Memorial Coliseum 9,010
40–38
L 1
79
April 4
@ Seattle
L 89–117
Alvan Adams (21)
Seattle Center Coliseum 14,096
40–39
L 2
80
April 6
@ Golden State
L 106–111 (OT)
Alvan Adams (30)
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 11,809
40–40
L 3
81
April 8
Los Angeles
W 113–98
Ricky Sobers (23)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 13,036
41–40
W 1
82
April 10
Seattle
W 121–95
Alvan Adams (19)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,577
42–40
W 2 :
1975–76 schedule :

## Playoffs
### Game log

1976 playoff game log :
Conference semifinals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
April 13
@ Seattle
L 99–102
Paul Westphal (24)
Gar Heard (10)
Paul Westphal (10)
Seattle Center Coliseum 12,408
0–1
2
April 15
@ Seattle
W 116–111
Alvan Adams (23)
Curtis Perry (12)
Alvan Adams (7)
Seattle Center Coliseum 14,096
1–1
3
April 18
Seattle
W 103–91
Heard, Westphal (16)
Gar Heard (14)
Westphal, Adams (6)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 13,036
2–1
4
April 20
Seattle
W 130–114
Paul Westphal (39)
Gar Heard (11)
Ricky Sobers (8)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 13,036
3–1
5
April 25
@ Seattle
L 108–114
Paul Westphal (27)
Dennis Awtrey (12)
three players tied (4)
Seattle Center Coliseum 14,096
3–2
6
April 27
Seattle
W 123–112
Keith Erickson (20)
Heard, Adams (9)
Alvan Adams (10)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 13,192
4–2 :
Conference finals: 4–3 (home: 2–1; road: 2–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
May 2
@ Golden State
L 103–128
Curtis Perry (22)
Alvan Adams (14)
Alvan Adams (6)
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 12,475
0–1
2
May 5
@ Golden State
W 108–101
Paul Westphal (31)
Gar Heard (12)
Alvan Adams (9)
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 13,067
1–1
3
May 7
Golden State
L 91–99
Paul Westphal (24)
Alvan Adams (14)
Ricky Sobers (6)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 13,306
1–2
4
May 9
Golden State
W 133–129 (2OT)
Keith Erickson (28)
Gar Heard (18)
Paul Westphal (8)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,884
2–2
5
May 12
@ Golden State
L 95–111
Curtis Perry (23)
Curtis Perry (18)
Westphal, Sobers (4)
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 13,067
2–3
6
May 14
Golden State
W 105–104
Ricky Sobers (21)
Gar Heard (15)
three players tied (6)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 13,396
3–3
7
May 16
@ Golden State
W 94–86
Gar Heard (21)
Alvan Adams (20)
Westphal, Perry (4)
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 13,067
4–3 :
NBA Finals: 2–4 (home: 2–1; road: 0–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
May 23
@ Boston
L 87–98
Alvan Adams (26)
Curtis Perry (10)
Ricky Sobers (7)
Boston Garden 15,320
0–1
2
May 27
@ Boston
L 90–105
Paul Westphal (28)
Alvan Adams (15)
Westphal, Adams (5)
Boston Garden 15,320
0–2
3
May 30
Boston
W 105–98
Alvan Adams (33)
Alvan Adams (14)
Paul Westphal (6)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,284
1–2
4
June 2
Boston
W 109–107
Paul Westphal (28)
Gar Heard (15)
Paul Westphal (9)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 13,306
2–2
5
June 4
@ Boston
L 126–128 (3OT)
Westphal, Sobers (25)
Curtis Perry (15)
Perry, Sobers (6)
Boston Garden 15,320
2–3
6
June 6
Boston
L 80–87
Alvan Adams (20)
Gar Heard (10)
Alvan Adams (6)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 13,306
2–4 :
1976 schedule :

## Awards and honors
### All-Star

* Alvan Adams was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his first and only All-Star selection.

### Season

* Alvan Adams received the Rookie of the Year Award.
* Jerry Colangelo received the Executive of the Year Award.
* Alvan Adams was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
* Paul Westphal finished 24th in MVP voting.

## Player statistics
### Season

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Alvan Adams | 80 | 78 | 33.2 | .469 | .735 | 9.1 | 5.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 19.0 |
| Dennis Awtrey | 74 | 4 | 18.6 | .467 | .688 | 4.0 | 2.1 | .3 | .3 | 4.9 |
| Mike Bantom* | 7 | 2 | 9.7 | .308 | 1.000^ | 3.3 | 0.4 | .3 | .3 | 3.0 |
| Keith Erickson | 74 | 39 | 25.0 | .470 | .854^ | 4.5 | 2.5 | 1.1 | .1 | 10.1 |
| Nate Hawthorne | 79 | 1 | 14.5 | .430 | .676 | 2.6 | 0.6 | .4 | .2 | 6.1 |
| Garfield Heard* | 36 | 36 | 33.9 | .452 | .673 | 9.9+ | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 12.4 |
| Phil Lumpkin | 34 | 0 | 10.9 | .338 | .867^ | 0.7 | 1.4 | .4 | .0 | 2.1 |
| Curtis Perry | 71 | 70 | 33.1 | .497† | .732 | 9.6+ | 2.6 | 1.2 | .9 | 13.3 |
| Pat Riley* | 60 | 5 | 13.2 | .389 | .730 | 0.8 | 1.0 | .4 | .1 | 4.6 |
| Fred Saunders | 17 | 0 | 8.6 | .438 | .545 | 2.2 | 0.8 | .3 | .1 | 3.6 |
| John Shumate* | 43 | 11 | 21.6 | .550† | .628 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .4 | 11.3 |
| Ricky Sobers | 78 | 30 | 24.3 | .449 | .823 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 1.4 | .1 | 9.2 |
| Dick Van Arsdale | 58 | 54 | 32.2 | .484 | .830 | 2.4 | 2.4 | .9 | .2 | 12.9 |
| Paul Westphal | 82 | 80 | 36.1 | .494 | .830 | 3.2 | 5.4 | 2.6 | .5 | 20.5 |
| John Wetzel | 37 | 0 | 6.7 | .478 | .833 | 1.0 | 0.5 | .2 | .1 | 1.7 |
* – Stats with the Suns. † – Minimum 300 field goals made. ^ – Minimum 125 free throws made. + – Minimum 70 games played or 800 rebounds.

### Playoffs

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Alvan Adams | 19 | 19 | 35.2 | .452 | .817 | 10.1 | 5.2 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 17.9 |
| Dennis Awtrey | 19 | 0 | 15.1 | .467 | .545 | 3.3 | 1.3 | .3 | .5 | 3.2 |
| Keith Erickson | 19 | 0 | 22.4 | .462 | .809 | 3.5 | 1.8 | .6 | .2 | 11.3 |
| Nate Hawthorne | 15 | 0 | 5.4 | .346 | .727 | 1.1 | 0.3 | .3 | .1 | 1.7 |
| Garfield Heard | 19 | 19 | 37.9 | .441 | .679 | 10.4 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 13.9 |
| Phil Lumpkin | 17 | 0 | 8.0 | .333 | .786 | 0.8 | 1.2 | .1 | .0 | 1.8 |
| Curtis Perry | 19 | 19 | 32.4 | .454 | .647 | 7.7 | 1.9 | .6 | .9 | 12.7 |
| Pat Riley | 5 | 0 | 5.4 | .400 | 1.000^ | 0.0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | 2.6 |
| Ricky Sobers | 19 | 19 | 29.6 | .468 | .833 | 3.3 | 4.2 | .9 | .3 | 13.0 |
| Dick Van Arsdale | 19 | 0 | 24.8 | .488 | .870^ | 1.2 | 2.0 | .7 | .1 | 8.5 |
| Paul Westphal | 19 | 19 | 36.1 | .511 | .763 | 2.5 | 5.1 | 1.8 | .5 | 21.1 |
| John Wetzel | 2 | 0 | 2.5 | . | 1.000^ | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 |
^ – Minimum 10 free throws made.

## Transactions
### Trades

| May 23, 1975 | To Boston Celtics Charlie Scott | To Phoenix Suns Paul Westphal 1975 second-round draft pick ( Jimmy Dan Conner) 1976 second-round draft pick ( Butch Feher) |
| May 29, 1975 | To Buffalo Braves 1976 first-round draft pick ( Adrian Dantley) | To Phoenix Suns 1975 first-round draft pick ( Ricky Sobers) |
| June 9, 1975 | To Portland Trail Blazers 1976 second-round draft pick ( Jacky Dorsey) | To Phoenix Suns Phil Lumpkin |
| September 17, 1975 | To Washington Bullets Greg Jackson | To Phoenix Suns Future draft pick |
| September 30, 1975 | To Detroit Pistons Earl Williams | To Phoenix Suns 1976 second-round draft pick ( Earl Tatum) |
| November 3, 1975 | To Los Angeles Lakers John Roche 1976 second-round draft pick ( Earl Tatum) | To Phoenix Suns Pat Riley |
| November 22, 1975 | To Seattle SuperSonics Mike Bantom | To Phoenix Suns Cash considerations |
| February 1, 1976 | To Buffalo Braves John Shumate | To Phoenix Suns Garfield Heard 1976 second-round draft pick ( Al Fleming) |

### Free agents
#### Additions

| Date | Player | Contract | Former Team |
| June 10, 1975 | Mo Layton | Undisclosed | Memphis Tams (ABA) |
| October 24, 1975 | John Wetzel | Undisclosed | Atlanta Hawks |

#### Subtractions

| Date | Player | Reason Left | New Team |
| July 16, 1975 | Jim Owens | Waived | n/a |
| October 2, 1975 | Mo Layton | Waived | New York Knicks |
| October 24, 1975 | Gary Melchionni | Waived | Hazleton Bullets (EBA) |
| February 11, 1976 | Fred Saunders | Waived | Boston Celtics |