1991–92 Phoenix Suns season explained

Team:	Phoenix Suns
End Year:	1992
Wins:	53
Losses:	29
Division:	Pacific
Division Place:	3
Conf Place:	4
Coach:	Cotton Fitzsimmons
Gm:	Jerry Colangelo
Owner:	Jerry Colangelo
Arena:	Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Playoffs:	Conference semifinals (lost to Trail Blazers 1–4)
Bbr Team:	PHO
Television:	KUTP ASPN
Radio:	KTAR

The 1991–92 NBA season was the 24th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association.^[1] In the off-season, the Suns acquired three-point specialist Trent Tucker from the New York Knicks.^[2] However, Tucker never played for the team as he was released to free agency, and later on signed with the San Antonio Spurs.^{[3] [4]} The Suns were led by head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, which would be the last of his four-season second stint as coach of the Suns.^{[5] [6] [7]} All home games were played at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The team got off to a slow 5–9 start, but went on a nine-game winning streak as they won 14 of their next 15 games, and held a 32–16 record at the All-Star break.^[8] The Suns finished third in the Pacific Division with a 53–29 record.^[9]

Guard Jeff Hornacek led the Suns in scoring, averaging 20.1 points per game plus contributing 5.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game. In addition, Kevin Johnson averaged 19.7 points and led the team with 10.7 assists per game, while sixth man Dan Majerle provided the team with 17.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game off the bench, and Tom Chambers, at 32 years of age, appeared in 69 games and contributed 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Tim Perry stepped into the lineup averaging 12.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, while Andrew Lang replaced Mark West in the lineup at center, averaging 7.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and leading the team with 2.5 blocks per game.^[10] Hornacek finished the season third in three-point field goal percentage at .439, while Johnson's assist average was good for second-best in the league.^[11]

In the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Suns swept the Spurs in three straight games,^{[12] [13] [14]} but lost 4–1 to the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Semi-finals.^{[15] [16] [17] [18]} The Blazers would lose in six games to the defending champion Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals.^{[19] [20] [21] [22] [23]}

Hornacek and Majerle were both selected for the 1992 NBA All-Star Game,^{[24] [25]} while by season's end, Johnson was selected to the All-NBA Third Team, and second-year forward Cedric Ceballos won the Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star Weekend in Orlando.^{[26] [27]} Following the season, Hornacek, Perry and Lang were all traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.^{[28] [29] [30] [31]}

Draft picks

See main article: 1991 NBA draft.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
2	32	Chad Gallagher	Center		Creighton
2	46	Richard Dumas	Forward		Oklahoma State
2	50	Joey Wright	Guard		Texas

None of the three players that the Suns selected in the 1991 NBA draft would play with the Suns this season. Both Chad Gallagher and Joey Wright were cut from the team before the regular season began, while Richard Dumas showcased promising talents early on in training camp, but was suspended from the team for the entire season due to substance abuse violations.^{[32] [33]} Dumas would, however, return to the Suns to play what became his proper rookie season the following season afterward.

Roster

Roster Notes

• Rookie small forward Richard Dumas was suspended for violating the NBA's substance abuse policy.^[34]

Regular season

Season standings

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

z – clinched division title

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

1991–92 NBA records
width=100	Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	3–1	2–2	0–5	0–5	2–0	2–0	1–4	1–1	2–0	1–4	1–1	0–2	2–2	3–1	2–0	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–2
Boston	1–3	—	3–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–0	2–0	3–2	2–2	0–2	2–3	3–2	5–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–1
Charlotte	2–2	1–3	—	0–4	2–3	1–1	1–1	1–4	1–1	0–2	3–2	0–2	1–1	1–3	2–3	1–1	1–3	0–4	3–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–2
Chicago	5–0	3–1	4–0	—	3–2	2–0	2–0	4–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	3–2	2–0	4–0	4–0	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–0
Cleveland	5–0	1–3	3–2	2–3	—	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	5–0	1–1	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	2–2	4–0	3–1	4–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0
Dallas	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	—	3–2	0–2	0–4	4–2	1–1	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–1	3–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–2	0–4	1–3	0–5	0–4	1–4	0–2
Denver	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–3	—	0–2	0–4	2–3	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–4	1–3	1–5	1–1
Detroit	4–1	0–4	4–1	1–4	1–3	2–0	2–0	—	1–1	2–0	2–2	0–2	2–0	2–2	3–2	1–1	2–2	2–2	4–0	3–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1
Golden State	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	4–0	1–1	—	2–2	2–0	3–2	3–2	1–1	2–0	4–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–2	2–3	5–0	2–2	3–2	1–3	2–0
Houston	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–4	3–2	0–2	2–2	—	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–0	1–1	3–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–3	3–1	3–1	3–2	1–3	1–4	2–0
Indiana	4–1	2–2	2–3	1–3	0–5	1–1	2–0	2–2	0–2	1–1	—	0–2	2–0	3–1	4–1	2–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–2
L.A. Clippers	1–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	4–0	2–0	2–3	2–2	2–0	—	2–3	2–0	2–0	4–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	3–2	2–3	2–3	2–2	2–3	1–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–0	3–1	0–2	2–3	2–2	0–2	3–2	—	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–3	1–4	4–1	1–3	1–4	1–3	1–1
Miami	2–2	2–3	3–1	0–4	1–3	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–2	0–2	—	4–0	2–0	2–2	1–4	3–1	1–4	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	5–0
Milwaukee	1–3	2–2	3–2	2–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–3	0–2	1–1	1–4	0–2	1–1	0–4	—	2–0	0–4	1–3	3–1	3–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1
Minnesota	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–3	3–2	1–1	0–4	2–3	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2	0–2	—	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–4	1–3	0–6	0–4	2–3	0–2
New Jersey	1–3	3–2	3–1	0–4	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	2–2	4–0	2–0	—	2–3	3–1	3–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–3
New York	2–2	2–3	4–0	0–4	0–4	2–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–0	0–2	4–1	3–1	2–0	3–2	—	4–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	4–0
Orlando	2–2	0–5	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–1	0–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–3	2–0	1–3	1–4	—	3–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–3
Philadelphia	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	0–4	2–0	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	4–1	1–3	2–0	2–3	1–3	2–3	—	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	5–0
Phoenix	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	2–0	2–3	3–1	1–1	2–3	3–2	2–0	2–0	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	—	3–2	4–1	3–1	3–2	2–2	2–0
Portland	2–0	1–1	2–0	0–2	2–0	4–0	3–1	0–2	3–2	1–3	2–0	3–2	4–1	2–0	2–0	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–3	—	5–0	2–2	4–1	2–2	2–0
Sacramento	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	2–2	0–2	0–5	1–3	1–1	3–2	1–4	0–2	2–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–4	0–5	—	1–3	1–4	1–3	2–0
San Antonio	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	5–0	4–1	1–1	2–2	2–3	0–2	2–2	3–1	1–1	1–1	6–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	—	3–1	1–4	0–2
Seattle	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	4–0	3–1	1–1	2–3	3–1	2–0	3–2	4–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–3	1–4	4–1	1–3	—	3–1	2–0
Utah	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–1	5–1	1–1	3–1	4–1	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	3–2	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	4–1	1–3	—	2–0
Washington	2–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	0–4	2–0	1–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–0	1–1	0–5	1–3	2–0	3–2	0–4	3–2	0–5	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	—

Game log

Playoffs

Game log

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 1| April 24| San Antonio| W 117–111| Dan Majerle (25)| Cedric Ceballos (9)| Kevin Johnson (17)| Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,496| 1–0|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 2| April 26| San Antonio| W 119–107| Hornacek, Perry (31)| Lang, Perry (10)| Kevin Johnson (19)| Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,496| 2–0|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 3| April 29| @ San Antonio| W 101–92| Hornacek, Johnson (22)| Tim Perry (9)| Kevin Johnson (11)| HemisFair Arena
14,853| 3–0|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 1| May 5| @ Portland| L 111–113| Kevin Johnson (24)| Chambers, Johnson (8)| Jeff Hornacek (12)| Memorial Coliseum
12,888| 0–1|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 2| May 7| @ Portland| L 119–126| Kevin Johnson (35)| Jeff Hornacek (11)| Dan Majerle (6)| Memorial Coliseum
12,888| 0–2|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 3| May 9| Portland| W 124–117| Jeff Hornacek (30)| Majerle, Perry (9)| Kevin Johnson (16)| Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,496| 1–2|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 4| May 11| Portland| L 151–153 (2OT)| Kevin Johnson (35)| Dan Majerle (11)| Kevin Johnson (14)| Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,496| 1–3|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 5| May 14| @ Portland| L 106–118| Chambers, Perry (19)| Tom Chambers (8)| Kevin Johnson (6)| Memorial Coliseum
12,888| 1–4|-

Awards and honors

Week/Month

• Jeff Hornacek was named Player of the Month for December.
• Cotton Fitzsimmons was named Coach of the Month for December.

All-Star

• Jeff Hornacek was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his first and only All-Star selection. Hornacek finished seventh in voting among Western Conference guards with 271,180 votes.
• Dan Majerle was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his first All-Star selection.
• Other Suns players receiving All-Star votes were Tom Chambers (406,185) and Kevin Johnson (309,820).
• Cedric Ceballos won the Slam Dunk Contest, winning the competition with the famous "Hocus Pocus" blindfolded dunk.
• Jeff Hornacek participated in the Three-Point Shootout, losing to champion and former Suns teammate Craig Hodges.

Season

• Kevin Johnson was named to the All-NBA Third Team. Johnson also finished 14th in MVP voting.^[35]
• Dan Majerle finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting.^[36]

Player statistics

Season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
	31	2	11.5	.463	.167	.704	1.1	1.9	.5	.1	6.0
	64	4	11.3	.482	.167	.736	2.4	0.8	.3	.2	7.2
	69	66	28.2	.431	.367	.830	5.8	2.1	.8	.5	16.3
	81	81	38.0	.512	.439	.886	5.0	5.1	2.0	.4	20.1
	78	78	37.2	.479	.217	.807	3.7	10.7	1.5	.3	19.7
	42	1	15.0	.475	.308	.688	1.1	2.7	.6	.1	5.8
	81	71	24.3	.522	.000	.768	6.7	0.5	.6	2.5	7.7
	82	15	34.8	.478	.382	.756	5.9	3.3	1.6	.5	17.3
	52	3	10.5	.477	.	.690	2.8	0.9	.4	.3	4.5
	52	4	9.7	.512	.400	.667	2.1	0.7	.3	.0	3.1
	80	69	31.0	.523	.375	.712	6.9	1.7	.6	1.5	12.3
	28	5	13.6	.463	.	.778	3.8	1.3	.4	.5	3.2
	82	11	17.5	.632	.	.637	4.5	0.3	.2	1.0	6.1

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
	8	0	13.0	.421	.000	.857	1.5	1.8	.6	.0	6.3
	8	8	23.5	.550	.	.667	6.4	1.5	.8	.8	13.5
	7	0	27.7	.459	.571^	.844	4.4	2.7	.3	.7	15.6
	8	8	42.9	.484	.471^	.912	6.4	5.3	1.8	.3	20.4
	8	8	41.9	.484	.500^	.861	4.1	11.6	1.5	.3	23.6
	8	8	24.0	.375	.	.789	4.0	0.3	.4	1.9	5.6
	7	0	38.0	.432	.273	.962+	6.3	2.9	1.4	.0	18.6
	8	0	8.4	.389	.385	1.000+	2.3	0.5	.4	.0	2.9
	8	8	23.1	.603†	.	.719	4.9	1.4	.4	.8	12.4
	8	0	12.0	.737†	.	.500	2.1	0.3	.3	.5	4.0

† – Minimum 20 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 5 three-pointers made.
+ – Minimum 10 free throws made.

Transactions

Trades

June 27, 1991	To Cleveland Cavaliers----Rights to Miloš Babić	To Phoenix Suns----Rights to Stefano Rusconi
October 1, 1991	To New York Knicks---- Xavier McDaniel	To Phoenix Suns---- Jerrod Mustaf Trent Tucker 1992 second-round draft pick ( Brian Davis) 1994 second-round draft pick ( Anthony Goldwire)

Free agents

Additions

Date	Player	Contract	Old Team
February 14, 1992	Steve Burtt	Signed two 10-day contracts	Oklahoma City Cavalry (CBA)
March 5, 1992	Steve Burtt	Signed for rest of season	Phoenix Suns

Subtractions

Date	Player	Reason Left	New Team
August 6, 1991	Ian Lockhart	Free agent	Cholet Basket (France)
October 29, 1991	Joey Wright	Waived	Pensacola HotShots (GBA)
October 30, 1991	Joe Barry Carroll	Waived	(Retired)
November 15, 1991	Trent Tucker	Waived	San Antonio Spurs

Player Transactions Citation:^[37]

See also

• 1991–92 NBA season

Notes and References

1. Web site: 1991-92 Phoenix Suns Roster and Stats.
2. News: Brown . Clifton . BASKETBALL; Knicks Add Firepower by Acquiring McDaniel . The New York Times . October 2, 1991 . November 20, 2022.
3. News: SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Suns Release Tucker . The New York Times . November 17, 1991 . November 20, 2022.
4. News: SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Tucker Joins Spurs . The New York Times . February 28, 1992 . January 19, 2022.
5. News: SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Suns to Change Coaches . The New York Times . April 24, 1992 . December 31, 2021.
6. News: Staff and Wire Reports . NBA Firings: Westhead, Hamblen . Los Angeles Times . April 24, 1992 . November 18, 2022.
7. News: Westhead Fired by Nuggets, Fitzsimmons Steps Down . The Washington Post . April 24, 1992 . May 2, 2023.
8. News: NBA Games Played on February 6, 1992 . Basketball-Reference . November 21, 2022.
9. Web site: 1991–92 Phoenix Suns Schedule and Results. Basketball-Reference. October 14, 2021.
10. Web site: 1991–92 Phoenix Suns Roster and Stats. Basketball-Reference. October 14, 2021.
11. News: 1991–92 NBA Leaders . Basketball-Reference . December 2, 2021.
12. News: PRO BASKETBALL; Jordan Scores 56 Points, Finishing Sweep of Heat . The New York Times . April 30, 1992 . October 14, 2021.
13. News: Jordan Warms to Task, Hits 56, Eliminates Heat . The Washington Post . April 30, 1992 . July 26, 2022.
14. Web site: 1992 NBA Western Conference First Round: Spurs vs. Suns . Basketball-Reference . April 18, 2023.
15. News: Associated Press . Drexler Scores 34 as Trail Blazers Move Ahead: NBA: Portland Takes Series from Suns, 4-1, to Reach Western Finals Again, 118-106 . Los Angeles Times . May 15, 1992 . July 26, 2022.
16. News: Stewart . Bill . Trail Blazers 118, Suns 106 . United Press International . May 15, 1992 . October 14, 2021.
17. News: Associated Press . Red-Hot Blazers Bop Suns . Deseret News . May 15, 1992 . January 28, 2023.
18. Web site: 1992 NBA Western Conference Semifinals: Suns vs. Trail Blazers . Basketball-Reference . April 18, 2023.
19. News: Brown . Clifton . With Jordan Starring, Bulls Make It a Rerun . The New York Times . June 15, 1992 . September 22, 2022.
20. News: Heisler . Mark . Bull Reserves Take Title by Horns: Game 6: Along with Pippen, They Go on a Late 14-2 Run That Carries Chicago to a 97-93 Victory . Los Angeles Times . June 15, 1992 . September 22, 2022.
21. News: Aldridge . David . Down 17, Bulls Hit Blazers with Title Wave . The Washington Post . June 15, 1992 . December 27, 2022.
22. News: Isaacson . Melissa . Bulls Find Repeat Sweet . Chicago Tribune . June 15, 1992 . September 22, 2022.
23. Web site: 1992 NBA Finals: Trail Blazers vs. Bulls . Basketball-Reference . April 18, 2023.
24. News: Heisler . Mark . Comeback or Farewell, a Magical All-Star Game . Los Angeles Times . February 9, 1992 . January 28, 2023.
25. News: 1992 NBA All-Star Game: West 153, East 113 . Basketball-Reference . November 27, 2021.
26. News: In the Dark, in the Money . The New York Times . February 10, 1992 . November 20, 2022.
27. News: Howard-Cooper . Scott . Ceballos' Dunking Victory: Out of Sight: Contest: Former CS Fullerton Standout Makes Shot Blindfolded to Defeat Hornets' Johnson . Los Angeles Times . February 9, 1992 . November 20, 2022.
28. News: Barkley Traded to Suns . United Press International . June 17, 1992 . December 26, 2022.
29. News: Brown . Clifton . BASKETBALL; Bright Day for Suns: They Get Barkley . The New York Times . June 18, 1992 . March 7, 2022.
30. News: Associated Press . 76ers Send Barkley to Suns: Pro Basketball: Controversial Forward Traded After Acquittal in Milwaukee. Philadelphia Gets Hornacek, Lang and Perry . Los Angeles Times . June 18, 1992 . July 26, 2022.
31. News: Nakamura . David . 76ers Trade Barkley to Suns . The Washington Post . June 18, 1992 . November 10, 2022.
32. News: NBA suspends ex-Poke Dumas for NBA season . 10 March 2024 . . 1 November 1991 . 29. Newspapers.com.
33. News: Richard Dumas on'93 . . June 13, 2003 . March 10, 2024.
34. News: SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Suns Suspend Dumas . The New York Times . November 1, 1991 . December 15, 2021.
35. News: 1991–92 NBA Awards Voting . Basketball-Reference . January 3, 2022.
36. News: 1991–92 NBA Awards Voting . Basketball-Reference . January 3, 2022.
37. Web site: 1991–92 Phoenix Suns Transactions. Basketball-Reference. July 2, 2021.