Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

1978–79 Phoenix Suns season

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Head coach
  
John MacLeod

Owner(s)
  
Richard Bloch

General manager
  
Jerry Colangelo

Record
  
50–32 (.610)

Arena
  
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Place
  
Division: 2nd (Pacific) Conference: 3rd (Western)

The 1978–79 Phoenix Suns season was the 11th season for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association and the first time they reached the 50-win mark to end the regular season. The team repeated a second-place finish in an expanded Pacific division and the Western Conference's second-best record, thus earning a spot in the playoffs, the franchise's first time extending the season in back-to-back seasons. For the first time since the '75–'76 team, the Suns returned to the Western Conference Finals, before being dispatched by Pacific division champion Seattle in seven games. The Suns were led by head coach John MacLeod and played all home games in Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Contents

Paul Westphal, whom led the Suns with his 24 points per game, made his third straight appearance in the All-Star Game and was again named to the All-NBA First Team. Walter Davis followed up his Rookie of the Year Award performance from the previous season with his second consecutive All-Star selection and by season's end, voted to the All-NBA Second Team. Fourth-year big man Alvan Adams hauled in a career-high 9.2 rebounds a game to go with an average of 17.8 points.

All-Star

  • Paul Westphal was voted as a starter for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his third consecutive All-Star selection. Westphal finished second in voting among Western Conference guards with 251,829 votes.
  • Walter Davis was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his second consecutive All-Star selection. Davis finished fifth in voting among Western Conference forwards with 118,546 votes.

    • Season

  • Paul Westphal was named to the All-NBA First Team.
  • Walter Davis was named to the All-NBA Second Team. Davis also finished tenth in MVP voting.
  • Don Buse was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.

    • Season

    * – Stats with the Suns.
    ^ – Minimum 125 free throws made.

    Playoffs

    † – Minimum 20 field goals made.

    References

    1978–79 Phoenix Suns season Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA