1999–2000 Phoenix Suns season
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The 1999–2000 NBA season was the 32nd season for the National Basketball Association's Phoenix Suns.[1] The Suns acquired the ninth overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft from the Dallas Mavericks, and selected Shawn Marion out of UNLV,[2][3][4][5] During the off-season, the team acquired All-Star guard Penny Hardaway from the Orlando Magic,[6][7][8][9][10] signed free agent Rodney Rogers,[11][12][13][14] and re-signed former Suns center Oliver Miller, who played for the team when they reached the 1993 NBA Finals.[15][12][16] Scott Skiles would come on as head coach, replacing Danny Ainge after a 13–7 start to the season.[17] The Suns posted a 7-game winning streak between November and December, then won eight straight games in February, and held a 29–19 record at the All-Star break.[18] The Suns finished third in the Pacific Division with a 53–29 record,[19] and extend the franchise's record for playoff appearances before losing in the Western Conference Semi-finals.
1999–2000 Phoenix Suns season | |||
---|---|---|---|
Head coach | Danny Ainge (resigned), Scott Skiles | ||
General manager | Bryan Colangelo | ||
Owners | Jerry Colangelo | ||
Arena | America West Arena | ||
Results | |||
Record | 53–29 (.646) | ||
Place | Division: 3rd (Pacific) Conference: 4th (Western) | ||
Playoff finish | Conference Semifinals (lost to Lakers 1–4) | ||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||
Local media | |||
Television | KUTP Fox Sports Net Arizona Cox 9 | ||
Radio | KTAR | ||
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Six players on the team averaged double-digits in points this season; Clifford Robinson led the team in scoring with 18.5 points per game, while Hardaway averaged 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game in only 60 games due to a foot injury,[20][21][22][23] and Kidd provided the team with 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 10.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game, and was selected for the 2000 NBA All-Star Game.[24][25][26][27][28] In addition, Rogers played a sixth man role, averaging 13.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game off the bench, finished the regular season fourth in three-point field goal percentage at .439, and won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.[29][30] Tom Gugliotta contributed 13.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, but only played 54 games due to injury, and did not play in any of the Suns' playoff games, while Marion averaged 10.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in only 51 games. On the defensive side, Luc Longley averaged 6.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and Miller provided with 6.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in only 51 games.[31] Kidd would earn All-NBA First Team honors, and he and Robinson were both named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and Marion and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
In March, Kidd suffered an ankle injury and missed the final month of the regular season.[32][33][34][35] Former All-Star and Suns guard Kevin Johnson would come out of his retirement; he had retired after the 1997–98 season.[36][37][38][39] Johnson played in six regular season games, averaging 6.7 points and 4.0 assists per game.[31]
The Suns finished with the same regular season record, but did not have home court advantage going into their Western Conference First Round match-up with the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. Still, the Suns would advance to their first conference semifinals appearance since the 1994–95 season en route to taking the series three games to one.[40][41][42][43] The Suns lost in the conference semi-finals to new league MVP Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers four games to one.[44][45][46][47] The Lakers would reach the NBA Finals to defeat the Indiana Pacers in six games.[48][49][50][51][52]
Following the season, Johnson retired for the second and last time, while Rex Chapman also retired due to continuing injuries,[53] Miller was released to free agency, and Longley was traded to the New York Knicks.[54][55]
On December 17, 1999, after a 110–102 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, Gugliotta had a near-death experience where he suffered from a seizure on the team bus, while talking to his wife, Nikki, on his cellular phone. Gugliotta had stopped breathing while being rushed to Legacy Emanuel Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition, and underwent a series of tests, which did not reveal the cause of his seizure; he was released from the hospital the next day, but experienced headaches afterwards. Gugliotta had taken the supplement, "furanone di-hydro", after the Suns' game against the Trail Blazers, and before boarding the team bus, because he had trouble sleeping, and had taken the supplement once before without any effects.[56][57][58][59][60]