The 1979-80 Phoenix Suns season marked the franchise’s 12th year in the NBA. Coached by John MacLeod, the Suns aimed to build on their previous successes. The team played their home games at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, often referred to as the “Madhouse on McDowell.”
The Suns finished the regular season with a strong record of 55-27, securing second place in the Pacific Division and fourth overall in the Western Conference. Key players included Walter Davis, who led the team in scoring with an average of 21.5 points per game, and Paul Westphal, who contributed significantly with 21.9 points per game. The team’s balanced offense and solid defense were pivotal to their success during the season.
In the playoffs, the Suns faced the Kansas City Kings in the Western Conference Semifinals. The series was highly competitive, with Phoenix managing to edge out a 4-3 series victory, showcasing their resilience and depth. However, their playoff run ended in the Western Conference Finals, where they encountered the Los Angeles Lakers. The Suns were defeated 4-1 by the Lakers, who were led by the dynamic duo of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The 1979-80 season highlighted the Suns’ potential as a formidable team in the NBA, setting the stage for future endeavors. Despite falling short of the NBA Finals, the season was a testament to the team’s capabilities and competitive spirit.
- Regular Season Record: 55-27
- Playoff Result: Western Conference First Round: 2-1, Western Conference Semifinals: 1-4
Phoenix Suns Roster and Stats for 1979-80 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Paul Westphal | 82 | 21.9 | 2.3 | 5.1 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 27.4 | 8 | 20.9 | 1.3 | 3.9 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 8.3 |
| Walter Davis | 75 | 21.5 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 8 | 20.8 | 2.9 | 4.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Truck Robinson | 82 | 17.3 | 9.4 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 3 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| Alvan Adams | 75 | 14.9 | 8.1 | 4.3 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 8 | 16.1 | 9.6 | 5.8 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.0 |
| Mike Bratz | 82 | 8.5 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 26.3 | 8 | 13.0 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 39.1 |
| Don Buse | 81 | 7.7 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 24.1 | 8 | 8.5 | 2.6 | 5.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 38.5 |
| Rich Kelley | 23 | 5.8 | 5.1 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 8 | 5.9 | 4.5 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.0 |
| Jeff Cook | 66 | 5.5 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 7 | 7.7 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Johnny High | 82 | 5.0 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 14.3 | 8 | 4.0 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Gar Heard | 82 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 8 | 6.9 | 6.4 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| Alvin Scott | 79 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 16.7 | 8 | 4.8 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| Joel Kramer | 54 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | |||||||
Phoenix Suns in the 1980 NBA Playoffs
Playoffs First Round vs. Kansas City Kings
In the 1980 NBA Playoffs, the Phoenix Suns faced the Kansas City Kings in the first round. The Suns, led by standout performances from Walter Davis and Paul Westphal, managed to sweep the best-of-three series 2-0, demonstrating their offensive prowess and defensive resilience. This victory propelled them into the Western Conference Semifinals, reinforcing their status as a formidable contender in the postseason.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 02, 1980 | vs. Kansas City Kings | W 96-93 | |
| Apr 04, 1980 | @ Kansas City Kings | L 106-96 | |
| Apr 06, 1980 | vs. Kansas City Kings | W 114-99 |
Playoffs Second Round vs. Los Angeles Lakers
In the 1980 NBA Playoffs, the Phoenix Suns faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. Despite a valiant effort from the Suns, they were ultimately outmatched by the Lakers, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, losing the series 4-1. The Lakers' dominant performance highlighted their depth and set the stage for their eventual championship run that year.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 08, 1980 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 119-110 | |
| Apr 09, 1980 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 131-128 | |
| Apr 11, 1980 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | L 108-105 | |
| Apr 13, 1980 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | W 127-101 | |
| Apr 15, 1980 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 126-101 |
Phoenix Suns 1979-80 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 1979-80 season for the Phoenix Suns.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 12, 1979 | vs. Golden State Warriors | W 97-89 | |
| Oct 14, 1979 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 112-102 | |
| Oct 16, 1979 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | W 102-86 | |
| Oct 19, 1979 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 95-94 | |
| Oct 20, 1979 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 116-104 | |
| Oct 21, 1979 | @ Kansas City Kings | L 122-85 | |
| Oct 23, 1979 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | L 114-108 | |
| Oct 24, 1979 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 110-108 | |
| Oct 26, 1979 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 92-86 | |
| Oct 28, 1979 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | W 89-88 | |
| Oct 30, 1979 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | W 142-109 | |
| Nov 02, 1979 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 112-110 | |
| Nov 06, 1979 | @ Utah Jazz | W 120-107 | |
| Nov 07, 1979 | vs. San Diego Clippers | L 114-102 | |
| Nov 09, 1979 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | W 110-106 | |
| Nov 11, 1979 | vs. Denver Nuggets | W 116-91 | |
| Nov 14, 1979 | vs. Indiana Pacers | W 104-100 | |
| Nov 16, 1979 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 98-97 | |
| Nov 18, 1979 | vs. Golden State Warriors | L 99-95 | |
| Nov 20, 1979 | @ San Diego Clippers | L 117-110 | |
| Nov 21, 1979 | vs. Kansas City Kings | W 128-120 | |
| Nov 23, 1979 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | W 126-112 | |
| Nov 24, 1979 | @ Denver Nuggets | W 115-101 | |
| Nov 25, 1979 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | W 87-86 | |
| Nov 28, 1979 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 127-116 | |
| Dec 01, 1979 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 99-86 | |
| Dec 04, 1979 | @ New York Knicks | L 118-114 | |
| Dec 05, 1979 | @ New Jersey Nets | L 115-100 | |
| Dec 07, 1979 | @ Boston Celtics | L 100-92 | |
| Dec 08, 1979 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 117-96 | |
| Dec 11, 1979 | @ Washington Bullets | W 123-99 | |
| Dec 13, 1979 | vs. Houston Rockets | W 121-113 | |
| Dec 15, 1979 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 126-105 | |
| Dec 19, 1979 | vs. Utah Jazz | W 117-99 | |
| Dec 21, 1979 | @ Chicago Bulls | W 127-117 | |
| Dec 22, 1979 | @ Kansas City Kings | W 115-111 | |
| Dec 23, 1979 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | W 106-103 | |
| Dec 26, 1979 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 119-99 | |
| Dec 28, 1979 | vs. Kansas City Kings | W 118-112 | |
| Dec 30, 1979 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 113-105 | |
| Jan 02, 1980 | @ San Antonio Spurs | L 118-109 | |
| Jan 05, 1980 | @ Houston Rockets | L 111-110 | |
| Jan 09, 1980 | vs. Golden State Warriors | W 113-100 | |
| Jan 12, 1980 | @ Golden State Warriors | L 107-96 | |
| Jan 13, 1980 | vs. Utah Jazz | W 106-103 | |
| Jan 15, 1980 | @ Denver Nuggets | W 107-99 | |
| Jan 16, 1980 | @ Utah Jazz | W 115-108 | |
| Jan 17, 1980 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 101-99 | |
| Jan 19, 1980 | vs. San Diego Clippers | W 137-123 | |
| Jan 23, 1980 | vs. New York Knicks | L 119-109 | |
| Jan 25, 1980 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | W 110-96 | |
| Jan 27, 1980 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 125-118 | |
| Jan 29, 1980 | @ San Diego Clippers | L 133-121 | |
| Jan 30, 1980 | vs. Denver Nuggets | W 122-114 | |
| Feb 06, 1980 | vs. Kansas City Kings | W 97-95 | |
| Feb 08, 1980 | @ Chicago Bulls | W 113-109 | |
| Feb 10, 1980 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 109-107 | |
| Feb 13, 1980 | vs. Boston Celtics | W 135-134 | |
| Feb 15, 1980 | vs. Washington Bullets | W 116-104 | |
| Feb 17, 1980 | vs. New Jersey Nets | W 128-98 | |
| Feb 19, 1980 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | L 128-109 | |
| Feb 21, 1980 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 125-116 | |
| Feb 22, 1980 | @ Atlanta Hawks | L 111-104 | |
| Feb 24, 1980 | @ Indiana Pacers | W 113-105 | |
| Feb 26, 1980 | @ Denver Nuggets | L 121-112 | |
| Feb 27, 1980 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | L 119-110 | |
| Feb 28, 1980 | @ Utah Jazz | W 111-101 | |
| Mar 02, 1980 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | W 123-115 | |
| Mar 05, 1980 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | W 127-111 | |
| Mar 07, 1980 | vs. Utah Jazz | W 110-94 | |
| Mar 09, 1980 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 113-103 | |
| Mar 12, 1980 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 122-113 | |
| Mar 15, 1980 | @ San Diego Clippers | L 120-109 | |
| Mar 16, 1980 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 128-106 | |
| Mar 18, 1980 | @ Kansas City Kings | W 112-109 | |
| Mar 19, 1980 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | W 112-108 | |
| Mar 21, 1980 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | W 111-100 | |
| Mar 23, 1980 | vs. Denver Nuggets | W 118-102 | |
| Mar 25, 1980 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 104-95 | |
| Mar 26, 1980 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | W 109-99 | |
| Mar 28, 1980 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 114-100 | |
| Mar 30, 1980 | vs. San Diego Clippers | W 122-104 |