| 1982–83 Phoenix Suns season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | John MacLeod | ||
| General manager | Jerry Colangelo | ||
| Owners | Karl Eller, Don Pitt, Don Diamond, Bhavik Darji, Marvin Meyer,Richard L. Bloch | ||
| Arena | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum | ||
| Results | |||
| Record | 53–29 (.646) | ||
| Place | Division: 2nd (Pacific) Conference: 3rd (Western) | ||
| Playoff finish | First round (lost toNuggets 1–2) | ||
Stats atBasketball Reference | |||
| Local media | |||
| Television | KNXV | ||
| Radio | KTAR | ||
| |||
The1982–83 Phoenix Suns season was the 15th season for thePhoenix Suns of theNational Basketball Association. The Suns were in theplayoffs for the sixth consecutive season, extending a then-franchise record. The Suns were eliminated in the first round two games to one by theDenver Nuggets, a team they had beaten by the same margin a year earlier. The Suns were led byhead coachJohn MacLeod and played all home games inArizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Walter Davis led the Suns in scoring with 19points per game. Second-year playerLarry Nance, who finished the season fourth in the NBA inblocks per game, was second in team scoring at 16.7, while fellow big manMaurice Lucas averaged adouble-double with 16.5 points and 10.4rebounds a contest. Lucas, a 30-year-old veteran who had played for four NBA teams and oneABA team before reaching the Suns, returned to his firstAll-Star Game after two seasons when he suited up with Phoenix.Point guardDennis Johnson earned another spot on theNBA All-Defensive First Team.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | David Thirdkill | Forward |  United States | Bradley |
| 2 | 39 | Kevin Magee | Forward | United States | UC Irvine |
| 3 | 61 | Charles Pittman | Forward | United States | Maryland |
| 4 | 86 | Rory White | Forward | United States | South Alabama |
| 5 | 108 | Marvin McCrary | Guard | United States | Missouri |
| 6 | 130 | Jake Bethany | Center | United States | Hardin–Simmons |
| 7 | 155 | Phil Ward | Guard | United States | North Carolina Charlotte |
| 8 | 177 | Rick Elrod | Guard | United States | Georgetown (KY) |
| 9 | 199 | Ken Lyles | Forward | United States | Washington |
| 10 | 221 | Dale Wilkinson | Center | United States | Idaho State |
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Head coach Assistant(s) Legend
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| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Los Angeles Lakers | 58 | 24 | .707 | – | 33–8 | 25–16 | 21–9 |
| x-Phoenix Suns | 53 | 29 | .646 | 5 | 32–9 | 21–20 | 21–9 |
| x-Seattle SuperSonics | 48 | 34 | .585 | 10 | 29–12 | 19–22 | 14–16 |
| x-Portland Trail Blazers | 46 | 36 | .561 | 12 | 31–10 | 15–26 | 16–14 |
| Golden State Warriors | 30 | 52 | .366 | 28 | 21–20 | 9–32 | 11–19 |
| San Diego Clippers | 25 | 57 | .305 | 33 | 18–23 | 7–34 | 7–23 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-Los Angeles Lakers | 58 | 24 | .707 | – |
| 2 | y-San Antonio Spurs | 53 | 29 | .646 | 5 |
| 3 | x-Phoenix Suns | 53 | 29 | .646 | 5 |
| 4 | x-Seattle SuperSonics | 48 | 34 | .585 | 10 |
| 5 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 46 | 36 | .561 | 12 |
| 6 | x-Denver Nuggets | 45 | 37 | .549 | 13 |
| 7 | Kansas City Kings | 45 | 37 | .549 | 13 |
| 8 | Dallas Mavericks | 38 | 44 | .463 | 20 |
| 9 | Utah Jazz | 30 | 52 | .366 | 28 |
| 9 | Golden State Warriors | 30 | 52 | .366 | 28 |
| 11 | San Diego Clippers | 25 | 57 | .305 | 33 |
| 12 | Houston Rockets | 14 | 68 | .171 | 44 |
| 1983 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 1–2 (home: 1–1; road: 0–1)
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| 1983 schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alvan Adams | 80 | 75 | 30.6 | .486 | .333 | .829 | 6.9 | 4.7 | 1.4 | .9 | 14.2 |
| Jeff Cook* | 45 | 2 | 12.2 | .430 | .000 | .759 | 2.9 | 1.3 | .3 | .3 | 3.6 |
| Walter Davis | 80 | 79 | 31.1 | .516 | .304 | .818 | 2.5 | 5.0 | 1.5 | .2 | 19.0 |
| James Edwards* | 16 | 1 | 17.8 | .487 | . | .660 | 3.7 | 1.7 | .3 | .3 | 8.8 |
| Johnny High | 82 | 2 | 14.1 | .461 | .200 | .463 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .4 | 3.2 |
| Dennis Johnson | 77 | 74 | 33.1 | .462 | .161 | .791 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 1.3 | .5 | 14.2 |
| Joel Kramer | 54 | 4 | 8.5 | .423 | .000 | .875^ | 1.6 | 0.7 | .3 | .1 | 1.9 |
| Maurice Lucas | 77 | 71 | 33.6 | .474 | .333 | .781 | 10.4 | 2.8 | .7 | .6 | 16.5 |
| Kyle Macy | 82 | 9 | 22.4 | .517 | .303 | .872^ | 2.0 | 3.4 | .8 | .1 | 9.9 |
| Larry Nance | 82 | 82 | 35.5 | .550 | .333 | .672 | 8.7 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 16.7 |
| Charles Pittman | 28 | 0 | 6.1 | .475 | .000 | .676 | 1.1 | 0.3 | .1 | .3 | 2.3 |
| Alvin Scott | 81 | 9 | 14.1 | .479 | .000 | .736 | 2.8 | 1.2 | .6 | .4 | 4.1 |
| David Thirdkill | 49 | 2 | 10.6 | .435 | .143 | .577 | 1.5 | 0.7 | .4 | .1 | 4.0 |
| Rory White | 65 | 0 | 9.6 | .543 | .000 | .642 | 1.6 | 0.5 | .2 | .0 | 5.0 |
* – Stats with the Suns.
^ – Minimum 125 free throws made.
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alvan Adams | 3 | 3 | 28.0 | .469 | . | .714 | 6.0 | 4.7 | .7 | 1.7 | 11.7 |
| Walter Davis | 3 | 3 | 37.7 | .435 | .500 | .810 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 26.0 |
| James Edwards | 3 | 0 | 18.0 | .423 | . | 1.000 | 6.0 | 1.3 | .3 | .3 | 9.3 |
| Johnny High | 3 | 0 | 15.0 | .455 | .000 | .000 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .3 | 3.3 |
| Dennis Johnson | 3 | 3 | 36.0 | .458 | .000 | .833 | 7.7 | 5.7 | 1.7 | .7 | 18.0 |
| Joel Kramer | 2 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | . | . | 0.0 | 0.0 | .0 | .0 | 0.0 |
| Maurice Lucas | 2 | 2 | 28.5 | .571 | . | .500 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 1.5 | .0 | 13.0 |
| Kyle Macy | 3 | 0 | 24.0 | .429 | .000 | .714 | 2.7 | 3.0 | .3 | .0 | 11.7 |
| Larry Nance | 3 | 3 | 34.3 | .400 | . | .800 | 8.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 12.0 |
| Charles Pittman | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | . | . | . | 0.0 | 0.0 | .0 | .0 | 0.0 |
| Alvin Scott | 3 | 1 | 20.7 | .462 | . | 1.000 | 4.0 | 1.7 | .7 | 1.7 | 4.7 |
| Rory White | 3 | 0 | 13.3 | .500 | .000 | .500 | 3.3 | 0.0 | .0 | .0 | 5.3 |
| June 21, 1982 | ToDenver NuggetsRich Kelley | ToPhoenix Suns 1982 first-round draft pick ( David Thirdkill) |
| July 7, 1982 | ToNew York KnicksTruck Robinson | ToPhoenix SunsMaurice Lucas |
| February 7, 1983 | ToCleveland CavaliersJeff Cook
| ToPhoenix SunsJames Edwards |
| Date | Player | Contract | Old Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 1982 | Art Housey | Undisclosed | |
| July 7, 1982 | Johnny High | Undisclosed | Phoenix Suns |
| February 7, 1983 | Charles Pittman | Undisclosed | Phoenix Suns |
| Date | Player | Reason left | New team |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 1982 | Dudley Bradley | Waived | Chicago Bulls |
| October 21, 1982 | Art Housey | Waived | |
| October 28, 1982 | Charles Pittman | Waived | Phoenix Suns |
| December 21, 1982 | Craig Dykema | Waived |
