| 1981–82 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 | 46–36 (.561) | ||
| Place | Division: 3rd (Pacific) Conference: 4th (Western) | ||
| Playoff finish | Conference semifinals (lost toLakers 0–4) | ||
Stats atBasketball Reference | |||
| Local media | |||
| Television | KNXV | ||
| Radio | KTAR | ||
| |||
The1981–82 Phoenix Suns season was the 14th season for thePhoenix Suns of theNational Basketball Association. The Suns were in theplayoffs for the fifth consecutive season, extending a then-franchise record. In the first round,Denver was taken down by the Suns, two games to one. Phoenix would find a tougher opponent, however, in theWestern Conference Semifinals, getting swept four games to zero by the eventual league champions,Los Angeles Lakers. The Suns were led byhead coachJohn MacLeod and played all home games inArizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Dennis Johnson again earnedNBA All-Defensive First Team honors and was the loneAll-Star Game participant from the Suns. Additionally, he led the Suns in scoring with his 19.5points average, a personal career-high.Truck Robinson was not far behind with his 19.1 average, and paired that withrebounding average of 9.7 a game. Fellow big manAlvan Adams brought in 7 rebounds and 15 points a contest.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Larry Nance | Forward |  United States | Clemson |
| 3 | 62 | Sam Clancy Jr. | Forward | United States | Pittsburgh |
| 3 | 66 | Craig Dykema | Forward | United States | Long Beach State |
| 5 | 112 | Paul Heuerman | Center | United States | Michigan |
| 6 | 135 | Pete Harris | Guard | United States | Northeastern |
| 7 | 158 | David Williams | Forward | United States | Southern |
| 8 | 180 | Steve Risley | Forward | United States | Indiana |
| 9 | 200 | Brian Johnson | Forward | United States | Colorado |
| 10 | 220 | Felton Sealey | Forward | United States | Oregon |
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach Assistant(s) Legend
|
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Los Angeles Lakers | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 30–11 | 27–14 | 21–9 |
| x-Seattle SuperSonics | 52 | 30 | .634 | 5.0 | 31–10 | 21–20 | 18–12 |
| x-Phoenix Suns | 46 | 36 | .561 | 11.0 | 31–10 | 15–26 | 14–16 |
| Golden State Warriors | 45 | 37 | .549 | 12.0 | 28–13 | 17–24 | 15–15 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 42 | 40 | .512 | 15.0 | 27–14 | 15–26 | 15–15 |
| San Diego Clippers | 17 | 65 | .207 | 40.0 | 11–30 | 6–35 | 7–23 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-Los Angeles Lakers | 57 | 25 | .695 | – |
| 2 | y-San Antonio Spurs | 48 | 34 | .585 | 9 |
| 3 | x-Seattle SuperSonics | 52 | 30 | .634 | 5 |
| 4 | x-Denver Nuggets | 46 | 36 | .561 | 11 |
| 5 | x-Phoenix Suns | 46 | 36 | .561 | 11 |
| 6 | x-Houston Rockets | 46 | 36 | .561 | 11 |
| 7 | Golden State Warriors | 45 | 37 | .549 | 12 |
| 8 | Portland Trail Blazers | 42 | 40 | .512 | 15 |
| 9 | Kansas City Kings | 30 | 52 | .366 | 27 |
| 10 | Dallas Mavericks | 28 | 54 | .341 | 29 |
| 11 | Utah Jazz | 25 | 57 | .305 | 32 |
| 12 | San Diego Clippers | 17 | 65 | .207 | 40 |
| 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 | 79 | 75 | 30.3 | .494 | .000 | .781 | 7.4 | 4.5 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 15.1 |
| Dudley Bradley | 64 | 3 | 14.6 | .445 | .250 | .740 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.2 | .2 | 5.1 |
| Jeff Cook | 76 | 22 | 17.1 | .422 | .000 | .664 | 4.0 | 1.3 | .5 | .3 | 5.1 |
| Walter Davis | 55 | 12 | 21.5 | .523† | .188 | .820 | 1.9 | 2.9 | .8 | .1 | 14.4 |
| Craig Dykema | 32 | 0 | 3.2 | .459 | .500^ | .778 | 0.4 | 0.5 | .1 | .0 | 1.3 |
| Dennis Johnson | 80 | 77 | 36.7 | .470 | .190 | .806 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 1.3 | .7 | 19.5 |
| Rich Kelley | 81 | 39 | 23.4 | .467 | .000 | .749 | 6.1 | 3.6 | .8 | .9 | 7.9 |
| Joel Kramer | 56 | 0 | 9.8 | .414 | . | .786 | 1.9 | 0.9 | .3 | .2 | 2.6 |
| Kyle Macy | 82 | 72 | 34.7 | .514 | .390^ | .899 | 3.2 | 4.7 | 1.7 | .1 | 14.2 |
| John McCullough | 8 | 0 | 2.9 | .692† | . | .600 | 0.5 | 0.4 | .3 | .0 | 2.6 |
| Larry Nance | 80 | 0 | 14.8 | .521 | .000 | .641 | 3.2 | 1.0 | .5 | .9 | 6.6 |
| Truck Robinson | 74 | 72 | 37.1 | .513 | 1.000^ | .687 | 9.7 | 2.4 | .6 | .4 | 19.1 |
| Alvin Scott | 81 | 38 | 21.5 | .497 | .000 | .730 | 3.6 | 1.8 | .7 | .9 | 6.0 |
† – Minimum 300 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 25 three-pointers made.
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alvan Adams | 7 | 7 | 33.3 | .522 | . | .786 | 7.3 | 3.7 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 16.9 |
| Dudley Bradley | 7 | 0 | 3.4 | .250 | . | 1.000^ | 0.1 | 0.7 | .1 | .1 | 0.7 |
| Jeff Cook | 7 | 0 | 6.4 | .500 | . | . | 1.3 | 1.0 | .3 | .3 | 1.1 |
| Walter Davis | 7 | 0 | 24.7 | .448 | .333 | .917 | 3.1 | 4.3 | .7 | .1 | 18.1 |
| Craig Dykema | 6 | 0 | 2.0 | .167 | . | . | 0.7 | 0.3 | .0 | .0 | 0.3 |
| Dennis Johnson | 7 | 7 | 38.7 | .477 | .000 | .769 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 2.1 | .6 | 22.3 |
| Rich Kelley | 7 | 7 | 27.3 | .500 | . | .700 | 6.9 | 4.3 | .9 | .4 | 9.7 |
| Joel Kramer | 4 | 0 | 5.0 | .714† | . | .667 | 1.3 | 0.3 | .3 | .0 | 3.0 |
| Kyle Macy | 7 | 7 | 34.7 | .427 | .364 | .938^ | 3.1 | 4.0 | 1.0 | .1 | 13.6 |
| Larry Nance | 7 | 0 | 18.3 | .610† | . | .500 | 4.6 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 7.7 |
| Truck Robinson | 7 | 7 | 30.4 | .563 | . | .300 | 7.6 | 2.7 | .7 | .1 | 13.3 |
| Alvin Scott | 7 | 0 | 18.1 | .438 | .000 | .500 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 4.6 |
† – Minimum 20 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 10 free throws made.
| June 8, 1981 | ToIndiana Pacers 1981 second-round draft pick ( El Leslie)
| ToPhoenix SunsDudley Bradley |
| October 1, 1981 | ToChicago BullsJohnny High | ToPhoenix Suns 1983 third-round draft pick ( Winfred King) |
| Date | Player | Contract | Old Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 19, 1981 | Alvin Scott | Re-signed to four-year contract | Phoenix Suns |
| October 26, 1981 | John McCullough | Undisclosed |
| Date | Player | Reason left | New team |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 18, 1981 | Mike Niles | Waived | |
| December 18, 1981 | John McCullough | Waived | Billings Volcanos (CBA) |
