1994–95 Phoenix Suns season

The 1994–95 NBA season was the 27th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Suns signed free agents, All-Star forward Danny Manning, Wayman Tisdale, and Danny Schayes. The team was led by Paul Westphal, in his third year as head coach of the Suns. The Suns held the league's best record at 38–10 before the All-Star break, and finished the regular season with 59 wins and 23 losses, the first time in the franchise's history they had ended the season with 55 or more wins for three consecutive seasons. All home games were played at America West Arena.

1994–95 Phoenix Suns season
Division champions
Head coachPaul Westphal
General managerJerry Colangelo
Owner(s)Jerry Colangelo
ArenaAmerica West Arena
Results
Record5923 (.720)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Pacific)
Conference: 2nd (Western)
Playoff finishConference semifinals
(lost to Rockets 3–4)

Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television
RadioKTAR

All-Star forward Charles Barkley averaged 23.0 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, while Manning, who was coming off an All-Star year, averaged 17.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, but the oft-injured Manning appeared in only just 46 games in his first season in Phoenix, and would not be available for the Suns' playoff run due to a torn ligament in his left knee. In addition, point guard Kevin Johnson averaged 15.5 points and led the team with 7.7 assists per game, despite only playing just 47 games due to injuries, which happened earlier enough in the season, that he would be able to play in the Suns' fourth consecutive Western Conference Semi-finals, and three-point specialist Dan Majerle provided the team with 15.6 points per game, and finished the season tied for second in made three-point field goals at 199. The Suns front court was supplanted by A.C. Green, who provided with 11.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and Tisdale, who contributed 10.0 points per game. The Suns' 23rd overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft was used to select Wesley Person, a shooting guard from the University of Auburn, who contributed 10.4 points per game while connecting on a team-high 43.6% of his three-pointers. By season's end, Person was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Elliot Perry played most of the season as the team's starting point guard in Johnson's absence, as he averaged 9.7 points, 4.8 assists and led the Suns with 1.9 steals per game, and Danny Ainge contributed 7.7 points per game off the bench.

The Suns swept the Portland Trail Blazers in three straight games in the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs. In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the Suns took a 3–1 series lead over the 6th-seeded defending champion Houston Rockets, but for the second year in a row, had their playoff run stopped in a Game 7 home loss to the Rockets. The Rockets would go on to defeat the Orlando Magic in four straight games in the NBA Finals, winning their second consecutive championship.

Barkley was named to his ninth All-Star Game, which was hosted in Phoenix, joined by Majerle, who was selected for his third and final All-Star Game; Westphal was also selected to coach the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. Barkley repeated as an All-NBA Second Team selection. Following the season, Majerle was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Ainge retired, Richard Dumas signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers, Schayes signed with the Miami Heat during the next season, and undrafted rookie guard Trevor Ruffin was left unprotected in the 1995 NBA Expansion Draft, where he was selected by the newly expansion Vancouver Grizzlies.

For the season, the Suns added new black alternate road uniforms, which remained in use until 2000.

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