The Phoenix Suns is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. As a member of the NBA Western Conference Pacific Division, the Suns compete in the National Basketball Association, and are the only non-California team in their division. The Suns play in their home For the remainder of the 1980s, despite unable to win a championship, the Suns would rebound around Walter Davis until Kevin Johnson was added in 1988. Under Johnson, and after trading for the perennial NBA All-Star Charles Barkley and combining with the success of Tom Chambers and Dan Majerle, the Suns reached the playoffs for thirteen consecutive franchise record appearances and remained a consistent title contender in the 1990s, reaching the NBA Finals in 1993. However, the team will fail to win a title again and by the early part of the 2000s entered another period of mediocrity. games at the Talking Stick Resort Arena. The franchise began playing as an expansion team in 1968 and their early years were shrouded in mediocrity, but their fortunes changed in the 1970s, when the Suns reached the 1976 NBA Finals after partnership with Paul Westphal, the long-term guard Dick Van Arsdale and Alvan Adams center, in what is considered one of the biggest upsets in NBA history. The Suns acquired Steve Nash in 2004, and he soon returned to playoff contention. With Nash, Shawn Marion, and Amar'e Stoudemire, and head coach Mike D'Antoni, the Suns were renowned worldwide for their fast, explosive offense that led them to tie a franchise record in wins in the 2004–05 season. Two more top two placements followed for the Tournament, once again the Suns failed to attain an NBA championship and were forced to rebuild. The Suns own the NBA's seventh-best all-time winning percentage, and have the second-highest winning percentage of all players to have never won an NBA championship. Two Suns, Barkley and Nash, were named the NBA Most Valuable Player for playing for the club. For the first eleven seasons of their tenure in the NBA the Suns had no official mascot but this mascot was created a few years ago by accident. A courier for Eastern Onion, a singing telegram service, came to the Coliseum during a home-game dressed as a gorilla. When he left, Coliseum Security offered to hold a couple of dances under the basket during a break, and it was loved by the fans. So did the messenger, Henry Rojas, who kept coming to the games until they officially invited him to join the squad. An earlier effort was made at a mascot in a sunflower costume but it was never commented on. Later, the Suns Gorilla is one of the most celebrated mascots on the NBA. The Gorilla's followers, dubbed "Play," are acquainted with him at court tricks where he raises the Phoenix Suns flag, performs slam dunk routines, and feeds the audience. Go has a fictional background account of coming from the Republic of Bananas and graduating at Fur-man University. Before his debut with the Phoenix Suns, the Gorilla delivered singing telegrams, before stepping onto the Suns court during a game. His antics have been a success and the Gorilla has since become a fan of the Phoenix Light. The Gorilla was popular for slapstick humor during action, such as running the stadium stairs to the Rocky album, and the dunks performed before the fourth quarter. Every first weekend of October, the Suns played an annual basketball exhibition game, the NBA Outdoors, at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California near the city of Palm Springs from 2008 until 2010. However, the team started playing the Outdoor Preseason game before the 2011–12 NBA preseason. Following a recommendation from Coachella Valley Recreation and Park District Operations Chief Craig DeWitt, the NBA played its first outdoor exhibition basketball match on 11 October 2008. The stadium facility was constructed to hold up to 15,000 spectators, primarily for tennis and music concert tournaments. The Phoenix Suns lost the game to the Denver Nuggets. A second annual outdoor exhibition game was played on 10 October 2009, this time the Suns lost to the Golden State Warriors. On 9 October 2010, the Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks in the third annual outdoor game.
About the Creator
MB
I am a bird aficionado and really enjoy spotting them them on hikes. I greatly appreciate the variety of birds cross North America and the world. They are amazing and intelligent creatures, each so unique and with a wonderful life.
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Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers is a professional American basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers are participating as a member of the National Basketball Association's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division league, and playing at the Wells Fargo Arena. Established in 1946, and originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest teams in the NBA and one of the 8 to survive the league's first decade. Having played for the team many of the greatest players in NBA history including Wilt Chamberlain, Dolph Schayes, Hal Greer, Billy Cunningham, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, and Allen Iverson, the 76ers have had a prominent experience. They won three NBA championships, with a first stint as the Syracuse Nationals in 1955. The 2nd title came in 1967, a team led by Chamberlain. The third title came in 1983 and was won by a team led by Erving and Malone. Since then the 76ers have returned only once to the NBA Finals: in 2001, where they were led by Iverson and lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five rounds. In 1946, a $5,000 check was sent by Italian immigrant Daniel Biasone to the National Basketball League headquarters in Chicago, and the Syracuse Nationals became the easternmost team of the primarily Midwest-based league, headquartered of Upstate New York City, Syracuse. In the same year, the Syracuse Nationals started playing in the NBL whose professional basketball slowly acquired some popularity from America's rival Basketball League, based in major cities like New York and Philadelphia. While the Nationals posted a record of 21–23 in the NBL with teams composed mainly of small Midwestern cities, finishing in fourth place. The fellow upstate neighbor Rochester Royals will beat the Nationals in four rounds of the playoffs. With the NBA struggling financially and down to only 8 Nationals teams owner during the 1954–55 season, Biasone recommended that the league minimize the amount of time taken for a shot thereby speeding up a game that ended often with lengthy periods of teams having just the ball and playing keep away. Ferris, the Biasone and Nationals general manager, projected a 24-second shot clock allowing at least 30 shots per quarter to intensify the game and increase scoring. The Shot Clock was an instant success as high scoring was 14 points per game competition. The Nationals will take first place in the East in the shot clock's first season, with a 43–29 record. Following a first round bye, the Nationals must top the Celtics in four games to get to the NBA Finals for the second straight season. The Nationals will take home the first two games against the Fort Wayne Pistons to a fast start in the series, led by forward Schayes. However, when the series changed to Fort Wayne winning all three games to take a 3–2 series lead, the Pistons would burst back into life again. Still on the Nationals in Syracuse for Game 6, hopes of the championship were kept alive by smashing the 109–104 Pistons to force a seventh home game. Game 7 is going to be as close as the series as George King in the final seconds sunk off a free throw to send the Nationals a 92–91 lead. King would then block an inbound pass to secure the NBA Championship for the nationals. Charles Barkley arrived in Philadelphia for the 1984–85 season after a losing 1983–84 season that began in the first round of the playoffs with a five-game defeat to the upstart New Jersey Nets. Barkley has brought the Philadelphia fans happiness for the next eight seasons, due to his amusing and sometimes controversial ways. The Sixers qualified to the Eastern Conference Finals in Barkley's rookie season but lost to the Boston Celtics in 5 rounds. As it turns out they would never travel as much again during Barkley's time in Philadelphia. After the 1984–85 season, Matt Guokas had replaced Billy Cunningham as head trainer. Guokas led the 76ers to a record of 54–28, and the second round of playoffs in 1986 where they were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks in seven rounds.
By MB4 years ago in Unbalanced
Somers Falls 3-2 in Season Opener
On Monday April 1, Somers opened their baseball season versus Ardsley, and Coach JT Genovese wasn’t going to fool himself with his new roster. “We have a very young team, and we’re going to have to work through some bumps,” he said. A good first showing nonetheless, the Tuskers still came up a little short.
By Rich Monettiabout 18 hours ago in Unbalanced
John Jay gets First Win with Comeback Victory over Fox Lane
See tip, pledge and subscribe bottons On Wednesday March 27, the Wolves fell behind 3-0 to visiting Fox Lane in the first inning. Nonetheless, starter Julia Neumann kept the score contained and preserved the chance for a comeback win. A 4-3 seventh inning lead for Jay coming around, Skye Volpicella couldn’t put the squeeze on Gaby Naar’s long fly ball to lead off the inning. So reliever Maria DeGataeno simply stuck to the program. “It’s just, next play, forget about it,” said the freshman, and the relief pitcher did exactly that.
By Rich Monetti3 days ago in Unbalanced
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