Paul Westphal's first season as head coach of the Suns in 1992-93 turned out to be one of the most memorable seasons in team history. With a new arena, new uniforms and the addition of Charles Barkley, Westphal guided the team to a league-best 62 wins and the 1993 NBA Finals. Now Pepperdine's head coach, "Westy" took time to share with Suns.com what is was like to coach the Chuckster and his recollections of that memorable season.

Suns.com: What were your thoughts when the Suns acquired Barkley from Philadelphia before the 1992-93 season?

Paul Westphal: He was exactly what we needed at the time. He really delivered. He came and the city went crazy for him. He was (NBA) MVP his first year and it was just fun coming to work every day knowing he was going to be there.

Suns.com: Did you have any reservations about coaching Barkley, given the squirrelly reputation that followed him to Phoenix?

Westphal: I was excited about it. We knew that Charles had his idiosyncrasies, but we went in with our eyes open and he brought his personality and his game, and it was a pleasure.

Suns.com: What are your memories of coaching Barkley?

Westphal: The two things about him are that he’s a great competitor and he’s a clown. Sometimes those two things would overlap a little bit.

He was notoriously bad at defending the pick-and-roll. We had five different ways to defend it and we’d ask him how he wanted to do it. He’d say one way and then it would happen in the game, and he would do it a different way. It would mess up our defense and the (opposing) team would score. So we’d call a timeout. We’d change it and do it a different way, and he’d do it the wrong way again, and mess it up again, and the other team would score. This happened throughout the whole game.

I remember one close game where we needed one stop to win the game, and we knew they were going to run the pick-and-roll, and they did. Charles defended it perfectly, stole the ball and we won the game. After the game, I remember he dropped by the coach’s office and there were a bunch of reporters and (other) people sitting around, and he stuck his head in and said, “Hey Coach, did you like the way I defended the pick-and-roll that last time?” I said, “Yeah, I loved it, Chuck.” He said, “I just want you to know something. I can play defense. I just don’t.” Then he laughed and walked out of the place. That’s kind of Charles in a nutshell.

Suns.com: How did Barkley handle the balance of being a competitor and a "clown"?

Westphal: In the big moments, Charles thrived. When he was bored, he would get distracted. You had to have mature players to deal with that and I give his teammates a lot of credit for understanding Charles’ quirks, and embracing him even though at times you knew he was going to be a distraction.

Suns.com: How signicant was Barkley's contribution to the Suns and the city of Phoenix?

Westphal: It’s hard to put it into words how popular he was and deservedly so. To me, he kind of embodied the western individualistic spirit. He’s almost like the John Wayne of his generation. When he came here, people asked how he was going to match up with Karl Malone. He said, “Tell Karl there’s a new sheriff in town.” He just had that kind of cocky, gunslinger, “bring ‘em on” attitude that really resonated, particularly in a southwestern city like Phoenix.

Suns.com: What do you recall about Barkley's contribution to the 1993 playoff run?

Westphal: He expected to dominate whoever we played. He had some health problems that year. He was not 100 percent all the time and that hasn’t really been recognized that much. But he was playing in pain, particularly in that Finals series against the Bulls. He was a true warrior. He didn’t offer excuses. He just went out there and played. I have nothing but admiration for the way he competed.

Suns.com: What are your memories of Barkley's series-clinching basket against the Spurs in the '93 Western Conference Semi-Finals?

Westphal: I just remember that we needed a bucket and there was no doubt where we were going to go to get it. We put everybody on the baseline and put him with the ball up top. We left the destiny of the game in his hands and he delivered. It was a great moment. He just kind of stood there and looked at (David) Robinson and Robinson looked at him, and it was just a real dramatic time. That was the kind of year that Charles had. Pretty much everything turned to gold.

Suns.com: What do you recall about Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against Seattle at AWA?

Westphal: To me, Charles was a gigantic story that game, but I think even a bigger story for that one game was Tom Chambers, who had kind of stepped aside to let Charles dominate and basically play the role that he had been playing for the four previous years. Tom came to us from Seattle, where he had been a big star, and in that game Tom, who hadn’t been starting, started that game and he had a terrific game against his old teammates in the biggest game probably in franchise history. As much as anything, I think Tom was the story of that Game 7.

Suns.com: After making it to the NBA Finals as a Suns player, how did it feel for you to coach the team back to the Finals?

Westphal: I’d felt that before with the Suns when we went to the Finals against the Celtics in ’76. It felt the same in that regard. I was particularly happy for really three people. Charles, Tom Chambers and Jerry Colangelo, because I knew what it meant to him to get back there, particularly against the Bulls because that was Jerry’s city. So, I was happy for those three people more than anybody.

Suns.com: How did Barkley respond to injuries during the Finals?

Westphal: He was taking shots at halftime. I’m not sure if it was his leg or his back or some kind of combination, but he was in pain and he wasn’t going to miss a minute. He’d have done anything to play.

Suns.com: What do you remember about the parade downtown following the '93 playoffs?

Westphal: I just remember that one 10th of the whole state showed up for the parade on a very hot Phoenix day. It was really an indication of how the whole state had just been mesmerized by that team. It was really a privilege to be a part of it.

Suns.com: Are there any post-'93 games from Barkley that stand out in your mind?

Westphal: I remember Chris Weber went behind his back and dunked on Charles at the end of a break, and kind of went crazy with celebration. This was in like the second quarter. Because of his celebration, I think Charles said, “Wait a minute. Let me show this young fellow something.” Just the fact that a young guy would get so excited about one play made Charles kick it into another gear. A lot of times, he just needed an excuse to play hard and once he found that excuse he could turn it up to a level probably as high a level as any power forward’s ever played at.

Suns.com: What are your thoughts on Barkley and Jerry Colangelo setting aside their differences, and Barkley joining you in the Ring of Honor?

Westphal: I’m happy to see it. Charles, in my opinion, had probably the best year anyone’s ever had in Phoenix and did the most for bringing the attention of the state to the Suns during that period of time than anyone’s ever done. He deserves the honor greatly.

I never thought that Charles would be forgotten in Phoenix. When the honor came and what the honor looked like, I couldn’t say that. He was just too big and too dominant during that period of time to be forgotten.

Suns.com: What is your opinion of Barkley the broadcaster?

Westphal: He’s probably the only broadcaster out there that people will specifically tune in to hear what he says. Most of them are pretty interchangeable, but you can’t say that about Chuck.

Suns.com: What has your relationship with Barkley been like since his playing days?

Westphal: We talk every once in a while. When I was in Seattle he made a special trip up there to appear in a big function we had there for the science center. He really went out of his way to keep a commitment. He’s the kind of guy that if he’s your friend, you can count on him.