Five Suns Teams Tailor‑Made for NBA 2K

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thumbnail-image: Each year, the NBA 2K video game series includes throwback teams that users can choose. These include dynasties from the 1960s all the way through the late 2000s. The company is in currently unveiling the throwback teams that will be featured in NBA 2K16, which is scheduled for release this fall. Suns.com’s Greg Esposito has been outspoken regarding this undebatable truth: the 1992-93 Phoenix Suns would be a perfect throwback team for the NBA 2K video game series. The Suns, however, have been shut out of the throwback portion of 2K since the franchise began including old-school teams. Fellow dot-com reporter Matt Petersen says that if unnegotiable factors keep the famous ’92-93 team from making the cut, other purple-and-orange candidates would be equally entertaining alternates. Here’s his breakdown of the other five best Suns teams that would wreak havoc in video game mode.
thumbnail-image: 1969-70 Star Players Connie Hawkins (24.6 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 4.8 apg): poster dunker, finisher, rebounder, post-passer Gail Goodrich (20.0 ppg, 7.5 apg, 4.2 rpg): shot creator, passer, clutch Dick Van Arsdale (21.3 ppg, 4.4 apg, 3.4 rpg, 50.8 FG%): driver, finisher Paul Silas (12.8 ppg, 11.7 rpg): rebounder, loose-ball magnet Specialists Jim Fox (12.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg): rebounder, post defender Neal Walk (8.3 rpg, 5.5 rpg): rebounder, post defender Breakdown: The pre-merger NBA boasted a lot of teams replete with All-Star talent, and the ’69-70 Suns were one of them. Hawkins’ “rookie” NBA season was made for a video game, especially his contorting and thunderous finishing ability around the rim. Van Arsdale (speed) and Goodrich (shooting) form an All-Star contrast in the backcourt, while Silas will help you clean up any and all misses on either backboard. The biggest drawback to this squad: shot-blocking. Fox and Walk could hold defensive position down on the block, but neither is going to rotate quickly and block a lot of shots for you should opposing guards get by the first line of defense.
thumbnail-image: 1978-79 Star Players Paul Westphal (24.0 ppg, 6.4 apg, 2.4 spg, 53.5 FG%): knock-down shooter, shot creator, passer, ambidextrous handles Walter Davis (23.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.9 spg, 56.1 FG%): knock-down shooter, long-distance sniper, shot-creator, never goes cold Alvan Adams (17.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.8 bpg, 53.0 FG%): mid-range shooter, quick hands on defense, post passer Truck Robinson (16.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 50.8 FG%): Rebounder, strength, loose-ball magnet Specialists Don Buse (7.8 ppg, 4.3 apg, 1.9 spg): defensive pest, turnover producer Gar Heard (6.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.9 bpg, 0.8 spg): all-around defense, loose ball magnet Ron Lee (9.8 ppg, 3.1 apg, 1.6 spg): all-out hustle, loose ball magnet Alvin Scott (6.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.0 spg, 0.8 bpg): shot-blocker, rebounder Breakdown: The video game generation might not be old enough to remember the ’78-79 squad, but they’d have a ridiculous amount of fun playing that team in 2K. Davis and Westphal were at their jump-shooting peaks, which means users can force defenses to pick their poison on the perimeter. Adams’ high-post finesse and Robinson’s low-post muscle form the perfect yin-yang attack up front. The fifth guy on the floor – be it Buse, Heard, Lee or Scott – will provide his own style of defensive energy. If you need extra shot-blocking, you’ll want Scott. Steals: Buse. Chaos in general, go with Heard or Lee. Don’t forget, this team was actually the closest of any squad in Suns history to making the Finals aside from the 1976 and 1993 teams. They led Seattle 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals before falling, 4-3.
thumbnail-image: 1989-90 Star Players Tom Chambers (27.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.1 spg, 50.1 FG%): poster dunker, finisher, shot-creator Kevin Johnson (22.5 ppg, 11.4 apg, 1.3 spg, 49.9 FG%): driver, finisher, shot-creator, passer, mid-range shooter, elite speed Jeff Hornacek (17.6 ppg, 5.0 apg, 4.7 apg, 1.7 spg, 53.6 FG%, 40.8 3FG%): knock-down shooter, long-distance sniper, never goes cold Specialists Eddie Johnson (16.9 ppg, 38.0 3FG%): long-distance sniper, heat-check guy Dan Majerle (11.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.4 spg): defensive pest, loose-ball magnet Mark West (10.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.2 bpg): Shot-blocker, rebounder, strength Kurt Rambis (5.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.2 spg): rebounder, loose-ball magnet, quick hands Breakdown: Jeez, was this team ahead of its time or what? The Cotton Express Suns had far more three-point shooting than what was normal in its era. Eddie Johnson and Jeff Hornacek were two of the best long-distance gunners of their time, and with KJ’s lightning first step, gamers would have plenty of opportunities to launch from deep. This season was Chambers’ high-flying peak, and he would have been a shoe-in for NBA Jam had that gam arrived just a couple years earlier. Instead, he’s the hypothetical dunk-over-everyone guy on this squad. This season is also in the middle of Johnson’s best three-year stretch in the league, one in which he drove, dunked and dished his way to 21.7 points, 11.3 assists and 1.7 steals per contest. And before Suns faithful blow a gasket, I’m sorry, but Majerle was not yet the shooter he would become just a couple years later. At the time, Thunder Dan’s trademarks were his hustle, defense and fearlessness in attacking the basket. His three-point stroke, however, connected just 23.8 percent of the time that season.
thumbnail-image: 1994-95 Star Players Charles Barkley* (23.0 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.6 spg, 48.6 FG%): low-post scorer, shot creator, finisher, rebounder, clutch Danny Manning (17.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.2 bpg, 54.7 FG%): post-passer, mid-range scorer, chemistry guy Dan Majerle (15.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.2 spg, 36.3 3FG%): three-point sniper, heat-check guy, defensive pest Kevin Johnson (15.5 ppg, 7.7 apg, 1.0 spg, 47.0 FG%): shot creator, finisher, passer Specialists A.C. Green (11.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 50.4 FG%): rebounder, loose ball magnet Wesley Person (10.4 ppg, 43.6 3FG%): long-distance sniper Wayman Tisdale (10.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 48.4 FG%): low-post scorer, rebounder Elliot Perry (9.7 ppg, 4.8 apg, 1.9 spg, 41.7 3FG%): defensive-pest, passer, long-distance sniper Breakdown: Some quirky pros and cons with this team. The biggest thing working in your favor: the season stats don’t depict anywhere near the glut of talent on this team. Manning was an All-Star the previous season, and Wayman Tisdale was close to it. Both took on lesser roles to play in Phoenix. If Barkley’s image can’t be featured in the game, there’s more than enough quality depth at forward to make up for it. If injuries are a part of the video game, then this team might scare you. Barkley, Tisdale, Johnson and Manning all logged fewer than 70 games that season due to injury. When healthy, there are few Suns teams as stacked as this one. The only issue is shot-blocking, an area covered only by Manning’s versatility and Joe Kleine’s limited use. Manning, however, was often shifted over to center. That lineup – with Barkley/Tisdale, Person, Majerle and Johnson – would wreak havoc on offense.
thumbnail-image: 2006-07 Star Players Steve Nash (18.6 ppg, 11.6 apg, 3.5 rpg, 53.2 FG%, 45.5 3FG%): driver, passer, mid-range scorer, long-distance sniper, never goes cold, team chemistry, clutch Amar’e Stoudemire (20.4 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 1.0 spg, 57.5 FG%): mid-range scorer, poster dunker, finisher, soft hands Shawn Marion (17.5 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.0 spg, 1.5 bpg, 52.4 FG%): mid-range scorer, poster dunker, finisher, rebounder, shot-blocker, defensive pest Leandro Barbosa (18.1 ppg, 4.0 apg, 1.2 spg, 47.6 FG%, 43.4 3FG%): finisher, long-range sniper, elite speed, driver Specialists Raja Bell (14.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.5 apg, 41.3 3FG%): defensive pest, long-distance sniper Boris Diaw (9.7 ppg, 4.8 apg, 4.3 rpg, 53.8 FG%): post-passer James Jones (6.4 ppg, 37.8 3FG%): long-range sniper Kurt Thomas (4.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 48.6 FG%): low-post defender, rebounder Breakdown: It was a close call between this squad and its 2004-05 predecessor, but we ultimately went with this one for five reasons: This edition of Amar’e Stoudemire still has the trademark dunking/finishing power but also features the mid-range jumper his younger self did not possess. The ’04-05 Leandro Barbosa was a shell of his future, Sixth Man Award-winning self, one that is at his breakneck peak in ’06-07. Raja Bell’s All-NBA perimeter defense is a welcome addition, especially alongside Shawn Marion. Some gamers have that one opposing player that burns them every time. This team has two counters available to use. Depth isn’t a huge factor in video-game basketball, but it matters. You don’t want your stars sucking air late in a close game and, as a result, running like slugs on both ends of the floor. 2006-07 wins the battle of the benches, sporting a full-grown Barbosa, James Jones and Kurt Thomas. The best ’04-05 reserves: Jim Jackson and Steven Hunter. Nostalgia is the main appeal of these throwback teams, and there’s more to be nostalgic about with Barbosa/Bell than Quentin Richardson and Joe Johnson. It’s just a fact. As a sidenote, this team qualifies for NBA 2K given that the ’07-08 Rockets are already in. Some players from that Houston team (Luis Scola, Carl Landry, Gerald Green, Chuck Hayes) played as recently as last season.

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