Lakers–Suns rivalry

The Lakers–Suns rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns. Although the Lakers’ and Suns’ home arenas, Staples Center and Talking Stick Resort Arena respectively, are 375 miles apart along I-10, these two teams are each other’s nearest geographic rival (besides the Clippers, who share the Lakers’ arena). The rivalry started in the 1970 NBA Playoffs after the Lakers became the second team ever to come back from a 3-1 deficit. The Suns joined the Pacific Division with the Lakers in 1972, in which the two teams have shared ever since. The Lakers won all five head-to-head playoff series in the 1980s, while the Suns won both series in the 1990s. They have split their four playoff series since the beginning of the 2000s. The rivalry has cooled off significantly since their last playoff meeting in 2010, owing largely to the Suns’ failure to make it to the playoffs since then.

Lakers–Suns rivalry
Los Angeles Lakers
Phoenix Suns
First meetingNovember 3, 1968
Suns 109, Lakers 127
(Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum)
Latest meetingFebruary 10, 2020
Suns 100 , Lakers 125
(Staples Center)
Next meetingApril 15, 2020
Statistics
Meetings total314[1]
All-time seriesLakers, 183–131 (.583)
Regular season seriesLakers, 145–107 (.575)
Postseason resultsLakers, 38–24 (.613)
Longest win streak
  • Lakers, 8
  • Suns, 7
Current win streakLakers, 3
Post-season history
  • 1970 Western Division Semifinals: Lakers won, 4–3
  • 1980 Western Conference Semifinals: Lakers won, 4–1
  • 1982 Western Conference Semifinals: Lakers won, 4–0
  • 1984 Western Conference Finals: Lakers won, 4–2
  • 1985 Western Conference First Round: Lakers won, 3–0
  • 1989 Western Conference Finals: Lakers won, 4–0
  • 1990 Western Conference Semifinals: Suns won, 4–1
  • 1993 Western Conference First Round: Suns won, 3–2
  • 2000 Western Conference Semifinals: Lakers won, 4–1
  • 2006 Western Conference First Round: Suns won, 4–3
  • 2007 Western Conference First Round: Suns won, 4–1
  • 2010 Western Conference Finals: Lakers won, 4–2

Background

The Lakers were founded as the Detroit Gems in 1946 before relocating to Minneapolis, Minnesota and renaming themselves the Lakers (Minnesota's nickname is "The Land of 10,000 Lakes"). The club won several titles led by center George Mikan in the 1950s before moving to Los Angeles in 1960.[2] In 1972 they won another championship led by center Wilt Chamberlain and point guard Jerry West.[3] After acquiring center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975 and point guard Magic Johnson in 1979, the Lakers built a team that won 5 titles in the 1980s. With the retirement of Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar, they struggled in the 1990s. However, in 1996 the club acquired free agent center Shaquille O'Neal and traded with the Charlotte Hornets for newly drafted shooting guard Kobe Bryant. With the two maturing under coach Phil Jackson, the club turned into a contender in the early 2000s and won three straight NBA championships.[2]However after the loss in the 2004 NBA Finals, the Lakers traded O'Neal to the Miami Heat, and decided to build around Bryant. During this time the Lakers began to struggle, only to make the playoffs twice between 2004-2007 and to never get out of the first round. However, during the 2007-08 NBA season, the Lakers acquired all-star power forward/center Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies and in the same year they made the 2008 NBA Finals losing to the Boston Celtics in six games. The Lakers would then proceed to win back-to-back championships after that.

The Suns were one of two franchises to join the NBA at the start of the 1968–69 season, alongside the Milwaukee Bucks from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and were the first major professional sports franchise in the Phoenix market and in the entire state of Arizona. Led by general manager Jerry Colangelo, their early years they were shrouded in mediocrity, but their fortunes changed in the 1970s, where, after partnering long-term guard Dick Van Arsdale and center Alvan Adams with Paul Westphal, the Suns reached the 1976 NBA Finals, in what is considered to be one of the biggest upsets in NBA history. However, after failing to capture the championship, the Suns would rebuild around Walter Davis for a majority of the 1980s until the acquisitions of Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle and Tom Chambers in 1988. The three players would lead the Suns into the 1990s, and in 1992, the Suns traded for all-star power forward Charles Barkley who went on to win the MVP award in the 1992–93 season and lead them to the finals, where they eventually lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games. After the Suns traded Barkley in 1996, they then began to trade for and build around point guard Jason Kidd, who led the team during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After the Suns traded Kidd to the Nets for Stephon Marbury and then traded him to the New York Knicks a year later, they then decided to sign free agent point guard Steve Nash and hire coach Mike D'Antoni. Along with Nash, Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire and D'Antoni, the Suns began to dominate the league with their revolutionizing offense. Despite the fact that they couldn't win a championship, their style of play had a major influence around the league and it changed the way basketball was played.

Rivalry history

The rivalry began when the Lakers finished the 1969–70 NBA season with a 46-36 record and the second seed while the Suns finished with a 39-43 record and the fourth seed which set up a playoff matchup between the two teams[4]. The Lakers were led by Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor while the Suns were led by Gail Goodrich, Dick Van Arsdale and Connie Hawkins. In Game 1, Elgin Baylor led the Lakers with 32 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds enroute to a victory. Games 2, 3, and 4 however belonged to the Suns, where they would take a 3-1 lead over the Lakers in a best of seven games. But in the end, the Suns fell short, losing three straight games and getting knocked out in the playoffs. This was marked as a historic series because of the fact that this was only the second time a team ever came back from a 3-1 deficit[5].

Ten years later, the Lakers and Suns would meet again in the semifinals in 1980. The Lakers finished the 1979-80 NBA season with a 60-22 record and the first seed while the Suns finished with a 55-27 record and the fourth seed[6]. After the Suns beat the Kings in three games, the matchup was set between the two teams again. Led by Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jamal Wilkes, the Lakers beat the Paul Westphal-Walter Davis led Suns in five games to advance to the Western Conference Finals, where they would eventually beat the Seattle SuperSonics in five games and go on to win the NBA Finals[7].

Two years later, the Lakers and Suns would once again meet in the semifinals in 1982. The Lakers finished the 1981-82 NBA season with a 57-25 record and the first seed while the Suns finished with a 46-36 record and the fifth seed[8]. After the Suns beat the Nuggets in three games, the matchup was set once again between the two teams. The Lakers swept the Dennis Johnson-Walter Davis led Suns in four games to advance to the Western Conference Finals, where they would eventually also sweep the San Antonio Spurs and go on to win the NBA Finals[9].

After another two years, the Lakers and Suns would meet again in the playoffs, but this time in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers finished the 1983-84 NBA season with a 54-28 record and the first seed while the Suns finished with a 41-41 record and the sixth seed[10]. After the Suns upset the Trail Blazers in the first round, then upset the Jazz in the second round, the matchup was set between the two teams again. Led by Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy, the Lakers would beat the Suns in six games to advance to the NBA Finals, where they would eventually lose to the Boston Celtics in seven games[11].

The following year, the Lakers and Suns would once again meet in the playoffs, but this time in the first round. The Lakers finished the 1984-85 NBA season with a 62-20 record and the first seed while the Suns finished with a 36-46 record and the eighth seed[12]. The Lakers swept the Suns in three games and began to go on to win the championship, avenging their loss to the Celtics[13].

Four years later, the Lakers and Suns would meet again in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers finished the 1988-89 NBA season with a 57-25 record and the first seed while the Suns finished with a 55-27 record and the third seed[14]. After the Suns beat the Nuggets and Warriors, and the Lakers beat the Trail Blazers and SuperSonics, the matchup was set once again between the two teams. The Lakers once again swept the Suns in four games to advance to the NBA Finals, despite the fact that the Suns were led by young studs Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle and Jeff Hornacek. The Lakers would then go on and get swept by the Detroit Pistons[15].

The following year, the Lakers and Suns would once again meet in the playoffs, but this time in the semifinals. The Lakers finished the 1989-90 NBA season with a 63-19 record and the first seed while the Suns finished with a 54-28 record and the fifth seed[16]. After the Suns beat the Jazz and Lakers beat the Rockets, the matchup was set once again between the two teams. And after 20 years of being beaten, the Suns would shock the world and sweep the Lakers beating them four games to zero but would eventually get knocked out of the next round by the Portland Trail Blazers[17].

Three years later, the Lakers and Suns would meet again in the playoffs, but in the first round. With the arrival of Charles Barkley, the Suns finished the 1992-93 NBA season with a 62-20 record and the first seed while the Lakers finished with a 39-43 record and the eighth seed[18]. The Suns would eventually beat the Lakers in five games after losing their first two games at home[19].

Seven years later, the Lakers and Suns would meet again in the playoffs, but in the semifinals. With the departure of Charles Barkley and arrival of Jason Kidd and Penny Hardaway, the Suns finished the 1999-00 NBA season with a 53-29 record and the fifth seed while the Lakers finished with a 67-15 record and the first seed, as the team was led by MVP Shaquille O'Neal and all-star Kobe Bryant. [20]. The Lakers would eventually beat the Suns in five games and go on to win the NBA championship[21].

Six years later, the Lakers and Suns would meet again in the playoffs and in the first round of the playoffs. After the departure of Shaq, Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to a 45-37 record and the seventh seed in the playoffs while the Suns finished the 2005-06 NBA season with a 54-28 record and the second seed[22], as the team was led by Steve Nash and Shawn Marion. The Lakers came out the gate with a 3-1 series lead after game 4 of the series, when Kobe Bryant scored the basket to force overtime and then to win the game. However, the Lakers would end up falling short, blowing a 3-1 series deficit and the series in seven games[23].

The following year, the Lakers and Suns would once again meet in the first round of the playoffs. The Lakers would finish the 2006-07 NBA season with a 42-40 record and the seventh seed, while the Suns would finish the season with a 61-21 record and the second seed[24]. With Amare Stoudemire back after missing the 2006 season, the Suns would beat the Lakers in five games, but then went on to get eliminated in the playoffs by the eventual champion Spurs[25].

Three years later, the Lakers were now led not only by Kobe Bryant but also Pau Gasol, and the Lakers and Suns would meet again in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers and Suns would finish the 2009-10 NBA season as the first and third best team in the Western Conference[26]. The first four games were split, as the series was tied at 2-2, which made Game 5 a pivotal game. In the closing seconds of Game 5, Bryant airballed a fadeaway jumper, and as the Suns were about to get the rebound, Ron Artest ended up getting the ball and laying it in at the buzzer, giving the Lakers a 3-2 series lead. The Lakers would then proceed to win Game 6 and advance to the NBA Finals, where they would win the championship against the Boston Celtics[27].

Annual Results
Season NBA season
W Wins
L Losses
% Winning percentage
Playoffs Final result in season's playoffs
Series Record in season's head-to-head matchups
* Lakers had more regular season wins than Clippers
† Suns had more regular season wins than Lakers
‡ Lakers won season series against the Clippers
§ Suns won season series against the Lakers
Season Lakers Clippers Series
Team W L % Playoffs Team W L % Playoffs
1968–69 L.A. Lakers55*27.671Lost Finals Phoenix Suns1666.195LAL 6–0‡
1969–70 L.A. Lakers46*36.561Lost Finals Phoenix Suns3943.476Lost Western Division SemifinalsPHX 4–3§
1970–71 L.A. Lakers4834.585Lost Western Conference Finals Phoenix Suns4834.585PHX 4–2§
1971–72 L.A. Lakers69*13.841Won Finals Phoenix Suns4933.598LAL 4–2‡
1972–73 L.A. Lakers60*22.732Lost Finals Phoenix Suns3844.463LAL 6–1‡
1973–74 L.A. Lakers47*35.573Lost Western Conference Semifinals Phoenix Suns3052.366LAL 4–2‡
1974–75 L.A. Lakers3052.366 Phoenix Suns32†50.3904-4
1975–76 L.A. Lakers4042.488 Phoenix Suns42†40.512Lost FinalsPHX 4–2§
1976–77 L.A. Lakers53*29.646Lost Western Conference Finals Phoenix Suns3448.415LAL 3–1‡
1977–78 L.A. Lakers4537.549Lost Western Conference First Round Phoenix Suns49†33.598Lost Western Conference First RoundPHX 3–1§
1978–79 L.A. Lakers4735.573Lost Western Conference Semifinals Phoenix Suns50†32.610Lost Western Conference Finals2-2
1979–80 L.A. Lakers60*22.732Won Finals Phoenix Suns5527.671Lost Western Conference Semifinals3-3
1980–81 L.A. Lakers5428.659Lost Western Conference First Round Phoenix Suns57†25.695Lost Western Conference SemifinalsPHX 4–2§
1981–82 L.A. Lakers57*25.695Won Finals Phoenix Suns4636.561Lost Western Conference SemifinalsLAL 4-2‡
1982–83 L.A. Lakers58*24.707Lost Finals Phoenix Suns5329.646Lost Western Conference First Round3-3
1983–84 L.A. Lakers54*28.659Lost Finals Phoenix Suns4141.500Lost Western Conference Finals3-3
1984–85 L.A. Lakers62*20.756Won Finals Phoenix Suns3646.439Lost Western Conference First RoundLAL 5–1‡
1985–86 L.A. Lakers62*20.756Lost Western Conference Finals Phoenix Suns3250.390LAL 5–1‡
1986–87 L.A. Lakers65*17.793Won Finals Phoenix Suns3646.439LAL 5–1‡
1987–88 L.A. Lakers62*20.756Won Finals Phoenix Suns2854.341LAL 5–1‡
1988–89 L.A. Lakers57*25.695Lost Finals Phoenix Suns5527.671Lost Western Conference Finals3-3
1989–90 L.A. Lakers63*19.768Lost Western Conference Semifinals Phoenix Suns5428.659Lost Western Conference FinalsLAL 3–1‡
1990–91 L.A. Lakers58*24.707Lost Finals Phoenix Suns5527.671Lost Western Conference First RoundLAL 3–2‡
1991–92 L.A. Lakers4339.524Lost Western Conference First Round Phoenix Suns53†29.646Lost Western Conference SemifinalsPHX 3–2§
1992–93 L.A. Lakers3943.476Lost Western Conference First Round Phoenix Suns62†20.756Lost NBA FinalsPHX 5–0§
1993–94 L.A. Lakers3349.402 Phoenix Suns56†26.683Lost Western Conference SemifinalsLAL 3–2‡
1994–95 L.A. Lakers4834.646Lost Western Conference Semifinals Phoenix Suns59†23.720Lost Western Conference SemifinalsPHX 4–1§
1995–96 L.A. Lakers53*29.646Lost Western Conference First Round Phoenix Suns4141.500Lost Western Conference First RoundLAL 3–1‡
1996–97 L.A. Lakers56*26.683Lost Western Conference Semifinals Phoenix Suns4042.488Lost Western Conference First RoundLAL 4–0‡
1997–98 L.A. Lakers61*21.744Lost Western Conference Finals Phoenix Suns5626.683Lost Western Conference First Round2-2
1998–99 L.A. Lakers31*19.620Lost Western Conference Semifinals Phoenix Suns2723.540Lost Western Conference First RoundLAL 3–1‡
1999–2000 L.A. Lakers67*15.817Won Finals Phoenix Suns5329.646Lost Western Conference SemifinalsLAL 4–0‡
2000–01 L.A. Lakers56*26.707Won Finals Phoenix Suns5131.622LAL 3–1‡
2001–02 L.A. Lakers58*24.707Won Finals Phoenix Suns3646.4392-2
2002–03 L.A. Lakers50*32.610Lost Western Conference Semifinals Phoenix Suns4438.537Lost Western Conference First RoundLAL 3–1‡
2003–04 L.A. Lakers56*26.683Lost Finals Phoenix Suns2953.354LAL 3–1‡
2004–05 L.A. Lakers3448.415 Phoenix Suns62†20.756Lost Western Conference FinalsPHX 4–0§
2005–06 L.A. Lakers4537.549Lost Western Conference First Round Phoenix Suns54†28.659Lost Western Conference FinalsPHX 3–1§
2006–07 L.A. Lakers4240.512Lost Western Conference First Round Phoenix Suns61†21.744Lost Western Conference SemifinalsPHX 3–1§
2007–08 L.A. Lakers57*25.695Lost Finals Phoenix Suns5527.671Lost Western Conference First RoundLAL 3–1‡
2008–09 L.A. Lakers65*17.793Won Finals Phoenix Suns4636.561LAL 3–1‡
2009–10 L.A. Lakers57*25.695Won Finals Phoenix Suns5428.659Lost Western Conference FinalsLAL 3–1‡
2010–11 L.A. Lakers57*25.695Lost Western Conference Semifinals Phoenix Suns4042.488LAL 3–1‡
2011–12 L.A. Lakers41*25.625Lost Western Conference Semifinals Phoenix Suns3333.5002-2
2012–13 L.A. Lakers45*37.549Lost Western Conference First Round Phoenix Suns2557.3052-2
2013–14 L.A. Lakers2755.329 Phoenix Suns48†34.585PHX 3–1§
2014–15 L.A. Lakers2161.256 Phoenix Suns39†43.476PHX 4–0§
2015–16 L.A. Lakers1765.207 Phoenix Suns23†59.280PHX 3–1§
2016–17 L.A. Lakers26*56.317 Phoenix Suns2458.2932-2
2017–18 L.A. Lakers35*47.427 Phoenix Suns2161.256LAL 3–1‡
2018–19 L.A. Lakers37*45.451 Phoenix Suns1963.232LAL 3–1‡

References
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  2. History of the Lakers, nba.com/lakers, accessed April 18, 2007.
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  20. 1999-00 NBA Season Summary, basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2000.html, accessed February 26, 2020.
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