With the NBA playoffs a game away from the NBA Finals and the Oklahoma City Thunder having completed comeback from down 2-0 to beat the San Antonio Spurs to reach the NBA Finals with a 4-2 series win, we can think about other great comebacks in playoff history.
The Phoenix Suns have been part of two of the greatest comebacks in NBA playoff history, according to an SI.com post. One is on the good end and the other is on the bad end of history.
Starting with the good, The Suns' comeback in the first round of the 1993 playoffs was eighth on the list.
Phoenix became the only team in NBA history to lose the first two games at home and then win the next three in a best-of-five series. The top-seeded Suns needed 31 points and 14 rebounds from Charles Barkley in a Game 5 overtime victory to eliminate a Lakers team that had finished 39-43 in the regular season.
Then coach Paul Westphal had one of the best quotes when they were down 2-0. "We will go to Los Angeles and win both games," Westphal said. "We will then come back to Phoenix and win Game 5. Then everyone will say what a great series it was."
The Suns also were on the wrong end of one of the most memorable comebacks just two years later. The fifth most memorable comeback in the NBA playoffs was by the Houston Rockets, who rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Suns in 1995.
Defending champion Houston had to overcome a 2-1 deficit in its best-of-five first-round series with Utah just to set up a matchup with Phoenix. The Rockets then fell behind Charles Barkley & Co. 3-1 before two 30-point games from Hakeem Olajuwon helped Houston get even. The Rockets went on to win Game 7 thanks to a tiebreaking three-pointer from Mario Elie (right) in the closing seconds. This marked the second consecutive season that Houston erased a 2-0 second-round deficit against the Suns on its way to winning the title.
It was one of the most gut-wrenching losses fans can remember. On the flip side, the series win against the Lakers was so thrilling. It should not have happened because they should have taken care of business at home, but it made for a fun ride.
Missing the playoffs for two straight seasons will eliminate any possibility of the Suns having any playoff memories at all. That needs to change.
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