The Suns showed a lot of improvement over the previous season, holding a 29–17 record at the All-Star break,[11] posting a nine-game winning streak between March and April, and finishing in second place in the Pacific Division with a 55–27 record, which earned them the third seed in the Western Conference.[12] Fitzsimmons was named the NBA Coach of the Year after leading his team to a 27-game improvement.[13][14][15] All home games were played at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Three members of the team averaged 20 or more points per game, as Chambers averaged 25.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, while sixth man Eddie Johnson averaged 21.5 points per game off the bench, and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year,[16][17][18] and second-year point guardKevin Johnson provided the team with 20.4 points, 12.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and was named the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year.[19][20][21] In addition, second-year forward Armen Gilliam averaged 15.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, while Jeff Hornacek contributed 13.5 points, 6.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game, Majerle provided with 8.6 points per game in only 54 games, Tyrone Corbin contributed 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and Mark West averaged 7.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.[22]
In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 7th–seeded Golden State Warriors, a team that featured All-Star forward Chris Mullin, Rookie of the Year, Mitch Richmond, and Terry Teagle. With the series tied at 1–1, the Suns won the next two games on the road at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, before winning Game 5 over the Warriors at home, 116–104 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum to win the series in five games.[33][34][35]
In the Western Conference Finals, the Suns then faced off against the top–seeded, and 2-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, who won the Pacific Division title; the team was led by the quartet of All-Star guard, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Magic Johnson, All-Star forward James Worthy, Byron Scott, and All-Star center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Suns lost the first two games to the Lakers on the road at the Great Western Forum, and then lost the next two games at home, losing Game 4 to the Lakers at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 122–117, thus losing the series in a four-game sweep.[36][37][38] The Lakers would reach the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year, but would lose to the Detroit Pistons in a four-game sweep in the 1989 NBA Finals.[39][40][41]
The Suns used their first-round pick to select power forwardTim Perry from Temple. Perry averaged 10.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in four years with the Owls. In his first three years with the Suns, Perry would average 4.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game playing in a limited role. After becoming a starter in the 1991–92 season, Perry averaged 12.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. After the season, he was traded, alongside Jeff Hornacek and Andrew Lang, to the Philadelphia 76ers for superstar forward Charles Barkley.
The Suns received the 14th pick from a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1988. With the pick they would select swingmanDan Majerle from Central Michigan. Majerle averaged 21.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in four years with the Chippewas. Majerle would spend his first seven seasons with the Suns, appearing in three All-Star games before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1995. He would return to play for the Suns in the 2001–02 season before retiring. His number 9 jersey was retired by the franchise in 2003.
The Suns received the 28th pick from a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1988. With the pick they would select centerAndrew Lang from Arkansas. Lang averaged 6.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in four years with the Razorbacks. Like Perry, Lang played a limited role in his first three seasons, averaging 3.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. After becoming a starter in the 1991–92 season, Lang averaged 7.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, before being traded to the 76ers.
The Suns received the 38th pick from a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1988. With the pick they would select centerDean Garrett from Indiana. Garrett averaged 13.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in two years with the Hoosiers. Garrett suffered a fractured foot before appearing in any games, and missed the entire season. He was waived before the start of the 1989–90 season without appearing in any games for the franchise.
The Suns received the 50th pick from a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1985. With the pick they would select guardSteve Kerr from Arizona. Kerr averaged 11.2 points and 3.4 assists per game in four years with the Wildcats. Kerr would spend most of his rookie season on the injured reserve, averaging 2.1 points per game in 26 games, before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1989.
The Suns used their third-round pick to select point guardRodney Johns from Grand Canyon. Johns averaged 13.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in two years with the Antelopes. The Suns signed Johns to a contract on September 27, but he was waived on November 1 before the start of the season.
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