1989–90 Phoenix Suns season

The 1989–90 Phoenix Suns season was the 21st season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. Cotton Fitzsimmons returned for his second season in his second stint as head coach of the Suns. The team was coming off a defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, where they lost in a four-game sweep.

The Suns struggled playing below .500 in winning percentage with a 9–12 start to the regular season. In December, the team traded Armen Gilliam to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Kurt Rambis, who won four NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. With the addition of Rambis, the Suns posted a 10-game winning streak in January, and later on held a 28–17 record at the All-Star break. The team posted a nine-game winning streak in February, and then posted an eight-game winning streak in March, finishing in third place in the Pacific Division with a 54–28 record, which earned them the fifth seed in the Western Conference.

Tom Chambers averaged 27.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while last season's Most Improved Player, Kevin Johnson averaged 22.5 points, 11.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and Jeff Hornacek provided the team with 17.6 points, 5.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game. In addition, and off the bench, sixth man Eddie Johnson provided with 16.9 points per game off the bench, while second-year guard Dan Majerle contributed 11.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. Meanwhile, Mark West averaged 10.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, Rambis contributed 5.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in 58 games after the trade, and second-year center Andrew Lang provided with 3.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Miami Arena in Miami, Florida, Chambers and Kevin Johnson were both selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was Johnson's first ever All-Star appearance. Meanwhile, rookie shooting guard Kenny Battle participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Chambers and Johnson were both named to the All-NBA Second Team at season's end; Chambers also finished in eighth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Eddie Johnson finished tied in third place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, and Hornacek finished in fourth place in Most Improved Player voting, with West finishing tied in sixth place.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1990 NBA playoffs, the Suns faced off against the 4th–seeded Utah Jazz, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward Karl Malone, All-Star guard John Stockton, and Thurl Bailey. The Suns lost Game 1 to the Jazz on the road, 113–96 at the Salt Palace, but managed to win the next two games to take a 2–1 series lead. The Suns lost Game 4 at home at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 105–94 as the Jazz evened the series. However, the Suns won Game 5 over the Jazz at the Salt Palace, 104–102 to win in a hard-fought five-game series.

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the top–seeded, and Pacific Division champion Los Angeles Lakers, who were 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 forward A.C. Green. The Suns managed to win Game 1 over the Lakers on the road, 104–102 at the Great Western Forum, before losing Game 2 on the road, 124–100 as the Lakers evened the series. The Suns won the next two games at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and then won Game 5 over the Lakers at the Great Western Forum, 106–103 to win the series in five games, upsetting the top–seeded team.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Suns then faced off against the 3rd–seeded Portland Trail Blazers, who were led by the quartet of All-Star guard Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, All-Star center Kevin Duckworth and Jerome Kersey. The Trail Blazers took a 2–0 series lead, but the Suns managed to win the next two games at home, including a Game 4 win over the Trail Blazers at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 119–107 to even the series. However, after losing Game 5 on the road at the Memorial Coliseum, 120–114, the Suns lost Game 6 to the Trail Blazers at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 112–109, thus losing the series in six games. The Trail Blazers would advance to the NBA Finals, but would lose to the defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons in five games in the 1990 NBA Finals.

The season was also highlighted by Chambers setting a franchise record for points scored in one game, when on February 18, 1990, he scored 56 points in a 131–113 road win over the Golden State Warriors. Just over a month later, he would break his own record when he scored 60 against his former team, the Seattle SuperSonics on March 24, 1990, which the Suns won at home, 121–95. Chambers' record would be broken by Devin Booker on March 24th, 2017 by scoring 70 points against the Boston Celtics, and technically a second time on January 26th, 2024 against the Indiana Pacers with 62 points.

The Suns finished 17th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 578,661 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum during the regular season.