1976–77 Phoenix Suns season

1976–77 Phoenix Suns season
Head coach	John MacLeod
General manager	Jerry Colangelo
Owner(s)	Richard Bloch
Arena	Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Results
Record	34–48 (.415)
Place	Division: 5th (Pacific) Conference: 10th (Western)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Radio	KTAR

The 1976–77 Phoenix Suns season was the ninth season for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. With injuries limiting the team to only six games with a full roster, the Suns plummeted to the bottom of the Pacific division standings, missing the playoffs after appearing in the Finals just one season prior.^[1] The Suns were led by head coach John MacLeod and played all home games in Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Offseason

NBA Draft

Main article: 1976 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	10	Ron Lee	Guard	United States	Oregon
2	30	Al Fleming	Forward	United States	Arizona
2	33	Raymond "Butch" Feher	Guard	United States	Vanderbilt
3	45	Ira Terrell	Forward	United States	Southern Methodist
4	62	Paul Miller	Forward	United States	Oregon
5	79	Ralph Walker	Guard	United States	Saint Mary's (CA)
6	97	Carl Brown	Guard	United States	Eastern Kentucky
7	115	Brad Warble	Forward	United States	Eastern Illinois
8	133	Tom DeBerry	Guard	United States	Northern Arizona
9	150	John Irving	Center	United States	Hofstra
10	166	Gary Jackson	Forward	United States	Arizona State

Roster

Phoenix Suns roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Nat.	Name	Height	Weight	DOB (Y-M-D)	From
5.5 !F/C	33	USA !	Adams, Alvan	7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1954-07-19	Oklahoma
6.0 !C	21	USA !	Awtrey, Dennis	7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	1948-02-22	Santa Clara
2.5 !G/F	14	USA !	Erickson, Keith	7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1944-04-19	UCLA
1.5 !G	7	USA !	Feher, Butch	7000193040000000000♠6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1954-05-19	Vanderbilt
4.0 !F	24	USA !	Heard, Garfield	7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	219 lb (99 kg)	1948-05-03	Oklahoma
1.5 !G	30	USA !	Lee, Ron	7000193040000000000♠6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	193 lb (88 kg)	1952-11-02	Oregon
4.0 !F	18	USA !	Perry, Curtis	7000200659999999999♠6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	1948-09-13	Missouri State
6.0 !C	54	USA !	Schlueter, Dale	7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	1945-11-12	Colorado State
1.5 !G	40	USA !	Sobers, Ricky	7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	198 lb (90 kg)	1953-01-15	UNLV
4.0 !F	32	USA !	Terrell, Ira	7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	1954-06-19	Southern Methodist
2.5 !G/F	5	USA !	Van Arsdale, Dick	7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1943-02-22	Indiana
2.5 !G/F	4	USA !	Van Arsdale, Tom	7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	1943-02-22	Indiana
1.5 !G	44	USA !	Westphal, Paul	7000193040000000000♠6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1950-11-30	Southern California

Head coach

John MacLeod (Bellarmine)

Assistant coach(es)

Al Bianchi (Bowling Green)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Depth chart

Pos.	Starter	Bench	Inactive
C	Alvan Adams	Dale Schlueter	Dennis Awtrey
PF	Ira Terrell		Gar Heard
SF	Butch Feher	Keith Erickson Tom Van Arsdale	Curtis Perry
SG	Ron Lee	Dick Van Arsdale
PG	Paul Westphal	Ricky Sobers

Regular season

Standings

Pacific Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Los Angeles Lakers	53	29	.646	–	37–4	16–25	11–5
x-Portland Trail Blazers	49	33	.598	4	35–6	14–27	10–6
x-Golden State Warriors	46	36	.561	7	29–12	17–24	8–8
Seattle SuperSonics	40	42	.488	13	27–14	13–28	6–10
Phoenix Suns	34	48	.415	19	26–15	8–33	5–11

#	Western Conference
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Los Angeles Lakers	53	29	.646	–
2	y-Denver Nuggets	50	32	.610	3
3	x-Portland Trail Blazers	49	33	.598	4
4	x-Golden State Warriors	46	36	.561	7
5	x-Detroit Pistons	44	38	.537	9
6	x-Chicago Bulls	44	38	.537	9

7	Kansas City Kings	40	42	.488	13
7	Seattle SuperSonics	40	42	.488	13
9	Indiana Pacers	36	46	.439	17
10	Phoenix Suns	34	48	.415	19
11	Milwaukee Bucks	30	52	.366	23

Record vs. opponents

1976–77 NBA records
Team	ATL	BOS	BUF	CHI	CLE	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	KCK	LAL	MIL	NOJ	NYK	NYN	PHI	PHO	POR	SAS	SEA	WAS
Atlanta	—	0–4	4–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	0–4	0–4	1–3	0–4	1–2	2–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3	0–4	3–1	4–0	1–2	1–3
Boston	4–0	—	3–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–2	3–1	2–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	1–3	4–0	2–2	0–4
Buffalo	0–4	1–3	—	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–3	1–3	1–3	0–3	1–3	3–1	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	0–4	3–1	0–4
Chicago	2–2	2–2	3–1	—	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	4–0	2–2	2–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	3–1	2–2	1–2
Cleveland	2–2	3–1	2–2	1–3	—	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–1	3–1	2–2	4–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3
Denver	2–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	2–2	—	3–1	2–2	3–0	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–2	4–0	2–2
Detroit	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	—	3–1	2–2	2–2	4–0	1–3	3–1	3–1	1–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–2	1–3	1–3
Golden State	4–0	3–1	3–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–3	—	2–1	4–0	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	3–1	3–1	4–0	1–3	2–2	1–3	3–1
Houston	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	0–3	2–2	1–2	—	4–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1
Indiana	4–0	2–1	3–1	2–2	1–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	0–4	—	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–2	4–0	2–2	2–2	0–4	2–2	2–2	0–4
Kansas City	2–1	1–3	3–0	2–2	1–3	1–3	0–4	3–1	2–2	2–2	—	1–3	2–2	2–2	4–0	4–0	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2
Los Angeles	2–2	1–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	—	3–1	3–0	1–3	4–0	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	4–0
Milwaukee	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	0–4	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–3	—	1–2	1–3	3–1	1–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3
New Orleans	3–1	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	0–3	2–1	—	3–1	2–2	0–4	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2
N.Y. Knicks	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	3–1	3–1	1–3	—	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–2	2–2
N.Y. Nets	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	0–4	0–4	0–4	1–3	2–2	2–2	—	1–3	2–2	0–3	1–3	1–3	1–3
Philadelphia	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–1	4–0	3–1	3–1	—	1–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	3–1
Phoenix	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–1	—	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3
Portland	1–3	3–1	3–1	4–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–0	2–2	3–1	—	2–2	3–1	1–2
San Antonio	0–4	0–4	4–0	1–3	2–2	2–1	2–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	2–2	—	3–1	2–2
Seattle	2–1	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–4	3–1	3–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–1	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	—	3–1
Washington	3–1	4–0	4–0	2–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	4–0	2–2	0–4	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	2–1	2–2	1–3	—

Game log

1976–77 game log
Total: 34–48 (Home: 26–15; Road: 8–33)

October: 1–4 (Home: 0–0; Road: 1–4)

November: 5–5 (Home: 5–2; Road: 0–3)

December: 8–7 (Home: 5–2; Road: 3–5)

January: 8–9 (Home: 7–1; Road: 1–8)

February: 4–9 (Home: 3–4; Road: 1–5)

March: 4–12 (Home: 2–5; Road: 2–7)

April: 4–2 (Home: 4–1; Road: 0–1)

1976–77 season schedule

Awards and honors

All-Star

Paul Westphal was voted as a starter for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his first All-Star selection. Westphal finished first in voting among Western Conference guards with 163,173 votes.

Season

Paul Westphal was named to the All-NBA First Team.
Ron Lee was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Player statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game
PPG	Points per game

Season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Adams, Alvan !Alvan Adams	72	67	31.6	.474	.754	9.1+	4.5	1.3	1.2	18.0
Awtrey, Dennis !Dennis Awtrey	72	26	24.4	.429	.722	4.9	2.5	.3	.4	5.7
Erickson, Keith !Keith Erickson	50	3	19.0	.483	.740	2.9	2.1	.6	.1	6.4
Feher, Butch !Butch Feher	48	9	10.1	.531+	.768	1.5	0.8	.2	.1	5.2
Heard, Garfield !Garfield Heard	46	35	29.6	.379	.725	9.6+	1.9	1.2	1.2	9.7
Lee, Ron !Ron Lee	82	34	22.5	.441	.676	3.6	3.2	1.9	.4	10.2
Perry, Curtis !Curtis Perry	44	42	31.6	.432	.789	9.0	1.8	1.1	.6	10.7
Schlueter, Dale !Dale Schlueter	39	0	8.6	.361	.581	2.1	1.0	.2	.2	1.8
Sobers, Ricky !Ricky Sobers	79	48	25.4	.496	.841	3.0	3.0	1.2	.2	13.6
Terrell, Ira !Ira Terrell	78	36	22.4	.508	.631	5.0	1.3	.5	.6	8.5
Van Arsdale, Dick !Dick Van Arsdale	78	3	19.7	.456	.873	1.5	1.5	.4	.1	7.7
Van Arsdale, Tom !Tom Van Arsdale	77	28	18.5	.433	.703	2.4	0.9	.3	.0	5.8
Westphal, Paul !Paul Westphal	81	79	32.1	.518+	.825	2.3	5.7	1.7	.3	21.3

+ – Minimum 50 games played.

Transactions

Trades

August 25, 1976	To Buffalo Braves---- 1977 second-round draft pick ( Glenn Williams) Cash considerations	To Phoenix Suns---- Tom Van Arsdale
March 18, 1977	To Seattle SuperSonics---- 1979 second-round draft pick ( Paul Mokeski) Cash considerations	To Phoenix Suns---- Rights to Bayard Forrest

Free agents

Additions

Date	Player	Contract	Old Team
September 23, 1976	Marv Roberts	Undisclosed	Virginia Squires (ABA)
December 7, 1976	Dale Schlueter	Undisclosed	Buffalo Braves

Subtractions

Date	Player	Reason Left	New Team
August 26, 1976	John Wetzel	Retired
September 15, 1976	Paul Miller	Waived
September 21, 1976	Pat Riley	Retired
October 3, 1976	Carl Brown	Waived
October 4, 1976	Al Fleming	Waived	Indiana Pacers
October 15, 1976	Marv Roberts	Waived	Los Angeles Lakers
October 15, 1976	Nate Hawthorne	Waived
October 15, 1976	Phil Lumpkin	Waived

References

↑ "SUNS: 1976–77". nba.com/history.

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

1976–77 NBA season by team

Eastern

Atlantic	Boston Buffalo N.Y. Knicks N.Y. Nets Philadelphia

Central	Atlanta Cleveland Houston New Orleans San Antonio Washington

Western

Midwest	Chicago Denver Detroit Indiana Kansas City Milwaukee

Pacific	Golden State Los Angeles Phoenix Portland Seattle

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