2002–03 Phoenix Suns season

2002–03 Phoenix Suns season
Head coachFrank Johnson
General managerBryan Colangelo
Owner(s)Jerry Colangelo
ArenaAmerica West Arena
Results
Record44–38 (.537)
PlaceDivision: 4th (Pacific)
Conference: 8th (Western)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to Spurs 2–4)

Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television
RadioKTAR
< 2001–02 2003–04 >

The 2002–03 NBA season was the 35th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association.[1] After missing the playoffs the previous season, the Suns had the ninth pick in the 2002 NBA draft, and selected high school basketball star Amar'e Stoudemire,[2][3][4][5] and signed free agent Scott Williams during the off-season.[6] Frank Johnson returned as head coach, as the Suns held a 29–21 record at the All-Star break,[7] and posted eight additional wins from the previous season to finish fourth in the Pacific Division with a 44–38 record.[8] The Suns returned to the playoffs after snapping a streak of 13 seasons in a row the year before, a franchise record. America West Arena hosted Suns home games.

Point guard Stephon Marbury and forward Shawn Marion provided a pair of 20–20 scorers, with Marbury averaging 22.3 points, 8.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while Marion averaged 21.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. The 20-year-old 6' 10" Stoudemire was drafted to balance out a team that had been deep at the guard position in years past, averaging 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, while Anfernee Hardaway provided the team with 10.6 points and 4.4 assists per game, and second-year guard Joe Johnson contributed 9.8 points per game.[9] Marbury and Marion were both selected for the All-Star Game,[10] while Marbury ended the season as a member of the All-NBA Third Team.

The Suns earned the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot, and were matched against the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference First Round. The Suns won Game 1 on the road, 96–95,[11][12] but lost the series to the eventual league champions, four games to two.[13][14][15] The Spurs would reach the Finals to defeat the New Jersey Nets in six games, winning their second championship.[16][17][18]

In Stoudemire, who earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors, and became the first high school draft pick to become NBA Rookie of the Year,[19][20][21] the Suns had drafted an athletic big man to join the equally athletic Marion for the coming seasons. Following the season, Bo Outlaw was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.[22][23]

Offseason

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NBA draft

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Round Pick Player Position Nationality College / Club Team
1 9 Amar'e Stoudemire Forward  United States
1 22 Casey Jacobsen Guard  United States Stanford

Roster

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2002–03 Phoenix Suns roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
G 0 Brown, Randy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1968–05–22 New Mexico State
F 4 Ford, Alton 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 275 lb (125 kg) 1981–05–29 Houston
F 24 Gugliotta, Tom 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1969–12–19 NC State
G 1 Hardaway, Penny 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1971–07–18 Memphis
F 23 Jacobsen, Casey 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1981–03–19 Stanford
G 2 Johnson, Joe 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1981–06–29 Arkansas
F 14 Langhi, Dan 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1977–11–28 Vanderbilt
G 3 Marbury, Stephon 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1977–02–20 Georgia Tech
F 31 Marion, Shawn 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1978–05–07 UNLV
C 45 Outlaw, Bo 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1971–04–13 Houston
F 32 Stoudemire, Amar'e 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1982–11–16 Cypress Creek HS (FL)
C 25 Tsakalidis, Jake 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 285 lb (129 kg) 1979–06–10 Georgia
C 43 Voskuhl, Jake 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1977–11–01 Connecticut
C 47 Williams, Scott 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1968–03–21 North Carolina
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: October 23, 2002

Regular season

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Standings

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W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Sacramento Kings 59 23 .720 35–6 24–17 17–7
x-Los Angeles Lakers 50 32 .610 9 31–10 19–22 15–9
x-Portland Trail Blazers 50 32 .610 9 27–14 23–18 15–9
x-Phoenix Suns 44 38 .537 15 30–11 14–27 12–12
Seattle SuperSonics 40 42 .488 19 25–16 15–26 11–13
Golden State Warriors 38 44 .463 21 24–17 14–27 8–16
Los Angeles Clippers 27 55 .329 32 16–25 11–30 6–18
#
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-San Antonio Spurs 60 22 .732
2 y-Sacramento Kings 59 23 .720 1
3 x-Dallas Mavericks 60 22 .732
4 x-Minnesota Timberwolves 51 31 .622 9
5 x-Los Angeles Lakers 50 32 .610 10
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers 50 32 .610 10
7 x-Utah Jazz 47 35 .573 13
8 x-Phoenix Suns 44 38 .537 16
9 Houston Rockets 43 39 .524 17
10 Seattle SuperSonics 40 42 .488 20
11 Golden State Warriors 38 44 .463 22
12 Memphis Grizzlies 28 54 .341 32
13 Los Angeles Clippers 27 55 .329 33
14 Denver Nuggets 17 65 .207 43

Record vs. opponents

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2002-03 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MEM MIA MIL MIN NJN NOH NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA TOR UTA WAS
Atlanta 0–3 2–2 4–0 0–2 2–0 1–3 0–2 1–1 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–3 2–2 0–2 1–3 2–2 1–3 2–1 3–1 0–2 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–3 1–1 2–2
Boston 3–0 2–2 4–0 0–2 1–1 2–2 1–1 0–2 2–2 2–0 1–1 2–0 2–2 1–2 2–0 1–3 3–1 4–0 3–2 2–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 2–0 1–2 1–1 1–3
Chicago 2–2 2–2 3–1 0–2 1–1 0–4 1–1 1–1 2–2 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–2 2–2 0–2 2–2 1–3 2–1 1–3 1–3 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 2–2 1–1 1–3
Cleveland 0–4 0–4 1–3 0–2 1–1 0–4 1–1 1–1 0–4 2–0 1–1 0–2 1–2 0–4 0–2 2–2 1–3 1–2 0–4 0–4 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 1–1 3–1 1–1 0–4
Dallas 2–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 4–0 2–0 4–0 4–0 1–1 4–0 1–3 4–0 2–0 0–2 2–2 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 2–2 2–2 1–3 2–2 2–2 2–0 2–2 2–0
Denver 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–4 0–2 0–4 0–4 1–1 1–3 0–4 2–2 2–0 1–1 0–4 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 1–3 2–2 0–4 1–3 1–3 1–1 0–4 1–1
Detroit 3–1 2–2 4–0 4–0 0–2 2–0 1–1 2–0 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 3–1 1–3 1–1 2–1 2–2 2–2 2–1 2–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 3–1 2–0 3–1
Golden State 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–4 4–0 1–1 1–3 1–1 2–2 2–2 2–2 1–1 0–2 1–3 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 2–2 0–4 0–4 1–3 2–2 2–0 2–2 2–0
Houston 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 0–4 4–0 0–2 3–1 1–1 2–2 2–2 3–1 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 2–0 2–0 3–1 1–3 2–2 1–3 2–2 2–0 1–3 1–1
Indiana 2–2 2–2 2–2 4–0 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 0–2 1–1 4–0 3–1 2–0 1–2 3–1 3–1 2–1 2–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 2–0 3–1 1–1 2–2
L.A. Clippers 0–2 0–2 2–0 0–2 0–4 3–1 1–1 2–2 2–2 0–2 0–4 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–3 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–3 1–3 1–3 1–3 1–3 1–1 1–3 0–2
L.A. Lakers 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–1 4–0 1–1 2–2 2–2 2–0 4–0 4–0 1–1 2–0 2–2 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–1 2–2 2–2 0–4 2–2 2–0 3–1 1–1
Memphis 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–0 0–4 2–2 0–2 2–2 1–3 1–1 2–2 0–4 2–0 2–0 0–4 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 0–2 1–3 1–3 0–4 1–3 1–3 1–1 1–3 1–1
Miami 3–1 2–2 2–1 2–1 0–2 0–2 1–3 1–1 1–1 0–4 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–3 1–1 0–4 0–4 2–2 0–4 0–4 2–0 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 4–0 0–2 1–3
Milwaukee 2–2 2–1 2–2 4–0 2–0 1–1 3–1 2–0 1–1 1–3 1–1 0–2 0–2 3–1 0–2 2–2 2–2 3–1 2–2 2–2 0–2 2–0 0–2 0–2 1–1 2–2 0–2 2–1
Minnesota 2–0 0–2 2–0 2–0 2–2 4–0 1–1 3–1 2–2 0–2 3–1 2–2 4–0 1–1 2–0 0–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 3–1 3–1 2–2 2–2 2–2 1–1 1–3 2–0
New Jersey 3–1 3–1 2–2 2–2 0–2 2–0 1–2 1–1 1–1 2–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 4–0 2–2 2–0 2–2 3–1 2–2 1–3 1–1 2–0 0–2 1–1 1–1 4–0 0–2 3–1
New Orleans 2–2 1–3 3–1 3–1 0–2 2–0 2–2 1–1 1–1 1–3 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–0 2–2 1–1 2–2 3–1 1–3 2–1 2–0 0–2 1–1 0–2 2–0 4–0 2–0 2–1
New York 3–1 0–4 1–2 2–1 0–2 2–0 2–2 0–2 2–0 1–3 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–3 0–2 1–3 1–3 2–2 2–2 2–0 0–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–1 1–1 2–2
Orlando 1–2 2–3 3–1 4–0 1–1 2–0 1–2 1–1 0–2 1–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 4–0 2–2 1–1 2–2 3–1 2–2 2–2 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 2–0 2–2 1–1 2–2
Philadelphia 1–3 2–2 3–1 4–0 0–2 2–0 2–2 0–2 0–2 2–2 2–0 1–1 2–0 4–0 2–2 1–1 3–1 1–2 2–2 2–2 0–2 2–0 0–2 1–1 1–1 3–0 1–1 4–0
Phoenix 2–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 2–2 3–1 1–1 2–2 1–3 1–1 3–1 1–3 3–1 0–2 2–0 1–3 1–1 0–2 0–2 2–0 2–0 3–1 2–2 3–1 1–3 1–1 1–3 1–1
Portland 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–2 2–2 2–0 4–0 3–1 2–0 3–1 2–2 3–1 2–0 0–2 1–3 0–2 2–0 2–0 2–0 0–2 1–3 1–3 2–2 4–0 2–0 1–3 1–1
Sacramento 1–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 3–1 4–0 1–1 4–0 2–2 2–0 3–1 2–2 4–0 1–1 2–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–2 3–1 1–3 3–1 1–1 3–1 2–0
San Antonio 1–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 2–2 3–1 2–0 3–1 3–1 2–0 3–1 4–0 3–1 2–0 2–0 2–2 1–1 2–0 0–2 2–0 1–1 1–3 2–2 3–1 3–1 2–0 4–0 1–1
Seattle 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–1 2–2 3–1 1–1 2–2 2–2 0–2 3–1 2–2 3–1 2–0 1–1 2–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 3–1 0–4 1–3 1–3 2–0 2–2 1–1
Toronto 3–1 2–1 2–2 1–3 0–2 1–1 1–3 0–2 0–2 1–3 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–4 2–2 1–1 0–4 0–4 1–3 2–2 0–3 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 3–1
Utah 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–2 4–0 0–2 2–2 3–1 1–1 3–1 1–3 3–1 2–0 2–0 3–1 2–0 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–1 3–1 1–3 0–4 2–2 2–0 1–1
Washington 2–2 3–1 3–1 4–0 0–2 1–1 1–3 0–2 1–1 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 3–1 1–2 0–2 1–3 1–2 2–2 2–2 0–4 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–3 1–1

Playoffs

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Game log

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2003 playoff game log
First Round: 2–4 (home: 1–2; road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 April 19 @ San Antonio W 96–95 (OT) Stephon Marbury (26) Shawn Marion (12) Stephon Marbury (6) SBC Center
19,217
1–0
2 April 21 @ San Antonio L 76–84 Stephon Marbury (32) Shawn Marion (12) Stephon Marbury (5) SBC Center
19,217
1–1
3 April 25 San Antonio L 86–99 Stephon Marbury (25) Joe Johnson (9) Stephon Marbury (7) America West Arena
19,023
1–2
4 April 27 San Antonio W 86–84 Stephon Marbury (18) Shawn Marion (14) Hardaway, Marbury (7) America West Arena
18,756
2–2
5 April 29 @ San Antonio L 82–94 Shawn Marion (22) Amar'e Stoudemire (14) Stephon Marbury (7) SBC Center
19,217
2–3
6 May 1 San Antonio L 85–87 Shawn Marion (24) Shawn Marion (15) Penny Hardaway (5) America West Arena
18,913
2–4
2003 schedule

Awards and honors

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Week/Month

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  • Amar'e Stoudemire was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for January.
  • Amar'e Stoudemire was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for April.
  • Frank Johnson was named Western Conference Coach of the Month for December.
  • Stephon Marbury was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played November 24 through November 30.
  • Stephon Marbury was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played January 5 through January 11.
  • Shawn Marion was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played April 7 through April 13.

All-Star

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Season

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Player statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point 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

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Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Randy Brown 32 0 8.2 .372 . .750 0.8 1.1 .5 .1 1.3
Alton Ford 11 0 2.8 .333 . .333 0.5 0.1 .0 .0 0.6
Tom Gugliotta 27 11 16.6 .455 .000 1.000^ 3.7 1.1 .5 .2 4.8
Penny Hardaway 58 51 30.6 .447 .356 .794 4.4 4.1 1.1 .4 10.6
Casey Jacobsen 72 0 15.9 .373 .315 .686 1.2 1.0 .5 .1 5.1
Joe Johnson 82 34 27.5 .397 .366 .774 3.2 2.6 .8 .2 9.8
Dan Langhi 60 0 9.0 .401 .290 .600 1.5 0.4 .3 .1 3.1
Stephon Marbury 81 81 40.0 .439 .301 .803 3.2 8.1 1.3 .2 22.3
Shawn Marion 81 81 41.6 .452 .387 .851^ 9.5 2.4 2.3 1.2 21.2
Bo Outlaw 80 20 22.5 .550 .000 .621 4.6 1.4 .6 .9 4.7
Amar'e Stoudemire 82 71 31.3 .472 .200 .661 8.8 1.0 .8 1.1 13.5
Jake Tsakalidis 33 27 16.5 .452 . .672 3.7 0.4 .2 .5 4.9
Jake Voskuhl 65 1 14.6 .564 . .667 3.5 0.6 .3 .4 3.8
Scott Williams 69 33 12.6 .411 .000 .786 2.8 0.3 .4 .3 4.0

† – Minimum 300 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 125 free throws made.

Playoffs

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Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Tom Gugliotta 2 0 5.0 .500 . .500 1.0 0.0 .0 .0 2.5
Penny Hardaway 6 6 40.7 .386 .360^ .722 6.0 4.3 2.2 .8 12.7
Casey Jacobsen 6 0 6.5 .200 .400^ .000 0.5 0.3 .5 .0 1.0
Joe Johnson 6 0 27.3 .275 .154 .400 4.3 1.3 .7 .3 5.3
Stephon Marbury 6 6 45.2 .375 .227 .758 4.0 5.7 1.2 .0 22.0
Shawn Marion 6 6 47.2 .374 .321 .846 11.7 2.0 1.8 1.8 18.5
Bo Outlaw 6 0 11.7 .100 . .500 2.2 0.8 .2 .2 0.7
Amar'e Stoudemire 6 6 33.8 .523 1.000^ .571 7.8 1.2 1.7 1.5 14.2
Jake Voskuhl 6 0 16.3 .706 . .923# 3.7 0.3 .7 .7 6.0
Scott Williams 6 6 13.8 .344 . 1.000# 2.5 0.2 .7 .5 4.0

† – Minimum 20 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 5 three-pointers made.
# – Minimum 10 free throws made.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2002-03 Phoenix Suns Roster and Stats".
  2. ^ Passan, Jeff (June 27, 2002). "Rockets Select Yao No. 1 Overall in Draft". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  3. ^ Povtak, Tim (June 27, 2002). "Foreign Players Make Move". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  4. ^ "Rockets Make Yao Ming First Overall Pick". ESPN. June 26, 2002. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  5. ^ "2002 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  6. ^ "WESTERN CONFERENCE: Team-by-Team Preview". The New York Times. October 28, 2002. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  7. ^ "NBA Games Played on February 6, 2003". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  8. ^ "2002–03 Phoenix Suns Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  9. ^ "2002–03 Phoenix Suns Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  10. ^ "2003 NBA All-Star Game: West 155, East 145 (2OT)". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  11. ^ "PRO BASKETBALL; The Suns Cash In on a Couple of Unlikely Bank Shots". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 20, 2003. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  12. ^ "Suns Put Win in the Bank". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. April 20, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  13. ^ "PRO BASKETBALL; Spurs Finish Suns' Season". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 2, 2003. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  14. ^ Teaford, Elliott (May 2, 2003). "Another Shot at Champs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  15. ^ Magruder, Jack (May 2, 2003). "Duncan Dominates, Suns Eliminated". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  16. ^ "Spurs Defeat Nets to Win N.B.A. Title". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 15, 2003. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  17. ^ Heisler, Mark (June 16, 2003). "Spurs Reduce the 'Risk". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  18. ^ "San Antonio 88, New Jersey 77". United Press International. June 15, 2003. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  19. ^ "PLUS: N.B.A.; Stoudemire Named Rookie of the Year". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 25, 2003. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  20. ^ "Stoudemire Is Rookie of Year". Deseret News. April 25, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  21. ^ "NBA & ABA Rookie of the Year Award Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  22. ^ "Grizzlies Acquire F Outlaw, C Tsakalidis from Suns". ESPN. September 30, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  23. ^ "Suns Send Outlaw and Tsakalidis to Grizzlies". Deseret News. October 1, 2003. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  24. ^ a b c d "2002–03 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
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