Phoenix’s Woeful Playoff History

I’ve lived in Phoenix since the hot hot summer of 1995 and it’s a rare treat in the Valley when multiple teams are in the Playoffs in the same year. The Suns have been a consistent playoff team in their 42 year history in town, but surprisingly, the Phoenix Coyotes have brought playoff hockey back to the city for the first time since the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This also marks the first time since the 1999-2000 season that both teams were in the playoffs, so I thought a statistical look back on these teams’ playoff histories was in order.

Here are facts about the Phoenix Suns playoff history.

• Of their 42 seasons, this year is the Suns’ 29th playoff appearance (69% appearance rate).
• The longest streak of consecutive playoff seasons was between 1989 and 2001 in which the Suns reached the playoffs 13 seasons in a row, including the entire decade of the 90s.
• The Suns’ first round series record is 16 wins and 13 losses, which includes a stint between 1996 and 1999 where they lost in the first round 4 years in a row.
• Of the team’s 16 conference semifinals appearances, they’ve gone 8-8, and lost three consecutive 2nd round match-ups between 1980 and 1982.
• The Suns have been to 8 conference championships, but have lost 6 times. Twice the team has lost in the conference finals in consecutive seasons: in the 1989 & 1990 playoffs, and in the 2005 & 2006 playoffs.
• They’ve been to the finals twice, in 1976 and 1993. Both times they lost in 6 games to the Celtics and Bulls respectively.
• 11 of the Suns’ playoff match-ups have been against the Lakers, who have beaten the Suns 9 times.
• If it seems like every other season, the Suns meet up with the Spurs in the playoffs, it’s because that’s exactly true. The Suns and Spurs have played 9 times since 1992, the Spurs winning 6 times.
• This year’s series with Portland is Phoenix’s 7th. In the past, the Suns and Trailblazers have split the series at 3 wins a piece.
• The Suns’ most surprising playoff performance came in 1984, when a team that finished the season at 41 wins and 41 losses made it passed the first and second rounds into the conference championships, where they ultimately lost. Not bad for a .500 team.
• At the other end of the spectrum, the most disappointing playoff season was 1998, when a 56-26 Suns team was defeated 3 games to 1 in the first round of the playoffs by the Spurs.

And here are some stats about the Phoenix Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets’ playoff history.

• The Jets/Coyotes have played 30 seasons in the NHL (after 7 in the WHA), though one could argue this number is really 29 and a half, due the half season the NHL played in 1994/1995 because of a labor lockout in the first half of the season. There was also no season played in 2004/2005 due to lockout.
• The franchise has reached the playoffs 17 times, (6 since moving to Phoenix).
• Only twice has the franchise won a series in the playoffs, back in Winnipeg in 1985 and 1987, both times against the Calgary Flames.
• This year’s series against the Red Wings is the first time the Coyotes have played a team more than once. In Winnipeg, the Jets played the Edmonton Oilers six of the eleven times they were in the playoffs, and lost all six times.
• This season the Coyotes won 50 games, the most since the Jets won 43 in 1985. The worst season in franchise history was when the Jets won just 9 games in the 1980/1981 season (the second season in the NHL).
• The only “championships” won by the franchise were three the Jets won in the WHA before joining the NHL.

I suppose that says a lot. The Suns are a decent regular season team, and struggle in the playoffs. The Coyotes and Jets make the playoffs half the time, but have only won a series twice. Well, good luck to both!