Of Curses and Rivalries

I can't say that fate has never smiled upon me within the world of professional sports. After arbitrarily choosing the Florida Marlins as my team of choice during the mid 90's (due to a combination of having a cool logo and having played on a little league team called the Marlins), I remember their first World Series against the Indians, won in a heart-thumping seventh game when Edgar Renteria drove in Craig Counsell. They won again in 2003, taking down the mighty Yankees in six games. However, being on a mission at the time lessened the impact on me and dampened my mood for celebration. I remember tuning in to 620 KTAR to listen to the Arizona Rattlers win two consecutive Arena Football Titles while in school. Pathetic, huh? The Diamondbacks brought home hardware in the classic 7 game series against the Yankees. This was the most significant in that it was the first of the four major sports to give a trophy to any team from Arizona.

However, anyone that knows anything about the PHX will tell you that this is a Suns town. It was the first franchise here. It was born here, unlike the Cards and Coyotes. It has enjoyed fairly consistent success and healthy rivalries with surrounding franchises. Hall of Famers have passed through here, both as coaches and players. The Suns produced "The Godfather" of pro basketball, Jerry Colangelo. His opinions are so influential and his reputation so far reaching that he was asked to clean up USA basketball. The Suns lured the first ever unrestricted free agent to the desert. They constantly sell out games (over 100 consecutive currently, I believe), and offer an attractive destination to any available free agent.

However, there is one thing that many of you don't know about this franchise.

It's cursed.

Some might point to disappointments from the previous three years (injuries, suspensions) or to Paxson's 3-pointer in 1993 as the source of the curse. No. Look deeper.

It's the Curse of the Coin. Plain and simple.

The Suns came into existence, and in their first year, finished with the worst record in the NBA. The Bucks were awful as well, and the two needed to settle who would get the first pick of the draft that year. Along with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Suns agreed to settle the issue by coin flip, with the winner receiving the overall #1 pick.

Bucks win, Suns lose. The curse is born.

Now, in most drafts, there is little to separate #1 from #2. Rarely does the number one pick become so significant that the accomplishments of all other players in the draft become dwarfed.

This was one of those years. Lew Alcindor, one of the most dominant players ever, went to the Bucks, Neal Walk went to the Suns. The Bucks won their only title within a few years. The Suns started on their maddening path of promise accompanied by eventual heartbreak. Since then the following has happened to our franchise.

1. Reached the finals, only to be denied by the Boston Celtics. This series featured a triple overtime game, with the third one being forced by Phoenix's Gar Heard on an impossible shot. However, it wouldn't be a true Suns game without Boston pulling through to win in the third OT.
2. Spent the better part of the 80's and early 90's as perennial first round speed bumps for the Blazers, Lakers, and Jazz.
3. The franchise was Informed that the Suns would receive one of the first two picks in the 87 Lottery. This was true, but I"ll give you three guesses to figure out which one of the two we got. Spurs pick David Robinson #1 (The Spurs later win the lottery again and got Tim Duncan. Some teams get all the luck.), Suns pick Armon Gilliam #2. Who? Exactly......
   
4. Suns reach the finals again behind Charles Barkley, lose the first two games at home, win two of three in Chicago (including a vindication triple overtime game), only to lose the series in Phoenix in heartbreaking fashion. A John Paxson three with 4 seconds left put the Bulls ahead for good.
5. After luring Steve Nash away from rival Dallas, the Suns have seen three promising runs end in frustrating defeat. An injury to Joe Johnson derailed one run. An Amare Stoudemire injury shelved him FOR AN ENTIRE SEASON, and the tragic STAT/Diaw suspensions ended the classic series last year.

There have been other disappointments, but I only highlighted the most brutal. After writing this section, I realized that someone agrees with me on wikipedia. Check out this link if you want the entire history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_the_Coin_Flip#The_1990s:_Continued_success.2C_but_still_no_title
Good things happened occasionally, as well. But these were few and far between. Rallying from 3-1 down to beat the Lakers was a proud moment. Rallying from 0-2 down to beat the Lakers was another proud one. But these are few and far between, as they are for most franchises.

So why is this team cursed? Why is this a curse, as opposed to just losing, like so many other franchises? It's not just that they lose, but the way that they lose. They get tantalizingly close, but end up bowing out, often to heated rivals. This is particularly true in the last couple of years, during which Phoenix's proudest were sent home by Texas teams. Hated teams. Teams that make blood boil. The Spurs and the Mavs. Mostly the Spurs, the closest thing to a dynasty in the NBA currently, or any sport for that matter. The Suns have had them on the ropes, only to either let it slip away, or to give it back to the Silver and Black.

Example I: After storming back in SA to take game 4 and seize home court in the series, the Suns were gutted when STAT and Diaw were suspended for leaving the bench during a meaningless fourth quarter altercation with Horry and Nash. The Suns then play the game of their lives to lead game five almost the entire way, only to allow Bruce Bown, of all people, to win it with a three-pointer late in the fourth. The series shifted to SA, where the Suns were put out of their misery.

Example II: Phoenix races to a large lead in game 1 of this year's series in SA. Gradually, the champs chip away at the lead until the Suns have a three point lead with little time left. Finley, a former Sun, hits a three for SA to send it to OT. PHX wrestles a three point lead out with a few second in OT, only for sharpshooter Tim Duncan (do you see my eyes rolling) to hit a three to tie it. Nash then hits a wild three in the second OT to tie it, only for Ginobili to drive to the hoop and score to win the game. A single loss, but the manner of the loss hit like a ton of bricks.

Being so close for so long yet coming up just short every time, particularly against hated (And I mean HATED) rivals, sounds like a very familiar case. The Red Sox went though this, albeit 5 times worse, losing series or critical games to the Yankees, who liked to taunt their Beantown buddies about "the Curse of the Bambino". Joe Morgan. Bucky F. Dent. Buckner. 2003. All these names and years live in infamy in New England.

Are the Suns the new Red Sox? Maybe. Maybe not. Evidence would indicate that they are the closest thing the NBA has to a franchise cursed like the Red Sox were. Some might say that at least the Suns have been close. Franchises like the Clippers never even get close. But is it really better to get close and then lose it than it is to never get close? Of course not. Getting close makes you and the fans want it that much more. During the Red Sox drought, other teams in the city won titles, but the city was never vindicated until 2004, when the city's marquee franchise reached the pinnacle. Speaking as a PHX native, the Suns winning a title would be the biggest news in AZ sports history. No joke. It's that big a deal.

Until then, all we can do is wait and hope. Over the long run, we sit and wait for the right time . In the short run, we sit and hope that the Suns in fact are the Red Sox of the NBA. Particularly, the 2004 version.......

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