Struggling NBA contenders can draw hope from the ‘97 Suns

The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers have had miserable starts to the season. But there’s one team that started far worse and still made the playoffs.

The 1996-97 Phoenix Suns began their season 0-13, then rallied to finish 40-42 and get the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. They even took the 57-win Seattle Supersonics to five games before losing their first-round series.

This year, despite having All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the Bucks are 1-6, tied for last in the NBA. The 76ers aren’t much better at 1-5, playing only one game with Paul George and zero with Joel Embiid. But that Suns team can relate to playing without a star.

Phoenix traded Charles Barkley to the Houston Rockets before the season, perhaps why they started in such disarray. Like the Bucks, they relied heavily on older players like Hot Rod Williams and A.C. Green. And like both, they gave up a lot of points.

The Suns also offer a model of how these teams can turn it around. The team was 8-19 after a Christmas Day blowout to the Los Angeles Lakers but went 32-23 after a Dec. 26 trade for Jason Kidd. Yes, all the Bucks and 76ers have to do is acquire a 23-year-old future Hall of Fame point guard.

They also traded Robert Horry for water skiing enthusiast Cedric Ceballos, a move that didn’t work out as well. Front offices should do their due diligence and make sure trade targets this season do not own jet skis.

Still, the main lesson is that the NBA season is long and unpredictable. That Suns team opened the season losing 13 straight, then won 11 in a row late in the year. In an NBA where the No. 8 seed Miami Heat reached the Finals a year ago, anything can happen if you simply get in the playoffs.

The Bucks and Sixers should be concerned, but not desperate yet. Unless a future Hall of Famer becomes available.