John MacLeod 's coaching tenure in Phoenix would last another 11 years , but Phoenix would not reach the Finals again until 1993 , in which Paul Westphal was the head coach ( MacLeod came within one game of reaching the 1988 Finals while he was coaching the Dallas Mavericks . ) However , during that 16-year period , the Suns would make the playoffs twelve times , advancing to the conference finals four times . The team hit rock bottom in 1987 when Heard and other members of the Suns were caught in a drug scandal , and promising reserve Nick Vanos died in a plane crash that same year
plane crash
Northwest Airlines Flight 255
1976 NBA Finals