50. Paul Westphal and Alvan Adams, Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns struggled to find championship-caliber for most of their existence in the NBA until the Seven Seconds Or Less era led by Steve Nash and Mike D’Antoni in the mid-2000’s, but the first era of excellence that the franchise enjoyed came between 1975 and 1980 under the leadership of Paul Westphal and Alvan Adams.
Those Suns teams posted a record of 230-180, winning 56.1 percent of their games, missing the playoffs just once and made the 1975-76 NBA Finals and fell (as many did) to the Boston Celtics in six games.
Adams averaged 17.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, and Westphal averaged 22.5 points and 5.6 assists per game while the duo was together in Phoenix.
Adams played his entire 13-year career in Phoenix and retired as the second all-time scorer in franchise history with 13,910 points, and Westphal went on to make a name for himself in the coaching world, with stops with the Suns, Seattle Supersonics and Sacramento Kings.
He’s currently an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets.
Next: Number 49