Charles Barkley is one of the most underrated players in NBA history. He was the 1992-93 NBA MVP when he led his team, the Phoenix Suns, to the NBA Finals. They went up against Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls and lost the finals in 6 close games.

In a recent interview, one of Charles’s Phoenix teammates had a story to tell regarding their NBA Finals journey. Richard Dumas, who was drafted by the Suns in 1991, had some interesting things to say when asked about his habits before the NBA Finals games. He said” If I don’t drink, it’s a psychological thing with me. I don’t have nothing to calm my nerve. I don’t, I can’t play basketball. See the video below-

The 1992-93 Suns

1992-93 was Barkley‘s first season with the Suns. They won a league best 62 games and Barkley won the MVP. He then became just the third player ever to win the league MVP just after getting traded from a team. Under rookie head coach Paul Westphal, they breezed through the western conference, reaching the second NBA Finals in franchise history. Waiting for them in the Finals were the Chicago Bulls , who were looking for their third straight championship.

The Suns eventually lost a closely contested six-game series to the Bulls. Game three of the series was a triple over-time game which the Suns won. Barkley averaged  27.3 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game throughout the championship series.

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The pressure of NBA Finals

Playing in the NBA Finals is a different kind of pressure when compared to the rest of the playoff series. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity for players which puts them under a lot of pressure. The Suns never returned to the NBA Finals again under Barkley. And had to wait for nearly thirty years before they made the Finals again in 2021, losing to Giannis and his Bucks team this time.

Playing in NBA Finals requires players to never lose their focus and always be up for a challenge. Players have their own methods to get that focus and keep it.

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