After the game between the Trail Blazers and the Suns ended, Ed Pinkney leaned against the locker in the locker room, crying uncontrollably.
In the second half of the fourth quarter, the Suns were overwhelmed by the tidal wave of the Trail Blazers' offense, with the point differential stretching to 20 at one point.
During garbage time, Bobby Berman sent in all the substitutes. Sitting at the tail end of the bench, Pinkney came in and played the final three minutes of the Western Conference Finals against the Trail Blazers.
This was Pinkney's first appearance in the series; he played the shortest minutes of the entire team—shorter than rookie Antonio Davis.
Because of Pinkney's offensive-tilted style and lack of physical presence, he ranked behind Thompson, Davis, and Bryant in Bobby Berman's rotation order, effectively making him the team's 12th man.
