As far as I’m concerned, the Phoenix Suns sewed up the NBA championship on June 17, 1992, the day they traded for Charles Barkley.

As a matter of fact, when I first heard about it, I believe my initial reaction was something along the lines of “The Phoenix Suns just won the NBA championship.”

Some people I know scoffed. Others agreed. A few dummies said this was going to be the Celtics year.

I stuck to my guns for a whole year, repeating time and time again that it would be Phoenix winning it all in ’93.

This morning, I’m here to cement my prediction with facts and fodder as NBA fans kill time during the 96-hour-or-so layover between divisional championships and the big finale.

Let’s take a head-to-head look at the matchups, beginning with the backcourt.

Michael Jordan vs. Dan Majerle

Michael is the best player to ever play the game. He can score at will. He’s a good rebounder. He’s one of the best defensive players in the league. His high-wire act can either light up or tone down a crowd, depending on the site of the game. Majerle, meanwhile, sporadically shoots the three, but he’s solid (6-6, 220) and he’ll outhustle almost everybody on the floor. Still, he’s no Mike. There again, who is? Advantage Bulls.

B.J. Armstrong vs. Kevin Johnson.

B.J. is an up-and-comer, a decent guard who has developed a very nice 3-point touch. He did, after all, lead the league from downtown. Still, K.J. has one of the NBA’s quickest first steps to the hoop and defensively is much more aggressive than Armstrong. Advantage Suns.

Tom Chambers vs. Bill Cartwright.

A pair of players whose best years are behind them. Doesn’t really matter, though. After all, great centers don’t win championships anymore. Just ask Patrick Ewing. Or Hakeem Olajuwon. Chambers is the better scorer and the better rebounder. Cartwright probably works harder on defense, but at 35 years old he has trouble stopping anybody. Advantage Suns.

Charles Barkley vs. Horace Grant.

Barkley walks it like he talks it. Grant tries hard and has made a nice career of scoring a lot of garbage buckets. Somebody has to bang around the trenches and these two fit the bill nicely. Barkley has twice the scoring abililty, a slowly improving long-range shot, and has lit up the American West Arena when playing at home in the playoffs. Grant will continue to try hard. Advantage Suns.

Mark West vs. Scottie Pippen.

Who is Mark West? He’s a 6-10 power forward out of Old Dominion who, when he does shoot, connects at a high percentage. Unfortunately for the Suns, he isn’t much of a scoring threat. Pippen, meanwhile, is one of the NBA’s elite players, but plays in the shadow of Jordan. The rap on Pippen is that he has disappeared in big games. This is a chance to stifle all that talk. Advantage Bulls.

The Bench.

Two different types of benches here. The Bulls have depth with Stacey King, Scott Williams, John Paxson, Trent Tucker, and Will Perdue. The Suns have quality with Danny Ainge, Oliver Miller, and Frank Johnson. Over the course of the season, I’ll take the depth. In a best-of-seven series with an NBA title on the line, give me the quality. Advantage Suns.

The Coaches.

Phil Jackson is a proven commodity. He has won two straight NBA championships. Paul Westphal is young and will be a great head coach for a long time to come. His players love to play for him. With Pat Riley, the New York Knicks had the coaching advantage in the Eastern Division final and it didn’t help them. It won’t help the Bulls this time. Advantage Bulls.

Throughout the NBA playoffs, Phoenix has found ways to win. They’ve gone from looking unbeatable to looking like a team that couldn’t beat the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Still, when their backs are up against the endline, they answer with a win.

Add up the scores. It’s four-to-three. That sounds good to me.

Phoenix will win in seven as the Suns rise above the rest of the NBA, giving league MVP Charles Barkley his championship ring.