Prior to his Game 7 masterpiece, Barkley had already enjoyed his best game of the 1993 playoffs. In Game 5, the Suns with the Supersonics at two games each, and saw their star rise to the occasion. With 43 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, Barkley accrued a triple-double in 47 minutes with a usage of 27.7%.

He made 16 of 22 and assisted on 36.9% of his teammates' field goals while on the floor. Overall, Barkley's scoring and playmaking equaled 166 points per 100 possessions and a Game Score of 47.1. His Suns entered Game 6 with a 3-2 advantage and left Game 7, as we know, as the last team standing in the NBA's Western Conference.