Terry Horstman of The Daily Barometer writes:
The San Antonio Spurs found themselves in an unfamiliar position Thursday night, on the wrong end of a 3-1 series deficit in the Western Conference finals. Facing elimination with them was former Beaver and NBA journeyman Brent Barry.
Barry has enjoyed a long and memorable career, a career that has now spanned 14 seasons, with a career average of 9.7 points per game, an NBA slam dunk championship and, of course, three NBA championship rings.
However Barry’s most recent appearance in the news is something he’d like to forget rather than remember. Barry claims he was fouled at the end of Game Four on Tuesday night before he attempted a shot that could’ve won the game for San Antonio. Had the foul been called, Barry would’ve been awarded with two foul shots that would’ve given San Antonio a chance to win in overtime.
Instead, the Lakers won by two and the Spurs headed into the Staples center a game away from elimination.
The no-call was debated hotly Wednesday by NBA analysts all over the country. However, Barry was one of the few people not thinking about it.
“That play was not where the game was lost,” Barry told ESPN after the game on Tuesday night.
Despite Barry’s unwillingness to blame the refs, it still doesn’t change the fact that the defending champs are in a very unfamiliar place at this point in the season.
“We had a hill to climb being down 0-2,” Barry told ESPN. “And now we have Everest to climb being down 3-1.”
Everest isn’t exactly a fair comparison considering that feat has been accomplished before; winning in L.A. in the playoffs in 2008 hasn’t.
With sixth-man of the year Manu Ginobli plagued by his injured knee, Barry’s role became increasingly important as the Spurs were in great need of an offensive boost heading into Game Five Thursday night.
The Laker backcourt had been doing a great job on Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, but as great as he is, Barry was unable to carry the team by himself.
San Antonio got what it needed early, as Barry hit two three-pointers in the first half and the Spurs led by as many as 20. However, the Spurs’ success was short-lived as the Lakers came roaring back behind Aleague MVP Kobe Bryant to take a one-point lead at the end of the third quarter.
Barry added one more fourth-quarter three and ended with 11 points, but it wasn’t enough to top Kobe and the Lakers. The MVP was unstoppable, scoring 39 points in 43 minutes on 16-30 shooting from the field.
The Lakers advanced not only to 9-1 in the playoffs but also to the NBA finals. The Spurs and Oregon State standout Brent Barry were sent packing.
The loss ended Barry’s 14th season in the league and the quest for his fourth championship. He was a vital part of San Antonio’s success this year, and while he hasn’t discussed retirement, once any player gets to the age of 36, retirement seems to be just around the corner.
Hopefully for Barry, Oregon State fans and especially the San Antonio Spurs, Brent will decide to lace them up one more time and make an attempt at that fourth championship in 2009
-The Daily Barometer
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