Kori Ellis
12-24-2004, 12:31 PM
Barry Not the Answer in the Playoffs
By Andy Soucier
FullSportPress.com
A Legacy of Playoff Failure
He has a great career field goal percentage for a guard. He’s regarded as a well-rounded player and a team leader. His superior athleticism helped him win the 1996 slam dunk contest and his feathery touch has enabled him to finish among league leaders in three-point shooting percentage. Brent Barry has developed into a reliable three-position player since struggling with his shot early in his career, but he’s underachieved when it’s mattered most -- in the playoffs.
Seattle Supersonics fans still remember it well. After turning in the best regular season of his career in 2001-02, Barry struggled throughout the entire first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs and came up empty in the first half of the series-deciding Game 5 when his teammates needed him most. After averaging 14.4 points, 5.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 51% shooting from the field during the regular season, he only managed 7.8 points, 2.8 assists and 0.6 steals per game on 41% shooting in the series against the Spurs.
Several players have struggled against San Antonio’s superior defense, but Barry’s playoff numbers also decreased in almost every statistical category during his only other significant postseason experience, a first-round series against the Utah Jazz in 2000. Barry averaged 11.8 points and 3.6 assists on 46% shooting during the regular season and 8.4 points and 3.0 assists per game on 36% shooting in the playoffs.
Barry also appeared in three playoff games for the Clippers in 1997, managing 11.7 points per game but only shooting 41% from the field.
For his career, Barry averages 10.6 point, 3.8 assists, and 1.28 steals per game on 46% shooting during the regular season, but his numbers fall to 8.9 points, 3.0 assists and 0.77 steals on 39% shooting in the playoffs. He’s averaged about 29 minutes per contest during both the regular season and the playoffs over the course of his career.
Barry’s playoff struggles are a result of his perimeter-based offensive game and average defensive ability. When games get more physical in the playoffs, Barry’s strengths are minimized. He has fewer opportunities to run the floor, he gets less open looks from the field and he sometimes struggles to stay in front of the other team’s top perimeter offensive threats.
The answer for the Spurs?
After Hedo Turkoglu struggled in the 2004 playoffs, San Antonio went into the offseason looking for a player capable of hitting some perimeter shots, getting his teammates involved and playing minutes at multiple positions when needed. Many fans applauded management’s decision to sign Barry because of his understanding of the game, veteran presence on the court and ability to shoot the ball. He hasn’t been missed in Seattle as the Sonics have become one of the top teams in the league, but he’s shown the ability to provide the Spurs with the shooting, court vision and athleticism needed to jumpstart the reserve unit. He’s played less minutes lately, but head coach Gregg Popovich will find it difficult to keep him off the court as the season progresses because of what he brings to the team.
But Popovich and Buford have built a team designed to excel in the playoffs and the players, management and fans will be satisfied with nothing short of a championship. As the stakes increase in the postseason, the Spurs will rely on Barry to ease the pressure on the post players by hitting perimeter shots. Barry will be expected to excel in the moments when Turkoglu failed. Unfortunately for the Spurs, Barry’s past postseason performances suggest that he will turn out to be exactly what he’s always been -- a great regular season performer with a history of playoff struggles.
By Andy Soucier
FullSportPress.com
A Legacy of Playoff Failure
He has a great career field goal percentage for a guard. He’s regarded as a well-rounded player and a team leader. His superior athleticism helped him win the 1996 slam dunk contest and his feathery touch has enabled him to finish among league leaders in three-point shooting percentage. Brent Barry has developed into a reliable three-position player since struggling with his shot early in his career, but he’s underachieved when it’s mattered most -- in the playoffs.
Seattle Supersonics fans still remember it well. After turning in the best regular season of his career in 2001-02, Barry struggled throughout the entire first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs and came up empty in the first half of the series-deciding Game 5 when his teammates needed him most. After averaging 14.4 points, 5.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 51% shooting from the field during the regular season, he only managed 7.8 points, 2.8 assists and 0.6 steals per game on 41% shooting in the series against the Spurs.
Several players have struggled against San Antonio’s superior defense, but Barry’s playoff numbers also decreased in almost every statistical category during his only other significant postseason experience, a first-round series against the Utah Jazz in 2000. Barry averaged 11.8 points and 3.6 assists on 46% shooting during the regular season and 8.4 points and 3.0 assists per game on 36% shooting in the playoffs.
Barry also appeared in three playoff games for the Clippers in 1997, managing 11.7 points per game but only shooting 41% from the field.
For his career, Barry averages 10.6 point, 3.8 assists, and 1.28 steals per game on 46% shooting during the regular season, but his numbers fall to 8.9 points, 3.0 assists and 0.77 steals on 39% shooting in the playoffs. He’s averaged about 29 minutes per contest during both the regular season and the playoffs over the course of his career.
Barry’s playoff struggles are a result of his perimeter-based offensive game and average defensive ability. When games get more physical in the playoffs, Barry’s strengths are minimized. He has fewer opportunities to run the floor, he gets less open looks from the field and he sometimes struggles to stay in front of the other team’s top perimeter offensive threats.
The answer for the Spurs?
After Hedo Turkoglu struggled in the 2004 playoffs, San Antonio went into the offseason looking for a player capable of hitting some perimeter shots, getting his teammates involved and playing minutes at multiple positions when needed. Many fans applauded management’s decision to sign Barry because of his understanding of the game, veteran presence on the court and ability to shoot the ball. He hasn’t been missed in Seattle as the Sonics have become one of the top teams in the league, but he’s shown the ability to provide the Spurs with the shooting, court vision and athleticism needed to jumpstart the reserve unit. He’s played less minutes lately, but head coach Gregg Popovich will find it difficult to keep him off the court as the season progresses because of what he brings to the team.
But Popovich and Buford have built a team designed to excel in the playoffs and the players, management and fans will be satisfied with nothing short of a championship. As the stakes increase in the postseason, the Spurs will rely on Barry to ease the pressure on the post players by hitting perimeter shots. Barry will be expected to excel in the moments when Turkoglu failed. Unfortunately for the Spurs, Barry’s past postseason performances suggest that he will turn out to be exactly what he’s always been -- a great regular season performer with a history of playoff struggles.