The Barometer Online

Issue date: 5/30/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Matt Slocum Former Oregon State basketball player, Brent Barry is one of 23 former Beavers to play in the NBA since 1948. In his final year at OSU he lead the team in field goal percentage, free throw percentage, points, average points per game, assists and steals. During his first season in the NBA he was named as a Second-team All Rookie player.

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.

Continued...

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