Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes has always been one to elevate his game during the playoffs. In all three seasons of his career Barnes, for the most part, has seen better all-around production in the postseason than during the regular season.
Each year he has improved his field goal percentage and rebounding come late April, and with the exception of last season, his scoring numbers have increased as well. He’s shooting 51.4% from the floor during this playoff run so far, 56.8% (25-for-44) this series against the Memphis Grizzlies.
With the Warriors’ backs seemingly against the wall, they evened up then took a 3-2 lead their Western Conference Semifinal series with the Grizzlies at 2-2, and Barnes was a huge factor in that.
In fact, Barnes was perhaps the only Warrior not rattled in the loss in Game 3, which gave the Grizzlies a 2-1 advantage in the series:
About the only Warrior who did not seemed rattled was Barnes, who made a couple of nice buckets, including a badly needed upfake-dribble-and-pop from the left side to stop the bleeding momentarily at 51-37 with 2:36 left, but the Grizzlies continued to have success going down low as Draymond fouled Gasol on the deep entry catch, and Iguodala did the same versus Randolph.
Barnes later added a two-hand dunk and a soaring finger roll in the second half.
In Game 4, Barnes was even better:
Barnes was fantastic in the early going, delivering a pass to a cutting Klay Thompson after Allen overplayed the passing lane to Thompson, who stopped and swished a short jumper in the paint.
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Later, Curry got some physicality on the dribble on the left wing, slipped a bit, but as Barnes’ man doubled, Harrison broke towards the hoop from the left corner, got the feed from Steph, and converted a pretty reverse layup.
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Barnes would’ve had an even more incredible opening quarter if not for a missed dunk. Barnes had posted up Courtney Lee on the left block. Lee slipped as Harrison received the entry pass, and Barnes attacked the interior with Gasol in the way. Harrison did his best to avoid Gasol’s arm, but the lefty jam went in and out, unfortunately.
The Warriors eventually won Game 4, then in Game 5, Barnes narrowly missed another mid-air double-clutch dunk, but showed off his athleticism in a different way, giving Jean-Claude Van Damme a run for his money:
Barnes also slipped as Courtney Lee drained a short jumper on the left side, possibly injuring himself doing the splits.
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Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News wrote about Barnes and his <a href="“>ability to elevate his game when it counts:
In just talking about the challenge the Warriors faced, and the intensity of answering the might of Memphis, Barnes transformed. Just like that, the guy with the senator’s smile and neighbor’s aura morphed into a 6-foot-8 physical specimen wishing somebody would challenge him.
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It was a fitting illustration of Playoff Barnes. He becomes something else in the postseason, something even better. The third-year forward, often criticized for being inconsistent, has been the Warriors’ most reliable player in this gripping series with the Grizzlies. His performance this postseason continues a trend of Barnes’ game elevating along with the stakes.
While the Warriors are still looking for a nightly third scoring option, both Barnes and Draymond Green have been seen filling that role this series. Barnes is currently fourth on the team in playoff scoring, while Green is third. The biggest contribution from Barnes, however, may have come in Game 4 on defensive end of the court.
In an article written by ESPN’s Ethan Strauss, he discusses just how instrumental Barnes has been, especially when defending the tough Grizzly front line:
Harrison Barnes, who hasbeen a rock for Golden State this series, further emphasized that physical theme. “After watching Game 3, we saw how we just got punked,” Barnes said. “Offensive rebounds, post ups, how we were running our offense almost from half court. We knew we had to come out and be physical tonight.”
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A lot has been asked of Barnes this series. He’s had to guard Zach Randolph despite a 35-pound disadvantage. He has battled capably down low, despite a reputation as one of the more reserved players on the team. In the locker room, Barnes was demonstrative about his approach, frequently smacking his hand for emphasis.
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“We knew that we’re going to go to the basket. We gotta go through punching,” Barnes said. “And that’s what I try to do, try and get fouls. And if we get knocked to the ground, we’re gonna get up, and we’re gonna go right back at em.” He emphasized the point with another hard punch into his hand.
Wednesday, before Game 5 of the series, Barnes appeared on the Jim Rome radio show. He talked about trying to defend the 6’9″, 260 pound Zach Randolph, who is currently averaging 18.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this series.
“He’s obviously a very skilled player. Definitely a load in the post,” Barnes told Rome, “Obviously, my teammates have been great giving me help. I just try to look for his tendencies and just try to make him work for shots. He’s going to score but [you] just try to make those difficult.”
When asked about defending some of the bigger bodies, Barnes added that playing one-on-one with assistant coach Luke Walton has helped him prepare.
“Obviously going against bigger guys like that, you can’t expect to guard them the same way you guard a traditional small forward, Barnes said, “Definitely working with [Luke] every single day has helped me go against bigger guys”
[NOTE: Poor Man’s Commish contributed to this report.]Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
