Spurs narrowly miss out on making history in frustrating fashion

Despite finishing the regular season with a stellar 62-20 record, the San Antonio Spurs came up short in their attempt to make history. Entering their final game against the Denver Nuggets, Harrison Barnes needed just 17 points to average 10 points on the season.

While that might not be a huge deal normally, him failing to do so resulted in San Antonio missing out on making NBA history. They could have been the first team to have eight players to average at least 10 points.

Not only would San Antonio have made history, but they could have also beaten the Nuggets as well, and that might end up being more impactful.

The Spurs narrowly missed out on making history

Perhaps Barnes not averaging 10 points per game is for the best. After all, he began to struggle as a starter before being replaced by Julian Champagnie.

After coming off the bench, his shot has dramatically improved, with him drilling 44.3% of his 4.1 3-point attempts per game since his first initial benching. Him playing fewer minutes may have hurt his scoring average and, therefore, San Antonio's chance at making history.

Nevertheless, Barnes' playing fewer minutes has been beneficial for both him and the team. There was a long stretch of the season where Barnes frankly looked washed.

Harrison Barnes playing fewer minutes has helped the Spurs

But having seen his consecutive games played streak snapped, coming off the bench, and the emergence of Carter Bryant have eaten into his minutes.

Ironically, all of the above has helped him stay fresh. In turn, he's been far more consistent. Having a healthy Barnes for the playoffs trumps the Spurs' chance to make NBA history, although making history would have been nice.

The Spurs losing to the Nuggets in the season finale means that San Antonio has a tougher playoff run, including potentially playing Denver in the second round.

Still, if Barnes can give San Antonio 15 solid minutes per game in the playoffs and drill around 40% from three, then his diminished role will have well been worth it.

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