Former Warriors champion gifted redemption opportunity after Finals meltdown

A decade after last reaching the NBA Finals and suffering a meltdown over the last three games, former Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes has been gifted an opportunity at redemption after the San Antonio Spurs triumphed in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday.

The young Spurs toppled the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder on their home floor, leading for the majority of a 111-103 victory that now sees them advance to face the New York Knicks in the Finals.

Harrison Barnes gifted opportunity at redemption

Barnes wasn’t a factor in Game 7 or for much of the thrilling Conference Finals, playing just over three minutes in the first-half where he failed to record a single statistic and missed his only field-goal attempt -- a wide open three from the right corner.

But after a long series and a quick turnaround to Game 1 of the Finals on Wednesday back in San Antonio, head coach Mitch Johnson will surely lengthen his rotation early in the Finals, potentially providing Barnes with a chance to make an impact after now going scoreless in six of the past 11 playoff games. 

Exactly a decade after Barnes and Golden State celebrated his 24th birthday with a Game 7 victory over the Thunder (ironically), the veteran forward continued the remarkable success of players who appear in a Game 7 on their birthday.

Barnes will be hoping he and San Antonio can deliver a different outcome than the 2016 Finals though, having played a major role in Golden State's fall from a 3-1 series lead to defeat against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Warriors fans will infamously recall Harrison Barnes' Finals performance

After scoring at least 13 points in three of the first four games of the series, Barnes disappeared in what would ultimately prove his final three appearances in a Warrior jersey. Fans will infamously remember his performances where he averaged just five points and shot a paltry 5-of-32 (15.6%) from the field while being a combined -32 in his minutes on the floor.

A free agent after that Finals collapse, the Warriors would let Barnes walk to the Dallas Mavericks on a four-year, $94 million contract in order to accommodate for the blockbuster signing of superstar forward Kevin Durant.

Fortunately for Barnes he'll now get another opportunity in the Finals, and he'll have to make the most of every minute given they'll be limited in the Spurs rotation, having lost his starting role late in the regular season.

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