Harrison Barnes' two year stint at UNC was a bit of an enigma. He came in as a consensus #1 player out of high school and was named preseason All-American before he even played a college game. Needless to say the expectations were sky high. Barnes struggled early in his freshman year but saw his offense improve dramatically once Kendall Marshall became the starter. He had a penchant for "turning it on" at crucial moments of the game and had plenty of clutch shots throughout his UNC days.
On Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, Barnes provided plenty of that old Black Falcon clutch play. With Golden State looking to close the series out, Barnes scored 13 points in the fourth quarter including nine straight to extend the Warriors lead from seven to 15 midway through the period. Barnes outburst came after Warriors star Klay Thompson had left the game with an injury to his ear. Barnes hit multiple shots including this drive and dunk.
Barnes ended up with 24 points on 10-20 shooting and seven rebounds. Golden State won the series 4-1 and will now face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
Three former Tar Heel players will be a part of those Finals. Barnes and reserve James Michael McAdoo for the Warriors. Brendan Haywood is on the Cleveland roster though he has only played 22 games this season and one in the playoffs.