San Antonio Spurs' X-Factor: Brent Barry

If the San Antonio Spurs expect to win a back-to-back title for the first time in franchise history, they will have to do so trailing the best team in the West led by the league's MVP.

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers are giving the Spurs all too much to handle in this Western Conference Final.

A balanced attack led by Bryant with contributions from Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, and Jordan Farmar have enabled the Lakers to take a 3-1 series lead with them to Los Angeles for Game 5 in the Staples Center on Thursday.

The series began with a Laker triumph in Los Angeles. Bryant, who is never one to shy away from a shot, attempted only three of them and had one field goal and two points at the half.

The league's MVP went on to score 25 points in the second half, also adding nine assists. The Lakers would also win Game 2 at home before flying to San Antonio and getting shallacked in Game 3 by 19 points, led by Tim Duncan's 22 points and 21 rebounds.

The media, which has been terribly inconsistent in terms of who has the upper hand in the series, proclaimed that the defending champion Spurs were back and that this series would go seven games.

However, the Spurs lost Game 4 at home by two points late in the game Tuesday night. So, which player other than Duncan would step up on this night?

None other than showman guard Brent Barry.

Barry is one of the more unlikely candidates to recapture his youth on the current Spurs roster filled with aging veterans to accompany young stars like Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

After winning a title with the Spurs last season, Barry was released and found himself waiting for a team that needed a shooter to call. Surprisingly, it was the Spurs...again. Barry signed on and appeared in 31 games while only playing in 17 minutes per contest.

Also on the Spurs 2005 NBA Championship team, Barry's career has seen him suit up in five different uniforms, win a dunk contest, and be compared to Pete Maravich as a playmaker that could handle the ball and make tricky passes. A capable scorer, his career average is nearly 10 points per game and he is 10th on the all-time list for career three-point makes.

Barry's role for San Antonio has been simple: don't turn the ball over, be a leader, and shoot.

However, in Game 4 against the Lakers, he was one of the only veterans on the team to actually step up. He scored a playoff career-high 23 points, hitting 7 of 14 shots, and playing 27 minutes.

Barry also played well defensively, with two steals and many deflections when Bryant or Lamar Odom would enter the paint and look to pass or hesitate.

When Barry plays, the Spurs score. When he doesn't, they struggle to. Another shooter on the floor takes the double team away from Duncan more frequently and opens up San Antonio's offense for dribble penetration and the pick and rolls we're accustomed to seeing from them.

So gather round the tube and enjoy the re-birth of Brent Barry in the Lonestar State. It could be a "Barry" good series. I apologize