Mere minutes had passed after the Nuggets’ crushing overtime loss at Minnesota to knock Denver out of the playoffs on the regular season’s final night. Will Barton sat hunched over a MacBook at his locker, dissecting the floater he missed with the Nuggets trailing by two points and 24.4 seconds remaining.
“I make (that shot) every day,” Barton lamented. “Missed.”
The candid remark revealed the disappointment Barton felt in himself. But it also illustrated the heartbreak he felt for the team he helped steadily build, then streak, to the cusp of a postseason berth.
Now Barton gets the opportunity to run it back with the squad that allowed him to blossom into the ultimate swingman.