He’s played in only 45 games this year and his longest stint has been 24 minutes. At age 37, Robert Horry is nearing the end of his career. He’s been plagued by injuries all season and has missed the past 12 games with a deep left knee bruise.

He might not be able to play in the Spurs’ first-round series with the Suns, but if he doesn’t and this is his last season as a player, we know what his legacy will be.

When he leaves, Robert Horry will undoubtedly be considered the greatest player in history who averaged 7.0 points or fewer.

Horry entered the NBA in 1992 out of the University of Alabama and he has always been certain of one thing: When playoff time arrived, he would be busy.

In his 15 seasons with four teams, Horry has not only never been on a team that missed the playoffs, but he has never been on a team that lost in the first round.

He’s also been on seven championship teams — the only player to win that many titles without being a member of the Celtics and having Bill Russell as a teammate.

Some more fascinating facts about Horry:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has played the most playoff games in NBA history with 237. Second place? Robert Horry, 229.

Reggie Miller has made the most 3-point shots in NBA playoff history with 320. Second place? Robert Horry, 256.

The all-time list of players who have the most steals in NBA playoff history is led by Scottie Pippen, who is followed by Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Larry Bird, Maurice Cheeks and Clyde Drexler. All are in or will be in the Hall of Fame except perhaps Cheeks. Who follows the top seven? Robert Horry.

He’s made so many dramatic, game-winning shots that he will be forever known as “Big Shot Rob.” This could be his last hurrah. Will he get to experience it on the court? That is only one of the questions in the Western Conference playoffs this year. Others include:

Can anyone stop Kobe Bryant from winning his first title without Shaquille O’Neal?

It is tempting to say no, but that contradicts everything that has happened in the West this season. The Lakers are certainly the scariest team for several reasons. One is Bryant, the next is the addition of Pau Gasol and the third is Lamar Odom.

One of the benefits of the trade for Gasol is that it allowed Odom to be in his comfort zone as the third most important player on the team. Odom is a gifted player, capable of 20-rebound games and he handles the ball as well if not better than any 6-10 player in the league. If Bryant does get his fourth title, Odom will play a big role.

How many teams have a legitimate chance to win the conference and advance to the Finals?

Six: the Lakers, Hornets, Spurs, Jazz, Suns and Mavericks.

The only two who can’t make it are the Rockets and Nuggets. If they had Yao Ming, who missed the last 26 games because of a stress fracture in his left foot, the Rockets would have a chance. But even though the Rockets won the final 10 games of their 22-game winning streak without Yao, his absence in a seven-game series will be too much for the team to overcome.

The Nuggets have the talent on paper to compete with all the Western big boys. Anytime you have Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony on your team, you’re a threat. But the Nuggets have no passion on defense and Anthony is as undependable in big games as he was when he was arrested for DUI on Monday morning. This is an inconsistent team that will be lucky to win once against the Lakers.

Are the Spurs healthy enough to defend their title?

Despite their injury problems and periods of inconsistency this season, the Spurs won 56 games and finished only one game behind the Lakers for best record in the West. Besides Robert Horry’s injury, Brent Barry missed 80 days with a torn muscle in his left calf and returned only briefly — after being traded, waived and re-signed — for the last two games of the regular season.

Manu Ginobili missed three games before the last game of the season with a left groin strain, but returned for the final game and went 4-of-4 from the field. The Spurs have a tough first-round matchup with the Suns, but health might be the biggest issue they face.

Is there a team the masses overlook?

Absolutely. Utah. The Jazz benefited last season from the Warriors’ first-round upset of the Mavericks and went to the Western Finals, where they lost to the Spurs.

They gained plenty of experience, however, and they have a good first-round matchup against the Rockets.

The Jazz has a prolific offensive team led by Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams and Mehmet Okur. They have high-level role players in Andrei Kirilenko and Ronnie Brewer. And they have a solid bench with Matt Harpring, Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver, who is a great 3-point shooter.

Charles Barkley has predicted all season that the Jazz would reach the Finals. Don’t be surprised if they do.

Will Kobe average 40 points against the defenseless Nuggets?

This could be surprising, but the answer is no. The Lakers handled the Nuggets easy this season, winning the three games between the two teams by an average of 16.3 a game. But Kobe was content to play an all-around game. He averaged 22 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists in the three games. He’s still capable of scoring 40, of course. But he might not have to do that.