SAN ANTONIO — It's easy to overlook two points and one assist. But the San Antonio Spurs say those numbers belie the contributions of backup point guard Jacque Vaughn to their quest for a fourth NBA title in nine years.
Vaughn, a 10-year veteran and former Jazzman, played 10 minutes in relief of All-Star Tony Parker in San Antonio's Game 1 win and his numbers are in line with his production throughout this postseason. He played 12 minutes in Game 2.
"He has made a big difference for us," Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo says, pointing out that the Spurs outscored Cleveland by six points when Vaughn was on the floor. "That's pretty much been the pattern throughout the season. He has been a great addition."
"He's a great floor leader," Spurs forward Robert Horry says, "and he D's you up from point A to point B. He's our little sparkplug off the bench outside of Manu (Ginobili)."
Vaughn, a career backup, joined the Spurs as a free agent during the offseason as their No. 3 point guard behind Parker and third-year man Beno Udrih. He quickly moved up to the No. 2 spot with his work ethic and court savvy.
"It's been a process for me," Vaughn says. "I joined a very established team and had to learn a new system. It's been a very rewarding process as well."
Parker is the third All-Star point guard Vaughn has played behind. He spent his first four seasons with the Utah Jazz backing up future Hall of Famer John Stockton. He came to San Antonio after a two-year stint caddying for Jason Kidd, another future Hall of Famer, with the New Jersey Nets.
"You accept your role and you relish it, but you don't become complacent in it," Vaughn says. "I don't go into the game saying, 'I'm going to relieve Tony for two or three minutes.' I go into the game saying, 'I want to at least do the job he was doing or make an effort play, be a spark and do a better job than he was doing.'
"There's a very fine line. If I make two shots, I still might come out of the game. I understand that. I'm the backup. That's OK. I might only get two shots in the game. I understand that, too. But I want to make those two shots."
Vaughn says it took a while for him to develop the proper mental approach to being a backup.
"As I've matured and gotten older and been around the league longer, I understand that on the great organizations, guys accept their roles," he says. "As a young player, you're hungry, not that I'm not hungry now.
"There were times in Utah where I made those two shots and I came out of the game. I wondered why I was coming out. I understand the process now. It's funny. As a young player, I wanted to play just as many minutes as John. I didn't understand the complete process."