Speedy's in, Tony's out
In hindsight it looks like one of Gregg Popovich's bolder substitutions. But turning to Claxton over Parker in Game 6 of the 2003 Finals made a world of sense at the time.
Tony Parker took a seat with the Spurs down 57-47 midway through the third quarter in Game 6 of the 2003 NBA Finals. He wasn’t hurt, and the Spurs rallied back to beat the visiting New Jersey Nets, but Parker himself never returned; instead the team rode the hot and steadying hand of his understudy on their way to their 2nd title.
The benching is a B-side detail from the series-clinching Game 6, which included the aforementioned comeback, Tim Duncan’s near quadruple-double, and 37-year-old David Robinson’s looming retirement.
In the moment, the move was understandable, if expected, but it works against the collective memory of Parker as the unimpeachable metronome of the San Antonio offense. It’s the flipside to the adage about hindsight, which illuminates when the details are fresh enough, but put enough time between yourself and the event in question, let your gumline recede a little, and that retrospective can get fogged up by your memories of the player you know and the player he once was.
While this would be the last we’d see of The Admiral, Parker, who turned 21 the month before, was just getting started. 2002-2003 was his second season in the NBA, and though he was firmly entrenched as the starting point guard, he was understandably still prone to erratic play through that postseason. When he was good he was great; when he was off, like in his 3-point, 1-for-12 performance in Game 4 (which the Nets won by just 1 point), it was enough for the fanbase and media to wonder why Gregg Popovich shouldn’t give a look down the bench to help decide the series.
That alternative was Craig “Speedy” Claxton, owner of one of those nicknames that became so attached to the player that you almost want to put quotations around the Craig part. Only 25 himself at the time, Claxton played in nearly as many playoff games as a Spur (24) as regular season games (30), a big reason he’s a peripheral detail in Spurs canon. And yet the future journeyman played a key role in their 2nd NBA championship, while capping a challenging first chapter in his career and breathing life into the next.
Today, Claxton’s an assistant coach at his alma mater, Hofstra. His men’s team had just earned its first NCAA tournament berth since 2001 when a pandemic cancelled their March plans just two days later. To make matters worse, he took a call from me to rehash some of his own early letdowns and how they led up to his Spurs moment.
Drafted 20th overall in 2000 by the 76ers, Claxton lost his entire rookie year to an ACL tear over the summer, an injury that he felt took a permanent toll on his game:
“I think it was pretty much my time in San Antonio [when I started feeling like myself again]. When I was in Philly it still kind of bugged me. There were days where the arthritis would kick in and it was just unbearable. So I really didn’t get my legs under me in Philadelphia. Even then, I was still never quite the same I don’t think. My burst. My speed. My athleticism.”
Claxton was still at the end of his rookie deal when the Sixers traded him to San Antonio, in need of point guard depth, in a draft night deal for Mark Bryant, Randy Holcomb and the 26th pick in the 2002 draft, John Salmons. He was “blindsided” by the news while on his way to a draft party, when a friend called him and said what he’d heard.
“I said, ‘You don’t know what you talking about. If that was gonna happen my agent would’ve called me’…. And then as soon as I said that, my agent was on the other line. I said, ‘I’ll call you back.’”
The move to San Antonio offered new opportunities for Claxton, but the team opted to not pick up the option on the final year of his contract. The understanding at the time was that they hoped to keep a clean cap sheet and make an offseason run at Jason Kidd.
Then, just three games into a promising start as a Spur, another injury struck:
“I tore my labrum,” he said. “I was playing well up until that point and I dove for a loose ball when we were playing against the Pistons, and I separated my shoulder. And I had to have surgery that required me to sit out for four months… It kind of sucked because here I am, living out my dream, and I can’t fully live it up because I was sidelined. So I’m there, and I’m watching it, and I’ve basically got a courtside seat, but I can’t actually get on the court and show what I can do and help my team win.”
Claxton came back in February, fresh off his second major injury in under three years, and already on his second NBA team. While he sat, Parker showed huge strides from his rookie season, upping his scoring from 9.2 to 15.5 points per game. Duncan remained the fulcrum of the offense, but it was clear Parker offered both a bold contrast and welcome complement with his pace and penetration.
Meanwhile Claxton re-assumed his place in the rotation behind Parker through steady play in those final months, and into the postseason. Whereas players going into the playoffs generally feel the wear on their bodies after an 82-game season, that wasn’t the case for the rested and hungry guard.
“I kind of benefited from the time off. Once I was able to play, I was hype. And once the playoffs came I was a full go.”
Parker’s play lost some of its sheen in the playoffs. After going 2-for-13 in an opening home loss to Phoenix, he made just 1-of-7 in Game 2, Popovich turning to Claxton, who saw 30 minutes to Parker’s 18. The Spurs won, 84-74, opening the door for a similar move down the line, if necessary.
Game 6 of the Finals saw a similar script unfold for Parker, although not as egregious as the Suns series or his abysmal Game 4 versus New Jersey. This time around his struggles are less overt; he’s a ho-hum 2-for-6 from the field for 4 points, with 3 three turnovers through 24 minutes of play, and his most damning impact while on the floor is mostly that he has none. The Spurs offense looks especially anemic with him getting them into sets, neither finding seams with his speed or relieving Duncan and Robinson enough with the occasional jumper on a kickout.
“Come Game 6, we’re down. Pop put me in,” says Claxton. “I’m playing well, and I’m thinking, ‘Well, this happened the game before that, too. He’s probably gonna take me out to go back with his guy. I mean [Tony]’s the starter – he obviously should; that’s his guy. But he never did. [laughs].”
There’s no flash to what Claxton does in Parker’s place; the backup is just a little more assertive and more opportunistic with the open looks given when curling around a screen or as the Nets sent doubles to Duncan in the post.
“That was my role. Provide a spark on defense and hit the open shots when I got it when they double teamed Tim.”
The Spurs remain down as the fourth quarter rolls on. Claxton says he expected to be subbed out at any moment, but plays on, San Antonio doing little damage to a deficit that is widened back to 9 at 72-63 after a Rodney Rogers three.
For Popovich, the decision to continue rolling with Claxton seems both circumstantial and a product of the aggregate performances leading up to the moment.
“He just kept me out there,” said Claxton. “And I continued to play well, and then we started streaking, streaking, streaking.”
Following the Rogers basket, the Spurs reel off 19 straight points, which include two jumpers from Claxton and three triples from another brief Spurs hero, Stephen Jackson.
“We started getting stops. Guys started making shots. I was making shots. Stephen Jackson was making shots. Manu was making shots. Tim was being Tim… You’re running off the adrenaline. There was no way I was gonna be tired because I was not coming off the court, because if I did I was not going back in.”'
A 19-0 run can swing a game in today’s juiced-up NBA, so adjust it for inflation to appreciate its psychic impact in the early aughts’ age of austerity. The Nets never knew what hit them, and it was Claxton’s second jumper that capped the run.
I noted on my call with Claxton that a replay of the game shows some ecstatic bench celebrations following his baskets in particular. He replied:
“All my teammates were so supportive of me. Steve Smith and Kevin Willis was my two biggest supporters. They were like, ‘Keep playing, keep playing, keep playing. Yo, you’re doing well man, keep getting stops. We need you. Those are my big brothers, man. They were so happy for me. And it was their first championship, so I was happy to be able to help win one for them.”
Claxton’s 13-point, 4-assist Game 6 propelled him from a player who’d had the final year of his rookie deal declined to a free agent in high demand. He says that while he loved his time in San Antonio, and while the front office made a competitive offer for him—to remain on as a backup—he chose to sign a 3-year, $10 million deal with the Golden State Warriors for better opportunities to show what he could do.
“It was a blessing in disguise to show out on the biggest stage in my contract year.”
The move to Golden State also united Claxton with another point guard who’d played a role in a San Antonio championship: Avery Johnson, then 38 and at the tail end of his career. The pair commiserated over their respective Finals moments and formed a relationship Claxton still recalls fondly.
“He actually bought me my first iPod. He says, ‘Yo, Speedy. Tell me about these things.’ He says, ‘I’m gonna get us one.’ It was about 600 dollars at this time. I was like, ‘Yo, this is so cool. This is what vets are supposed to do—take care of the young guys.”
I asked Claxton if he’d had a chance to rewatch Game 6.
“You know, with Tim Duncan going to the Hall of Fame, they actually showed Game 6 a thousand times. So I was able to actually watch it with my daughters and my girlfriend who didn’t see it at the time. It was a chance for my daughters to see me play in the NBA Finals, which was pretty cool.”
As a lowercase-A athlete, I either topped out in high school as a lanky kid perpetually scared of the moment, or as a mid-20s rec-leaguer whose newfound niche as a try-hard glue guy likely contributed to a career-ending herniated disc. I have no idea what my professional high is, nor will I have it be something recorded for others to appreciate in perpetuity. So I asked Claxton what you talk about with your loved ones as you share a game like that with them, especially recalling the injuries and challenges that led up to it.
“You know, I actually didn’t talk to them about it. I was so excited to have them watch it with me, locked in on the TV and smiling and reliving the moment, getting goosebumps. I’m like, ‘Oh my god, this is crazy. I can’t believe I was in the NBA finals. This is crazy, watching the NBA Finals today, I played in that. That’s crazy.’”