Wikipedia

2002 NBA Finals

The 2002 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2001–02 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers (who were also two-time defending NBA champion), and the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets. The Lakers swept the Nets, four games to none, to win the franchise's 14th NBA championship and third consecutive NBA championship. The 56th edition of the championship series was played between June 5 and 12 and was broadcast on NBC — the last NBA games broadcast on the network to date. Lakers coach Phil Jackson won his ninth ring, tying him with Red Auerbach for most all-time. During the series, he surpassed Pat Riley for most career playoffs wins with 156. Shaquille O'Neal of the Lakers was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the third consecutive year, after dominant performances averaging 36.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game.[1][2]

2002 NBA Finals
TeamCoachWins
Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson 4
New Jersey Nets Byron Scott 0
DatesJune 5–12
MVPShaquille O'Neal
(Los Angeles Lakers)
Hall of FamersLakers:
Kobe Bryant (2020)
Shaquille O'Neal (2016)
Mitch Richmond (2014)
Nets:
Jason Kidd (2018)
Coaches:
Phil Jackson (2007)
Tex Winter (2011)
Officials:
Dick Bavetta (2015)
Broadcaster:
Chick Hearn (2003)
Eastern finalsNets defeated Celtics, 4–2
Western finalsLakers defeated Kings, 4–3
← 2001 NBA finals 2003 →
Shaquille O'Neal (2002) is the only player other than Michael Jordan to win the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in three consecutive seasons (Jordan accomplished the feat on two occasions).

Background

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Road to the Finals

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Main article: 2002 NBA playoffs
Los Angeles Lakers (Western Conference champion) New Jersey Nets (Eastern Conference champion)
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Sacramento Kings 61 21 .744 –
2 y-San Antonio Spurs 58 24 .707 3
3 x-Los Angeles Lakers 58 24 .707 3
4 x-Dallas Mavericks 57 25 .695 4
5 x-Minnesota Timberwolves 50 32 .610 11
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers 49 33 .598 12
7 x-Seattle SuperSonics 45 37 .549 16
8 x-Utah Jazz 44 38 .537 17
9 Los Angeles Clippers 39 43 .476 22
10 Phoenix Suns 36 46 .439 25
11 Houston Rockets 28 54 .341 33
12 Denver Nuggets 27 55 .329 34
13 Memphis Grizzlies 23 59 .280 38
14 Golden State Warriors 21 61 .256 40
3rd seed in the West, 2nd (tied) best league record 		Regular season
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-New Jersey Nets 52 30 .634 –
2 y-Detroit Pistons 50 32 .610 2
3 x-Boston Celtics 49 33 .598 3
4 x-Charlotte Hornets 44 38 .537 8
5 x-Orlando Magic 44 38 .537 8
6 x-Philadelphia 76ers 43 39 .524 9
7 x-Toronto Raptors 42 40 .512 10
8 x-Indiana Pacers 42 40 .512 10
9 Milwaukee Bucks 41 41 .500 11
10 Washington Wizards 37 45 .451 15
11 Miami Heat 36 46 .439 16
12 Atlanta Hawks 33 49 .402 19
13 New York Knicks 30 52 .366 22
14 Cleveland Cavaliers 29 53 .354 23
15 Chicago Bulls 21 61 .256 31
1st seed in the East, 5th best league record
Defeated the (6) Portland Trail Blazers, 3–0 First Round Defeated the (8) Indiana Pacers, 3–2
Defeated the (2) San Antonio Spurs, 4–1 Conference semifinals Defeated the (4) Charlotte Hornets, 4–1
Defeated the (1) Sacramento Kings, 4–3 Conference finals Defeated the (3) Boston Celtics, 4–2

Regular season series

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The Los Angeles Lakers and New Jersey Nets split both games in the regular season, each winning on their home court.

March 5
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived February 12, 2005)
New Jersey Nets 92, Los Angeles Lakers 101
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

New Jersey Nets

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Main article: 2001–02 New Jersey Nets season
 
Jason Kidd, New Jersey's prized acquisition in the summer of 2001.

Entering the 2001–02 season, the New Jersey Nets were enduring a three-year playoff drought and had a 73–141 record over that span. In 1999, the Nets hired Rod Thorn as team president and immediately, he hired the recently retired Byron Scott to coach New Jersey. Thorn then dealt for Stephon Marbury in a three-team trade with the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves, trading Sam Cassell away to the Bucks.[3] Due to the Nets' 31–51 season in 1999–2000 season, they had the first overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft, which they used to select power forward Kenyon Martin out of the University of Cincinnati.[4] Despite the reshuffling of the roster and an NBA All-Rookie Team season for Martin, New Jersey struggled, ending the season with a 26–56 (.317) record, and owned the 7th pick in the upcoming draft.

With another lottery pick, Thorn dealt it to the Houston Rockets for draftees Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins and Brandon Armstrong.[3] The next day, Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo announced a franchise-shaking trade; Phoenix would swap their point guard Jason Kidd for his New Jersey counterpart Stephon Marbury.[5]

With the Princeton offense installed from the coaching staff,[6] the Nets rebounded to a 52–30 (.634) mark, a twenty-six-win improvement from the last season, and clinched the number-one seed in the Eastern Conference. Kidd finished the season awarded with first team spots on both the All-NBA[7] and All-Defensive Teams[8] and was selected for his fifth All-Star game. He also finished runner-up to San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan in the Most Valuable Player voting.[9] Richard Jefferson was an All-Rookie second team selection and Thorn, the architect of the franchise's resurgence, was awarded NBA Executive of the Year.[10]

In the first round of the playoffs, New Jersey survived a scare against the Indiana Pacers, escaping game five in double overtime to advance.[11] It was the Nets' first playoff series win since 1984. They then dismissed the Charlotte Hornets in five games before meeting their Atlantic Division rivals, the Boston Celtics, in the conference finals.[12] The Nets and Celtics split the first two games in New Jersey before moving to Boston. In Game 3, the Nets were dominating the Celtics, leading by as much as 21 in the fourth quarter. However, Boston, led by small forward Paul Pierce, then proceeded to outscore New Jersey 41–16 in the final period, rallying to win 94 to 90. Pierce himself scored 19 points, more than the Nets combined in the fourth, to complete the greatest fourth-quarter comeback in NBA playoff history.[13][14]

The Nets rebounded in a 94–92 Game 4 victory, that saw another Boston comeback, albeit one that fell short because Pierce missed crucial free throws late.[15] New Jersey then took control of the series and won the next two games in large fashion to finish off Boston in six games, earning the franchise's first NBA Finals appearance and becoming the third former American Basketball Association (ABA) team to make the Finals (the Spurs and the Pacers being the first two).[16] With averages of 17.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game during the six-game conference finals, Kidd become only the fourth player in NBA history to average a triple-double over a course of a series and the second to have at least three.[17][18]

Los Angeles Lakers

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All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal averaged 27 points and 11 rebounds in the regular season.
Main article: 2001–02 Los Angeles Lakers season

In stark contrast to New Jersey, the Los Angeles Lakers entered the season with high expectations, having won the last two NBA championships. In addition, Los Angeles was coming off of a 15–1 (.938 winning percentage) run through the 2001 NBA Playoffs, the greatest in NBA history, besting the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers' 12–1 (.923) run and were the first team to go undefeated on the road in the playoffs.[19] Since Phil Jackson had arrived to coach the Lakers in 1999, they had a 123–41 mark in the regular season and a 28–9 record in the postseason.

Amid tensions between co-captains Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, the franchise had another stellar season, finishing 58–24 (.707), good for second in the Pacific Division and earning the third seed in the Western Conference. Bryant and O'Neal were voted starters in the 2002 NBA All-Star Game, where Bryant won the game MVP trophy in his hometown Philadelphia.[20] The duo appeared on the All-NBA First Team and Bryant was honored with a Second-Team All-Defensive Team selection.[7][8]

 
Kobe Bryant showed strong poise in the Lakers' run through the playoffs.

The Lakers shot out to another quick start in the playoffs, finishing the Portland Trail Blazers in three games with a Robert Horry game-winner.[21] The San Antonio Spurs were dispatched in five games before Los Angeles met their biggest challenge in the duration of their championship reign in the Western Conference finals: the Sacramento Kings. With the best record in the West, the Kings held home court advantage against the Lakers and split the first two games in ARCO Arena before the series shifted to Staples Center, where Sacramento blew out Los Angeles in Game 3 and led as much as 27 before settling with a 103–90 decision.[22]

Game 4 did not give the Lakers any more hope, as Sacramento led Los Angeles 40–20 at the end of the first quarter and held a lead as large as 26. But, the Lakers staged a furious second-half comeback to win 100–99, punctuated by Horry's buzzer-beating three-point shot.[23] Back in Sacramento for Game 5, the Kings staged some late-game heroics of their own as Mike Bibby nailed a jumper with 8.2 seconds remaining, giving his team not only a 92–91 win, but a 3–2 series advantage.[24]

With their season on the line, the Lakers returned home for Game 6. In a controversial contest, one in which the Lakers attempted 27 free throws in the fourth quarter to Sacramento's 9, O'Neal and Bryant had one of their most dominant performances as a duo. O'Neal recorded 41 points and 17 rebounds while Bryant contributed 31 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists to force a Game 7 in ARCO Arena.[25] The outrage was such that politician Ralph Nader demanded an investigation.[26] In Game 7, the Lakers prevailed in overtime 112–106 to earn their third straight NBA Finals berth.[27]

Rosters

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Los Angeles Lakers

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2001–02 Los Angeles Lakers roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
G/F 8 Bryant, Kobe 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1978–08-23 Lower Merion HS (PA)
G 2 Fisher, Derek 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1974–08-09 Little Rock
F 17 Fox, Rick 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1969–07–24 North Carolina
F 3 George, Devean 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1977–08–29 Augsburg
F 5 Horry, Robert 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1970–08–25 Alabama
G 10 Hunter, Lindsey 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1970–12–03 Jackson State
F 35 Madsen, Mark 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1976–01–28 Stanford
F/C 6 McCoy, Jelani (IN) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1977–12–06 UCLA
F 14 Medvedenko, Stanislav 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1979–04–04 Ukraine
C 34 O'Neal, Shaquille 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 338 lb (153 kg) 1972–03–06 LSU
G 23 Richmond, Mitch 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1965–06–30 Kansas State
G 20 Shaw, Brian 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1966–03–22 UC Santa Barbara
F/C 52 Walker, Samaki 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1976–02–25 Louisville
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  •   Injured

Roster
Last transaction: June 14, 2002

New Jersey Nets

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2001–02 New Jersey Nets roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
G 1 Armstrong, Brandon 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1980–06–16 Pepperdine
C 35 Collins, Jason 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1978–12–02 Stanford
G 12 Harris, Lucious 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1970–12–18 Long Beach State
F 24 Jefferson, Richard 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 222 lb (101 kg) 1980–06–21 Arizona
G 8 Johnson, Anthony 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1974–10–02 College of Charleston
G 5 Kidd, Jason 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 204 lb (93 kg) 1973–03–23 California
G 30 Kittles, Kerry 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 179 lb (81 kg) 1974–06–12 Villanova
C 11 MacCulloch, Todd 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 280 lb (127 kg) 1976–01–27 Washington
F 13 Marshall, Donny 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1972–07–17 Connecticut
F 6 Martin, Kenyon 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 234 lb (106 kg) 1977–12–30 Cincinnati
F 21 Scalabrine, Brian 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 241 lb (109 kg) 1978–03–18 USC
F 44 Van Horn, Keith 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1975–10–23 Utah
F/C 34 Williams, Aaron 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1971–10–02 Xavier
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  •   Injured

Roster
Last transaction: June 14, 2002

Series summary

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Game Date Road team Result Home team
Game 1 June 5 New Jersey Nets 94–99 (0–1) Los Angeles Lakers
Game 2 June 7 New Jersey Nets 83–106 (0–2) Los Angeles Lakers
Game 3 June 9 Los Angeles Lakers 106–103 (3–0) New Jersey Nets
Game 4 June 12 Los Angeles Lakers 113–107 (4–0) New Jersey Nets

Game summaries

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All times listed below are Eastern Daylight Time. If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given.

Game 1

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June 5
9:30 pm (6:30 pm PDT)
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived December 4, 2004)
New Jersey Nets 94, Los Angeles Lakers 99
Scoring by quarter: 14–29, 22–19, 27–24, 31–27
Pts: Jason Kidd 23
Rebs: Jason Kidd 10
Asts: Jason Kidd 10		 Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 36
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 16
Asts: Kobe Bryant 6
Los Angeles leads the series, 1–0
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 18,997
Referees:

Los Angeles's Staples Center sold out for the inaugural game of the 2002 NBA Finals, with nearly 19,000 on hand. The Nets trotted out a lineup of Jason Kidd, Kerry Kittles, Kenyon Martin, Keith Van Horn, and Todd MacCulloch to hold up against the two-time defending and heavily favored champions. The Lakers brought out Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Shaquille O'Neal, Robert Horry, and Kobe Bryant, who drew the assignment of guarding Kidd. New Jersey head coach Byron Scott, a member of the Showtime Lakers, received a standing ovation.

Taking advantage of a late arrival to the arena by New Jersey, L.A. dominated the first 17 minutes of play with a 42–19 score by the 6:41 mark in the second quarter. From that point on, the Nets went on a 17–6 run to close the lead to a respectable 12. They had no answer for O'Neal, however, who had bullied MacCulloch into 16 points and 6 rebounds by half-time. The Nets outscored the Lakers in the third but stood steadfast as Bryant scored 11 of his 22 in the third.

" You can't dig yourself a hole, get down by 19 or 20 points and expect to win. We just dug ourselves a hole against the champions. "

—Lucious Harris, Sports Illustrated[28]

New Jersey battled back, coming as close as three several times in the final quarter. Desperate to take the lead, they utilized the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy midway in the fourth. It backfired, as O'Neal was 5–8 from the free throw line and had 16 points and 9 rebounds in the period alone.

New Jersey was doomed by their late start and poor shooting. The Nets, who shot 45% from the field and 74% on free throws were 39% and 57% respectively.[29] Kidd finished with a triple-double, the 26th in Finals history and the first since Charles Barkley's in the 1993 series.

Game 2

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June 7
9:30 pm (6:30 pm PDT)
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived December 9, 2004)
New Jersey Nets 83, Los Angeles Lakers 106
Scoring by quarter: 21–27, 22–22, 18–28, 22–29
Pts: Kerry Kittles 23
Rebs: Jason Kidd 9
Asts: Jason Kidd 7		 Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 40
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12
Asts: Shaquille O'Neal 8
Los Angeles leads the series, 2–0
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 18,997
Referees:

Game 3

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June 9
8:30 pm
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived July 25, 2008)
Los Angeles Lakers 106, New Jersey Nets 103
Scoring by quarter: 31–23, 21–23, 26–32, 28–25
Pts: Kobe Bryant 36
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 11
Asts: Derek Fisher 6		 Pts: Jason Kidd 30
Rebs: Kidd, Van Horn 5 each
Asts: Jason Kidd 10
Los Angeles leads the series, 3–0

Game 4

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June 12
9:30 pm
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived July 25, 2008)
Los Angeles Lakers 113, New Jersey Nets 107
Scoring by quarter: 27–34, 31–23, 26–23, 29–27
Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 34
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 10
Asts: Kobe Bryant 8		 Pts: Kenyon Martin 35
Rebs: Kenyon Martin 11
Asts: Jason Kidd 12
Los Angeles wins the NBA Finals, 4–0
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance: 19,296
Referees:

Player statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kobe Bryant 4 4 43.8 .514 .545 .806 5.8 5.3 1.5 0.8 26.8
Derek Fisher 4 4 33.0 .515 .667 .643 3.5 3.8 0.3 0.0 12.8
Rick Fox 4 4 36.0 .522 .455 .833 6.3 3.5 1.5 0.5 9.8
Devean George 4 0 18.0 .435 .600 1.000 4.8 0.0 0.3 0.5 6.5
Robert Horry 4 4 39.8 .458 .455 .833 7.3 4.3 2.8 1.8 8.0
Lindsey Hunter 3 0 3.7 .200 .000 .000 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7
Mark Madsen 1 0 2.0 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Slava Medvedenko 2 0 4.5 1.000 .000 .000 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0
Shaquille O'Neal 4 4 41.5 .595 .000 .662 12.3 3.8 0.5 2.8 36.3
Mitch Richmond 1 0 1.0 1.000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0
Brian Shaw 4 0 16.3 .286 .222 .000 1.8 2.5 0.3 0.5 3.5
Samaki Walker 4 0 6.0 .250 .000 1.000 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 1.0
New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Jason Collins 4 0 18.8 .500 .000 .875 2.5 0.3 0.3 0.5 4.3
Lucious Harris 4 0 22.8 .344 .200 .800 2.8 2.0 1.0 0.0 7.8
Richard Jefferson 4 0 24.3 .524 .000 .455 4.5 1.3 1.0 0.0 6.8
Anthony Johnson 4 0 5.3 .333 .000 .500 0.5 0.3 0.0 0.0 1.3
Jason Kidd 4 4 42.0 .438 .300 .636 7.3 9.8 2.3 0.8 20.8
Kerry Kittles 4 4 26.5 .452 .313 .700 2.0 2.5 1.5 0.5 12.5
Todd MacCulloch 4 4 18.5 .500 .000 0.5 5.0 0.5 0.8 1.0 7.5
Donny Marshall 2 0 1.0 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Kenyon Martin 4 4 39.5 .467 .200 .654 6.5 2.5 1.5 1.0 22.0
Brian Scalabrine 1 0 1.0 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Keith Van Horn 4 4 30.3 .386 .417 .750 5.8 2.3 0.5 0.3 10.5
Aaron Williams 4 0 11.5 .375 .000 1.000 2.3 0.3 0.8 0.5 3.5

Media coverage

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The Finals were produced and televised in the United States by NBC. The local NBC stations for the competing teams were East Coast flagship WNBC in the New York metropolitan area and West Coast flagship KNBC in Los Angeles. Marv Albert provided play-by-play calling. Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton and Steve "Snapper" Jones handled color duties. Jim Gray and Lewis Johnson roamed the sidelines for the Lakers and Nets respectively. Bob Costas hosted pregame and half-time shows with analyst Tom Tolbert.[30] Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley from TNT's Inside the NBA made special guest appearances during halftime of Game 1. Brent Musburger and Jack Ramsay called the four games on ESPN Radio. Hannah Storm hosted the post-game show.

The finals also had Spanish-language television and radio broadcasts in the United States.[31][32]

As previously mentioned, this series was the last broadcast by NBC. In January 2002, the league's broadcast rights were awarded to ABC/ESPN in a six-year deal,[33] which was renewed for an additional eight years in 2007.[34] NBA games did not return to NBC until 2025.[35]

At the conclusion of Game 4, NBC presented highlights of the twelve years of their NBA broadcasts; among them the Chicago Bulls' dynasty led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the retirements of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers' current Shaq/Kobe reign, as the credits rolled. NBC also played "Winning It All" by The Outfield, which they had used for the close of their NBA Finals broadcasts from 1992 to 1996. The last image displayed was of an empty gym, showing a basketball bouncing into the background, as "To The Flemish Cap" from the soundtrack to the film The Perfect Storm played. NBC ended the broadcast (and their 12-year run broadcasting NBA basketball) by displaying over the shot the message "Thanks for the memories".

The 2002 Finals was also Marv Albert's last NBA Finals assignment. After the series, Albert's national TV duties continued with TNT and remained with the network until his retirement in 2021, but only called games until the conference finals each season.

Will Lyman narrated the season-ending documentary for NBA Entertainment.

2002 NBA Finals Ratings

Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4
10.6/20 9.1/18 10.2/18 10.8/19

Impact and aftermath

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Lakers

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The Lakers victory in this year's Finals would also mark the beginning of what would become a successful year for professional sports teams in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The nearby Anaheim Angels would later claim their first World Series championship four months later.[36] It marked the second occurrence that a city/metropolitan area won both NBA and Major League Baseball championships in the same calendar year. The last time this occurred was in 1988, when the Lakers won that year's NBA Finals in June; the Dodgers followed suit with a World Series victory four months later.[36][37] In relation to sports of smaller leagues, the Los Angeles Sparks won the WNBA Finals two months after the Lakers' 2002 Finals victory; the Los Angeles Galaxy won the MLS Cup exactly one week prior to the Angels' World Series victory in October.[36] The successes of Los Angeles area teams led Sporting News magazine to declare Anaheim/Los Angeles as "Best Sports City" in 2003.[38] As of 2021, the Lakers are the last team to pull off a 'three-peat' in North American professional sports. No other team won a "three-peat" since this year's Finals. Since then, only two teams are close to doing so, the Miami Heat and the Golden State Warriors.[39] Whereas the Heat, led by the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, made four consecutive NBA Finals appearances since 2011, won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 against different teams (Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012 and San Antonio Spurs in 2013), but lost in 2014 to the Spurs, the Warriors, led by the Splash Brothers (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson), Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Kevin Durant, won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but ended their 3-peat journey in 2019 as they fell to the Toronto Raptors in six games.[40]

The Lakers were off to a slow start in the 2002–03 NBA season. By this time, the relationship between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal began to show cracks. Injuries were also starting to slow the Lakers down. Nevertheless, the Lakers won 50 games, but would only earn the fifth seed, thereby not earning the home-court advantage. Still, the Lakers took down the fourth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in six games. However, they were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs, who finally earned revenge after their previous two defeats to the Lakers in the 2001 and 2002 NBA playoffs. In Game 5, Robert Horry, a perennial clutch threat in the playoffs, missed a game-winning three that would've given the Lakers a 3–2 lead. The miss eventually led to Horry's free-agent defection to the Spurs the following season.

Nets

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The Nets made it back to the Finals in 2003. They won 49 games and the Atlantic Division title, and heading into the Finals they won ten straight games, two in the six-game first round win over the Milwaukee Bucks, and two four-game sweeps of the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons. However, they still came up short, losing in six games to the Spurs, in the first NBA finals series featuring former ABA teams.

References

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  1. ^ Associated (June 13, 2002). "Shaq, MJ only players to win three straight Finals MVPs". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 9, 2002. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  2. ^ "Lakers' Jackson has reached new heights in coaching". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. June 13, 2002. Archived from the original on June 23, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  3. ^ a b Nets Trade History Archived April 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine NBA.com/nets
  4. ^ Holding to form: Nets take Martin with first pick SportsIllustrated.com
  5. ^ Kidd, Marbury primary players in trade, USA Today
  6. ^ Liz Robbins (February 2, 2002). "PRO BASKETBALL; Nets Get a New Read From the Old School". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 15, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  7. ^ a b Bryant, McGrady are first-time All-NBA selections, USA Today
  8. ^ a b Payton ties mark with ninth All-Defensive slot USA Today
  9. ^ It's official: Duncan captures MVP award USA Today. Retrieved December 28, 2008
  10. ^ Title goes to one sharp Thorn: Nets GM honored as wheeler-deeler, New York Daily-News. Accessed April 14, 2009. Archived 2009-05-14.
  11. ^ Weary Kidd Leads Nets in Double OT Classic NBA.com
  12. ^ No Kidding, Nets Will Contend for East Title NBA.com
  13. ^ Pierce sparks Celtics after being down 21 ESPN.com
  14. ^ Nets allow Celtics to pull off biggest comeback ever Archived January 28, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Sports Illustrated.com
  15. ^ Facing Another Collapse, Nets Don't Buckle Accessed June 15, 2009.
  16. ^ "No Kidding, the Nets are in the NBA Finals!". NBA. May 31, 2002. Retrieved May 16, 2009.[dead link‍]
  17. ^ Averaging a Triple-Double in a Playoff Series NBA.com. Retrieved November 10, 2008
  18. ^ JockBio: Jason Kidd Biography Archived June 14, 2016, at the Wayback Machine JockBio. Retrieved December 28, 2008
  19. ^ A Playoffs for the Ages NBA.com
  20. ^ West Wins! Kobe Stakes Claim in All-Star Lore NBA.com
  21. ^ "Horry Continues L.A. Story; Sinks Trey, Blazers". NBA. April 28, 2002. Archived from the original on June 22, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  22. ^ Kings' big lead proves too much for Lakers ESPN.com
  23. ^ Lakers tie series with Kings on late 3-pointer ESPN.com
  24. ^ Bibby's shot falls, Bryant's misses as Kings win ESPN.com
  25. ^ O'Neal rises to the occasion; Lakers force Game 7 ESPN.com
  26. ^ Ralph Nader Cries Foul Against the NBA NPR.com
  27. ^ "Lakers March On as Kings Can't Dethrone Dynasty". NBA. June 2, 2002. Archived from the original on October 9, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  28. ^ Nets' slow start costs them dearly in Game 1
  29. ^ "Nets' slow start costs them dearly in Game 1". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. June 6, 2002. Archived from the original on January 15, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  30. ^ Costas will anchor NBC's NBA swan song USA Today. Retrieved December 28, 2008.
  31. ^ NBA Finals 2002 to be broadcast on TV, radio, Internet - NBA, May 29, 2002
  32. ^ Telemundo to Air NBA en Español - R. Thomas Umstead, Multichannel, August 25, 2002
  33. ^ "NBA Finalizes Cable-Heavy TV Deal, Sees 25% Fee Increase". SportsBusiness Daily. June 13, 2002. Archived from the original on June 5, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
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  35. ^ Reardon, Logan (July 24, 2024). "NBA unveils new media rights deal for 2025: NBC, Amazon join ESPN as broadcasters". NBC New York. Archived from the original on July 29, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  36. ^ a b c Mike Penner (December 31, 2002). "What a Wonderfully Wacky Time It Was". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  37. ^ Holtzman, Jerome (October 22, 1988). "OLD PROS EARN DODGERS REAL BASH". The Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
  38. ^ Hille, Bob (August 19, 2003). "Best Sports City 2003: We love Greater LA!". Sporting News. Retrieved November 1, 2011.[permanent dead link‍]
  39. ^ ""LeBron James Joined The Heat And Kevin Durant Joined The Warriors But They Didn't Win 3 Championships In A Row": Michael Jordan's Bulls & Kobe Bryant & Shaq's Lakers Greatly Outshine Lakers And Nets Stars' Superteams". The SportsRush. June 9, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  40. ^ "Golden State Warriors: This mistake ruined the three-peat". Blue Man Hoop. June 14, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
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