2002 NBA Finals

2002 Finals

Team Coach Wins Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson 4 New Jersey Nets Byron Scott 0
Dates	June 5 – June 12
MVP	Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers)
Hall of Famers	Coaches: Phil Jackson (2007)
Eastern finals	New Jersey def. Boston 4–2
Western finals	Los Angeles def. Sacramento 4–3

The 2002 NBA Finals was the 56th championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The series started on June 5, 2002 and ended on June 12, marking the conclusion of the 2002 NBA Playoffs and 2001–02 NBA season. The first two games of the Finals were played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California because of their home court advantage and the last two games were played at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers swept the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets in four games in a best-of-seven series. The Lakers became only the third NBA franchise, joining the 1960s Boston Celtics and 1990s Chicago Bulls, to win three straight championships after their 2000 and 2001 victories.

The Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal, who averaged 36 points and 12 rebounds in the Finals, was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. 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 all-time playoffs wins with 156 with. Los Angeles won their 14th championship, three shy of the NBA-record held by the Boston Celtics.

As of 2009, Game 4 of the series was the last production and broadcast by NBC and will remain so until at least 2017. In January 2002, the league's broadcast rights were awarded to ABC/ESPN in a six-year deal which was renewed in 2007.

Background

Main article: 2002 NBA Playoffs

New Jersey Nets		Los Angeles Lakers
52–30 (.634) 1st Atlantic, 1st East, 5th Overall	Regular season		58–24 (.707) 2nd Pacific, 3rd West, 4th overall
Defeated the (8) Indiana Pacers, 3–2	First Round		Defeated the (6) Portland Trail Blazers, 3–0
Defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 4–1	Conference Semifinals		Defeated the (2) San Antonio Spurs, 4–1
Defeated the (3) Boston Celtics, 4–2	Conference Finals		Defeated the (1) Sacramento Kings, 4–3

Regular season series

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

KCAL

March 5

Recap

New Jersey Nets 92, Los Angeles Lakers 101

Staples Center, Los Angeles

KCAL

April 2

Recap

Los Angeles Lakers 92, New Jersey Nets 94

Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford

New Jersey Nets

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 dismal 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. Due to the Nets' dismal 31–51 season in 1999–00 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. The following year Mew Jersey remained a remained a mediocre ball club 26–56 record and were bestowed the 7th pick in the upcoming Draft.

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

With the Princeton offense installed from the new coaching staff, 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 and and All-Defensive Teams 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. Richard Jefferson was a All-Rookie second team selection and Thorn, the architect of the franchise's resurgent, was awarded NBA Executive of the Year.

In the first round of the playoffs, New Jersey survived a scare against the Indiana Pacers, escaping game five in double overtime to advance. It was the Nets' first playoff series win since 1984. They then dismissed the Charlotte Hornets in five before meeting their Atlantic Division rivals, the Boston Celtics in the Conference Finals. The Nets and Celtics split the first two games in New Jersey before moving to Boston. In Game 3 however, New Jersey looked to put the Celtics away, leading 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 more then the Nets combined in the fourth, 19 to complete the greatest fourth-quarter comeback in NBA playoff history.

The Nets rebounded in Game 4, but almost self-destructed before hanging a 94–92 win to tie the series at 2–2. New Jersey then took control of the series and won the next two games by large margins to finish off Bostn in six games and earn the franchise's first NBA Finals appearance. 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.

Los Angeles Lakers

Main article: 2001–02 Los Angeles Lakers season

See also: Lakers-Kings rivalry

All Star center Shaquille O'Neal averaged 26 points and 13 rebounds in the regular 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. 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 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 hometown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The duo appeared on the All-NBA 1st Team and Bryant was honored with a 2nd Team All-Defensive Team selection.

The Lakers had strong start in the playoffs, finishing the Portland Trail Blazers in three with a Robert Horry series-ending shot. The San Antonio Spurs were dispatched in five 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.

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

Sacramento blew out Los Angeles in Game 3 and led as much as 27 before settling with a 103-90 win. Game 4 looked to be the same, with the Kings leading the Lakers 40-20 at the end of the 1st quarter and holding a lead as large as 26. The Lakers however, would then stage a furious comeback in the 2nd half to win on a Horry buzzer beater, 100–99. In Game 5, the Kings staged some magical late-game heroics of their own back in Sacramento with a Mike Bibby shot with 8.2 seconds remaining. A Kobe Bryant heave fell short at the buzzer and the Kings took a commanding 3-2 series lead. With their season on the line, the Lakers returned home for Game 6.

In a controversial game, one in which Los Angeles attempted 27 free throws in the 4th quarter to Sacramento's 9, O'Neal had one of the most dominant performances of his career with 41 points and 17 rebounds to force a Game 7 in ARCO Arena. The outrage was as such that politician Ralph Nader demanded an investigation. The Lakers prevailed in overtime 112–106 to earn their third straight NBA Finals berth.

2002 NBA Finals Roster

Los Angeles Lakers

2002 Los Angeles Lakers Finals roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From G 8 Bryant, Kobe 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Lower Merion HS (PA) G 11 Crispin, Joseph 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Penn State G 2 Fisher, Derek 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Arkansas-Little Rock F 17 Fox, Rick 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) North Carolina F 3 George, Devean 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Augsburg F 5 Horry, Robert 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Alabama G 10 Hunter, Lindsey 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jackson State F 35 Madsen, Mark 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Stanford F/C 6 McCoy, Jelani 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 255 lb (116 kg) UCLA F 14 Medvedenko, Stanislav 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) None C 34 O'Neal, Shaquille 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 338 lb (153 kg) Louisiana State G 12 Penberthy, Mike 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) The Master's College G 23 Richmond, Mitch 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Kansas State G 20 Shaw, Brian 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) California-Santa Barbara F/C 52 Walker, Samaki 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Louisville	Head coach Phil Jackson (North Dakota) Assistant coach(es) Tex Winter (USC) Kurt Rambis (Santa Clara) Frank Hamblen (Syracuse) Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Last transaction: 2008-06-18

New Jersey Nets

2002 New Jersey Nets Finals roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From G 1 Armstrong, Brandon 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Pepperdine C 35 Collins, Jason 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Stanford G 10 Dial, Derrick 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 184 lb (83 kg) Eastern Michigan F 54 Goodrich, Steve 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Princeton G 12 Harris, Lucious 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Long Beach F 24 Jefferson, Richard 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 222 lb (101 kg) Arizona G 8 Johnson, Anthony 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) C of C G 5 Kidd, Jason 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 204 lb (93 kg) California G 30 Kittles, Kerry 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 179 lb (81 kg) Villanova C 11 MacCulloch, Todd 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 280 lb (127 kg) Washington F 13 Marshall, Donny 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Connecticut F 6 Martin, Kenyon 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 234 lb (106 kg) Cincinnati F 21 Scalabrine, Brian 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 241 lb (109 kg) Southern California F 50 Slater, Reggie 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Wyoming F 44 Van Horn, Keith 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Utah F/C 34 Williams, Aaron 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Xavier	Head coach Byron Scott (Arizona State) Assistant coach(es) Eddie Jordan (Rutgers) Lawrence Frank (Indiana) Mike O’Koren (North Carolina) Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Last transaction: 2002-01-08

Game summaries

All times listed below are Eastern Daylight Time.

Game 1

NBC, TSN, Cuatro, Canal+, Canal 7

June 5 9:00 pm

Recap

Boston Celtics 94, Los Angeles Lakers 99
Scoring by quarter: 14–29, 22–19, 27–24, 31–27
Pts: O'Neal 36 Rebs: O'Neal 16 Asts: Bryant 6 TOs: O'Neal 5		Pts: Kidd 23 Rebs: Kidd 10 Asts: Kidd 10 Stls: Horry 3, Kidd 3

Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 18,997 Referees: #17 Joe Crawford #10 Ron Garretson #35 Jack Nies

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 Kidd, Kittles, Martin, Van Horn and MacCulloth to hold up against the two-time defending and heavily favored champions. The Lakers brought out Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Robert Horry and Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Byrant, 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 to close the lead to a respectable 12. O'Neal bullied MacCulloth into had 16 points and 6 rebounds by half-time, taking advantage of the jounreyman MacCulloth. The Nets outscored the Los Angeles 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

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

Recap

East Conference's New Jersey Nets (0) vs. Western Conference's Los Angeles Lakers (4)

Game	Score	Date	Location	Attendance	Series
1	New Jersey Nets – 94, Los Angeles Lakers – 99	Wednesday, June 5	Staples Center	18,997	0–1
2	New Jersey Nets – 83, Los Angeles Lakers – 106	Friday, June 7	Staples Center	18,997	0–2
3	Los Angeles Lakers – 106, New Jersey Nets – 103	Sunday, June 9	Continental Airlines Arena	19,215	0–3
3	Los Angeles Lakers – 113, New Jersey Nets – 107	Wednesday, June 12	Continental Airlines Arena	19,296	0–4

The Finals were played using a 2-3-2 site format, where the first two and last two games are held at the team with home court advantage. The NBA, after experimenting in the early years, restored this original format for the Finals in 1985.

Television and radio broadcasting

The Finals were produced and televised in the United States by NBC. 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 postgame shows with analyst Tom Tolbert. Brent Musburger and Jack Ramsay called the four games on ESPN Radio.

At the conclusion of Game 4, the credits rolled to a final. Shown were highlights the twelve years of NBC broadcasts; the Chicago Bulls' dynasty led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the retirement of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers' new Shaq/Kobe reign. The final image was an empty gym, showing a basketball bouncing into the background and the message "Thanks for The Memories. NBA on NBC (1990–2002)". 2002 NBA Finals Ratings

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

Trivia

• The NBA Finals wordmark logo was removed to a championship trophy logo attach next to the NBA logo. And the only Finals that both teams had a red white and blue ribbon on the uniforms.
• This was the third NBA Finals that ended in a 4 game sweep since the Finals went to the 2-3-2 format in 1985.
• At the Lakers victory parade Mark Madsen did a rather novel dance, that was even mentioned by George W. Bush when the Lakers visited the White House.
• Seven Lakers were on all three championship teams from 2000 to 2002: Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Robert Horry, Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Brian Shaw and Devean George.
• Horry joined Dennis Rodman and Ron Harper as the only players to be apart of a three-peat with one team and back-to-back titles with another. Rodman and Harper were starters on the Bulls teams that won titles from 1996–98. Rodman's back-to-back came with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 & '90, while Harper was a member of the Lakers title teams in 2000 & '01.
• The Nets are the third former ABA team to play in the NBA Finals, joining San Antonio in 1999 & Indiana in 2000.

External links

• Official website
• NBA History