Head coach Byron Scott | Record 52–30 (.634) | |
Owner(s) Yankee Global Enterprises LLC Arena Continental Airlines Arena Place Division: 1st (Atlantic)
Conference: 1st (Eastern) Playoff finish NBA Finals
(Lost to Lakers 0–4) | ||
The 2001–02 season saw the Nets finishing first in the Eastern Conference with 52 win and 30 losses, their best record since joining the NBA after the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. As of 2016, this was the only season where the Nets won 50 or more games.
Contents
- East First Round
- Conference Semifinals
- Conference Finals
- Summary
- Aspects
- Game One
- Game Two
- Game Three
- Game Four
- Awards and records
- References
In the offseason, the Nets acquired All-Star point guard Jason Kidd from the Phoenix Suns. Kidd was credited for most of turn-around—the Nets had finished 26–56 the previous year—and finished second to the Spurs' Tim Duncan in MVP voting, and was selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game.
Under Kidd's guidance, the young Nets team prospered through the playoffs and ended up advancing all the way to the Eastern Conference title and the franchise's first-ever appearance in the NBA Finals. In the first round, they defeated the Indiana Pacers in five games, then defeated the Charlotte Hornets four games to one in the semifinals. They then defeated the Boston Celtics four games to two in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, New Jersey's season would end without an improbable NBA crown, as Kidd and the Nets were swept in four games by the Los Angeles Lakers. Following the season, Keith Van Horn was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
East First Round
(1) New Jersey Nets vs. (8) Indiana Pacers Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Nets and Pacers.
Conference Semifinals
(1) New Jersey Nets vs. (4) Charlotte Hornets Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Nets and Hornets.
Conference Finals
(1) New Jersey Nets vs. (3) Boston Celtics Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Nets and Celtics.
Summary
The following scoring summary is written in a line score format, except that the quarter numbers are replaced by game numbers.
Aspects
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. The duo appeared on the All-NBA First Team and Bryant was honored with a NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection.
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. Due to the Nets' 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. Despite the reshuffling of the roster and a Rookie of the Year season for Martin, New Jersey struggled, ending the season with a 26–56 (.317) record, and were bestowed 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. 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.
With the Princeton offense installed from the 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 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 an NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection and Thorn, the architect of the franchise's resurgence, was awarded NBA Executive of the Year.
Game One
Wednesday, June 5, 2002, 6:00 at the Staples Center.
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, 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 to close the lead to a respectable 12. They had no answer for O'Neal, however, who had bullied MacCulloth 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.
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. Kidd finished with a triple–double, the 26th in Finals history and the first since Charles Barkley's in the 1993 series.
Recap
Game Two
Friday, June 7, 2002, 6:00 at the Staples Center.
The second game was more of a statement as the Lakers clobbered the Nets by a score of 106-83 thanks to Shaquille O'Neal's 40 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Recap
Game Three
Sunday, June 9, 2002, 8:30 at the Continental Airlines Arena.
Game Three would prove to a hard fought game (much like the first game of the series) as the Lakers and Nets would trade leads throughout the game but thanks to Kobe Bryant's 36 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks the Lakers prevail by a score of 106-103 to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.
Recap
Game Four
Wednesday, June 12, 2002, 9:00 at the Continental Airlines Arena.
Despite this being a hard fought battle (much like the previous game and as well as the first game of the series) the Lakers still won game four and the championship, giving Phil Jackson his Red Auerbach-tying ninth title and the Lakers their third consecutive title (and fourteenth overall) making them the fifth team to win three consecutive titles and denying the Nets their first ever championship since the franchise moved to East Rutherford.
Recap