2001–02 New Jersey Nets season

The 2001–02 New Jersey Nets season was the Nets' 35th season in the National Basketball Association, and 26th season in East Rutherford, New Jersey.^[1] This season is notable for the Nets acquiring All-Star point guard Jason Kidd from the Phoenix Suns during the off-season.^[2][3][4][5] The Nets selected Eddie Griffin out of Seton Hall University with the seventh overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, but soon traded him to the Houston Rockets in exchange for top draft pick Richard Jefferson and rookie center Jason Collins,^{[6][7][8][9][10]} and signed free agent Todd MacCulloch.^[11] The Nets won nine of their first twelve games, held a 26–11 record as of January 16, and held a 32–15 record at the All-Star break.^[12] The team finished first place in the Eastern Conference with 52 wins and 30 losses, their best record since joining the NBA after the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.^[13] As of 2022, this was the only season where the Nets won 50 or more games.

2001–02 New Jersey Nets season
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coach	Byron Scott
General manager	Rod Thorn
Owners	Yankee Global Enterprises LLC
Arena	Continental Airlines Arena
Results
Record	52–30 (.634)
Place	Division: 1st (Atlantic) Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finish	NBA Finals (lost to Lakers 0–4)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	WLNY-TV Fox Sports Net New York
Radio	WOR
< 2000–01 2002–03 >

Kidd was credited for most of the turn-around, as the Nets had finished 26–56 the previous year. Kidd averaged 14.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 9.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game, as he finished second to the Spurs' Tim Duncan in MVP voting,^{[14][15][16][17]} and was named to the All-NBA First Team, NBA All-Defensive First Team, and selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game, with head coach Byron Scott coaching the Eastern Conference.^[18][19][20] In addition, second-year star Kenyon Martin averaged 14.9 points and 1.7 blocks per game, although his rebounding had decreased to just 5.3 per game, while Keith Van Horn provided the team with 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and Kerry Kittles, who returned after missing the previous season due to knee injuries, contributed 13.4 points per game. Jefferson averaged 9.4 points per game off the bench, and was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, while MacCulloch provided with 9.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and Lucious Harris contributed 9.1 points per game off the bench.^[21] Jefferson also finished in second place in Rookie of the Year voting.^[22][17]

Under the guidance of Kidd and Martin, 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 Eastern Conference First Round, they defeated the Indiana Pacers in five games,^{[23][24][25][26]} then defeated the Charlotte Hornets four games to one in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals.^{[27][28][29][30]} Then after trailing 2–1 to the 3rd-seeded Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals,^[31][32] the Nets would win the series four games to two.^{[33][34][35][36]} However, New Jersey's season would end without an improbable NBA crown, as the Nets were swept in four games by the Los Angeles Lakers.^{[37][38][39][40][41]}

Following the season, Van Horn and MacCulloch were both traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, whom MacCulloch had previously played for.^[42][43][44]

Draft picks

Main article: 2001 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	7	Eddie Griffin	Forward	United States	Seton Hall
2	35	Brian Scalabrine	Forward	United States	USC

Roster

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 F/C 14 Feick, Jamie   (IN) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1974-07-03 Michigan State 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) 222 lb (101 kg) 1972-10-02 Xavier	Head coach Byron Scott Assistant coach(es) Lawrence Frank Eddie Jordan Mike O'Koren Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (IN) Inactive   Injured Roster Last transaction: January 7, 2002

Roster notes

• Center Jamie Feick missed the entire season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Regular season

Standings

Atlantic Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-New Jersey Nets	52	30	.634	–	33–8	19–22	16–8
x-Boston Celtics	49	33	.598	3	27–14	22–19	17–7
x-Orlando Magic	44	38	.537	8	27–14	17–24	12–12
x-Philadelphia 76ers	43	39	.524	9	22–19	21–20	14–11
Washington Wizards	37	45	.451	15	22–19	15–26	12–13
Miami Heat	36	46	.439	16	18–23	18–23	10–14
New York Knicks	30	52	.366	22	19–22	11–30	4–20

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	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

Record vs. opponents

2001-02 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MEM	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	TOR	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	–	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	1–3	0–2	2–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–1	0–3
Boston	2–2	–	2–1	2–2	4–0	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–1	0–2	3–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–3	1–1	3–1	4–0	3–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–1	3–1
Charlotte	2–2	1–2	–	4–0	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–0	2–2	0–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	3–1
Chicago	1–3	2–2	0–4	–	1–3	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	2–0	0–4	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–2	0–2	0–4	3–1	0–3	1–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–2	1–3
Cleveland	1–3	0–4	1–3	3–1	–	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–1	3–1	2–0	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–3	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–2	1–2
Dallas	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	–	4–0	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	2–2	1–3	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	3–1	1–1
Denver	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–4	–	0–2	1–3	2–2	0–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	0–4	0–4	3–1	1–1	1–3	0–2
Detroit	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	–	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–1	2–2	1–1	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–1	4–0
Golden State	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	3–1	1–1	–	1–3	0–2	2–2	1–3	3–1	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–4	2–2	0–4	0–4	0–4	0–2	0–4	1–1
Houston	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	3–1	–	0–2	1–3	0–4	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–3	0–4	0–4	2–2	1–1	2–2	1–1
Indiana	3–1	0–3	1–3	4–0	2–2	0–2	2–0	1–3	2–0	2–0	–	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–3	1–1	1–3	2–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	3–1
L.A. Clippers	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	1–1	–	1–3	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–1	0–4	1–1
L.A. Lakers	1–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	3–1	4–0	2–0	3–1	–	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	3–1	2–0
Memphis	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–4	1–3	0–2	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–3	1–3	–	1–1	0–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–4	0–4	1–1	3–1	0–2
Miami	1–3	1–3	0–3	3–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	1–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	–	3–1	0–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–3	0–2	2–2
Milwaukee	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	0–2	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	–	0–2	1–2	1–3	2–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	0–2	4–0	2–0	3–1
Minnesota	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	1–1	2–2	2–2	4–0	2–0	2–0	–	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–1	3–1	2–0
New Jersey	1–2	1–3	3–1	4–0	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–1	1–1	–	4–0	3–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–1	3–1
New York	3–1	0–4	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	3–1	0–2	0–4	–	0–4	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–0	1–1	1–3
Orlando	3–1	1–3	1–3	3–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	1–2	1–1	1–3	4–0	–	3–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	2–2
Philadelphia	3–1	3–1	3–1	2–1	3–0	1–1	1–1	1–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	–	2–0	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	0–2	2–3
Phoenix	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	4–0	2–2	1–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	–	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–1	2–2	0–2
Portland	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–2	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	–	2–2	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–3	2–0
Sacramento	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–3	4–0	2–0	4–0	4–0	0–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–2	–	3–1	2–2	2–0	4–0	1–1
San Antonio	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	4–0	2–0	4–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	1–3	4–0	1–1	0–2	2–2	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–3	–	2–2	1–1	4–0	2–0
Seattle	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–3	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	1–3	4–0	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	–	2–0	1–3	1–1
Toronto	4–0	2–2	2–2	4–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	0–4	1–1	2–2	0–3	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	–	1–1	1–2
Utah	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–3	3–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	1–1	4–0	1–3	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	0–4	0–4	3–1	1–1	–	2–0
Washington	3–0	1–3	1–3	3–1	2–1	1–1	2–0	0–4	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–3	0–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	3–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–1	0–2	—

Game log

2001–02 game log Total: 52–30 (home: 33–8; road: 19–22)
October: 2–0 (home: 1–0; road: 1–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 30 Indiana W 103–97 Keith Van Horn (26) Jason Kidd (10) Jason Kidd (9) Continental Airlines Arena 8,749 1–0 2 October 31 @ Boston W 95–92 Jason Kidd (21) Todd MacCulloch (12) Jason Kidd (10) FleetCenter 14,158 2–0
November : 8–5 (home: 5–1; road: 3–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 3 November 2 @ Detroit L 88–102 Richard Jefferson (17) Kidd & Williams (6) Jason Kidd (5) Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 2–1 4 November 3 Charlotte W 95–85 Keith Van Horn (28) Keith Van Horn (9) Jason Kidd (8) Continental Airlines Arena 6,532 3–1 5 November 8 Seattle W 106–94 Todd MacCulloch (29) Keith Van Horn (12) Jason Kidd (13) Continental Airlines Arena 5,277 4–1 6 November 10 Cleveland W 87–84 Kenyon Martin (18) MacCulloch & Van Horn (10) Three players (4) Continental Airlines Arena 5,631 5–1 7 November 13 @ Indiana W 91–82 Jason Kidd (20) Keith Van Horn (13) Jason Kidd (10) Conseco Fieldhouse 15,188 6–1 8 November 16 New York W 109–83 Kenyon Martin (21) Kenyon Martin (8) Jason Kidd (15) Continental Airlines Arena 15,638 7–1 9 November 17 Philadelphia L 82–94 Kenyon Martin (16) Kidd & MacCulloch (9) Jason Kidd (12) Continental Airlines Arena 17,318 7–2 10 November 19 @ Denver L 96–99 (OT) Kenyon Martin (28) Richard Jefferson (8) Jason Kidd (13) Continental Airlines Arena 11,319 7–3 11 November 21 @ Utah W 90–89 (OT) Jason Kidd (18) Todd MacCulloch (11) Jason Kidd (6) Delta Center 17,413 8–3
December : 9–5 (home: 4–2; road: 5–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
January : 11–4 (home: 7–1; road: 4–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
February : 8–4 (home: 6–2; road: 2–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record All-Star Break
March : 9–9 (home: 7–0; road: 2–9) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
April : 5–3 (home: 3–2; road: 2–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 80 April 14 @ Toronto L 82–101 Collins & Scalabrine (16) Brian Scalabrine (9) Anthony Johnson (5) Air Canada Centre 19,800 51–29 81 April 16 Detroit L 98–103 Kerry Kittles (30) Aaron Williams (8) Jason Kidd (7) Continental Airlines Arena 15,084 51–30 82 April 17 @ New York W 99–94 Four players (13) Keith Van Horn (8) Jason Kidd (5) Madison Square Garden 19,763 52–30
2001–02 season schedule

Playoffs

2002 playoff game log
First round: 3–2 (home: 2–1; road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 20 Indiana L 83–89 Jason Kidd (26) Kenyon Martin (13) Jason Kidd (9) Continental Airlines Arena 18,555 0–1 2 April 22 Indiana W 95–79 Jason Kidd (20) Jason Kidd (10) Jason Kidd (9) Continental Airlines Arena 20,049 1–1 3 April 26 @ Indiana W 85–84 Jason Kidd (24) Keith Van Horn (12) Jason Kidd (6) Conseco Fieldhouse 18,345 2–1 4 April 30 @ Indiana L 74–97 Kenyon Martin (13) Kenyon Martin (6) Jason Kidd (6) Conseco Fieldhouse 18,345 2–2 5 May 2 Indiana W 120–109 (2OT) Jason Kidd (31) Kidd, Martin (8) Jason Kidd (7) Continental Airlines Arena 20,049 3–2
Conference Semi-finals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 5 Charlotte W 99–93 Jason Kidd (21) Jason Kidd (7) Jason Kidd (7) Continental Airlines Arena 19,071 1–0 2 May 7 Charlotte W 102–88 Lucious Harris (24) Keith Van Horn (11) Jason Kidd (6) Continental Airlines Arena 20,049 2–0 3 May 9 @ Charlotte L 97–115 Richard Jefferson (16) Collins, Kidd (7) Jason Kidd (6) Charlotte Coliseum 11,363 2–1 4 May 12 @ Charlotte W 89–79 Jason Kidd (24) Kidd, Van Horn (11) Jason Kidd (8) Charlotte Coliseum 13,864 3–1 5 May 15 Charlotte W 103–95 Jason Kidd (23) Kenyon Martin (6) Jason Kidd (13) Continental Airlines Arena 20,049 4–1
Conference finals: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 19 Boston W 104–97 Jason Kidd (18) Jason Kidd (13) Jason Kidd (11) Continental Airlines Arena 20,049 1–0 2 May 21 Boston L 86–93 Jason Kidd (23) Jason Kidd (16) Jason Kidd (10) Continental Airlines Arena 19,850 1–1 3 May 25 @ Boston L 90–94 Kerry Kittles (19) Todd MacCulloch (11) Jason Kidd (11) FleetCenter 18,624 1–2 4 May 27 @ Boston W 94–92 Kerry Kittles (22) Keith Van Horn (10) Jason Kidd (9) FleetCenter 18,624 2–2 5 May 29 Boston W 103–92 Kerry Kittles (21) Jason Kidd (12) Jason Kidd (7) Continental Airlines Arena 19,850 3–2 6 May 31 @ Boston W 96–88 Kenyon Martin (16) Jason Kidd (13) Jason Kidd (13) FleetCenter 18,624 4–2
NBA Finals: 0–4 (home: 0–2; road: 0–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 June 5 @ L.A. Lakers L 94–99 Jason Kidd (23) Jason Kidd (10) Jason Kidd (10) Staples Center 18,997 0–1 2 June 7 @ L.A. Lakers L 83–106 Kerry Kittles (23) Jason Kidd (9) Jason Kidd (7) Staples Center 18,997 0–2 3 June 9 L.A. Lakers L 103–106 Jason Kidd (30) Kidd, Van Horn (5) Jason Kidd (10) Continental Airlines Arena 19,215 0–3 4 June 12 L.A. Lakers L 107–113 Kenyon Martin (35) Kenyon Martin (11) Jason Kidd (12) Continental Airlines Arena 19,296 0–4
2002 schedule

NBA Finals

Summary

The following scoring summary is written in a line score format, except that the quarter numbers are replaced by game numbers.

Team	Game 1	Game 2	Game 3	Game 4	Wins
Los Angeles (West)	99	106	106	113	4
New Jersey (East)	94	83	103	107	0

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.^[45] The duo appeared on the All-NBA First Team and Bryant was honored with an NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection.^[46][47]

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.^[48] 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.^[49] 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.^[48] 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.^[50]

With the Princeton offense installed from the coaching staff,^[51] 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^[46] and All-Defensive Teams^[47] 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.^[52] 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.^[53]

Game One

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.

" 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^[54]

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.^[55] Kidd finished with a triple–double, the 26th in Finals history and the first since Charles Barkley's in the 1993 series.

Recap

Team	1st Qt.	2nd Qt.	3rd Qt.	4th Qt.	Total
New Jersey	14	22	27	31	91
Los Angeles	29	19	24	27	99

Game Two

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

Team	1st Qt.	2nd Qt.	3rd Qt.	4th Qt.	Total
New Jersey	21	22	18	22	83
Los Angeles	27	22	28	29	106

Game Three

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

Team	1st Qt.	2nd Qt.	3rd Qt.	4th Qt.	Total
Los Angeles	31	21	26	28	106
New Jersey	23	23	32	25	103

Game Four

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

Team	1st Qt.	2nd Qt.	3rd Qt.	4th Qt.	Total
Los Angeles	27	31	26	29	113
New Jersey	34	23	23	27	107

Player stats

Regular season

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

New Jersey Nets statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Brandon Armstrong	35	0	5.6	.318	.294	.500	0.5	0.2	0.2	0.0	1.8
Jason Collins	77	9	18.3	.421	.500	.701	3.9	1.1	0.4	0.6	4.5
Derrick Dial	25	0	10.0	.319	.000	.722	1.8	1.2	0.3	0.2	2.9
Steve Goodrich	9	0	5.6	.200	.000	.500	0.6	0.6	0.1	0.2	0.6
Lucious Harris	74	0	21.0	.464	.373	.842	2.8	1.6	0.7	0.1	9.1
Richard Jefferson	79	9	24.3	.457	.232	.713	3.7	1.8	0.8	0.6	9.4
Anthony Johnson	34	0	10.8	.411	.333	.640	0.9	1.4	0.9	0.0	2.8
Jason Kidd	82	82	37.3	.391	.321	.814	7.3	9.9	2.1	0.2	14.7
Kerry Kittles	82	82	31.7	.466	.405	.744	3.4	2.6	1.6	0.4	13.4
Todd MacCulloch	62	61	24.2	.531	.000	.671	6.1	1.3	0.4	1.4	9.7
Donny Marshall	20	0	5.9	.276	.500	.667	1.1	0.3	0.2	0.0	1.5
Kenyon Martin	73	73	34.3	.463	.224	.678	5.3	2.6	1.2	1.7	14.9
Brian Scalabrine	28	0	10.4	.343	.300	.733	1.8	0.8	0.3	0.1	2.1
Reggie Slater	4	0	2.5	1.000	.000	1.000	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3
Keith Van Horn	81	81	30.4	.433	.345	.800	7.5	2.0	0.8	0.5	14.8
Aaron Williams	82	13	18.9	.526	.000	.699	4.1	0.9	0.4	0.9	7.2

Postseason

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

New Jersey Nets statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG

Awards and records

• Rod Thorn, NBA Executive of the Year
• Jason Kidd, All-NBA First Team
• Jason Kidd, NBA All-Defensive First Team
• Richard Jefferson, NBA All-Rookie Team Second Team

Transactions

References

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• New Jersey Nets on Basketball Reference