Wikipedia

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][6] The team 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 from the University of Arizona, and rookie center Jason Collins out of Stanford University,[7][8][9][10][11] and signed free agent Todd MacCulloch.[12][13][14]

2001–02 New Jersey Nets season
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coachByron Scott
General managerRod Thorn
OwnersYankee Global Enterprises LLC
ArenaContinental Airlines Arena
Results
Record52–30 (.634)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Atlantic)
Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finishNBA Finals
(lost to Lakers 0–4)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television
RadioWOR
< 2000–01 2002–03 >

The Nets won nine of their first twelve games, held a 26–11 record as of January 16, 2002, and held a 32–15 record at the All-Star break.[15] 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.[16] As of the 2023–24 NBA season, this was the only season where the Nets won 50 or more games.

Kidd was credited for most of the turnaround, 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,[17][18][19][20] 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.[21][22][23][24][25]

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.[26] Jefferson also finished in second place in Rookie of the Year voting.[27][20]

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,[28][29][30][31] then defeated the Charlotte Hornets four games to one in the Eastern Conference semifinals.[32][33][34][35] Then after trailing 2–1 to the third-seeded Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals,[36][37] the Nets would win the series four games to two.[38][39][40][41] 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.[42][43][44][45][46]

Following the season, Van Horn and MacCulloch were both traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, whom MacCulloch had previously played for.[47][48][49][50]

Draft picks

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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

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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
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
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (IN) Inactive
  •   Injured

Roster
Last transaction: January 7, 2002

Roster notes

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Regular season

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Standings

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Atlantic Division
 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
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

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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

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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

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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 semifinals: 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

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Summary

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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

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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.[52] The duo appeared on the All-NBA First Team and Bryant was honored with an NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection.[53][54]

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.[55] 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.[56] 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.[55] 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.[57]

With the Princeton offense installed from the coaching staff,[58] 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[53] and All-Defensive Teams[54] 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.[59] 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.[60]

Game One

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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[61]

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.[62] 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

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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

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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

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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 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

Regular season statistics

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As of April 17, 2002[63][64]

New Jersey Nets statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Brandon Armstrong 35 0 5.6 .318 .294 .500 .5 .2 .2 .0 1.8
Jason Collins 77 9 18.3 .421 .500 .701 3.9 1.1 .4 .6 4.5
Derrick Dial 25 0 10.0 .319 .000 .722 1.8 1.2 .3 .2 2.9
Steve Goodrich 9 0 5.6 .200 — .500 .6 .6 .1 .2 .6
Lucious Harris 74 0 21.0 .464 .373 .842 2.8 1.6 .7 .1 9.1
Richard Jefferson 79 9 24.3 .457 .232 .713 3.7 1.8 .8 .6 9.4
Anthony Johnson 34 0 10.8 .411 .333 .640 .9 1.4 .9 .0 2.8
Jason Kidd 82 82 37.3 .391 .321 .814 7.3 9.9 2.1 .2 14.7
Kerry Kittles 82 82 31.7 .466 .405 .744 3.4 2.6 1.6 .4 13.4
Todd MacCulloch 62 61 24.2 .531 — .671 6.1 1.3 .4 1.4 9.7
Donny Marshall 20 0 5.9 .276 .500 .667 1.1 .3 .2 .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 .8 .3 .1 2.1
Reggie Slater 4 0 2.5 1.000 — 1.000 .5 .0 .0 .0 1.3
Keith Van Horn 81 81 30.4 .433 .345 .800 7.5 2.0 .8 .5 14.8
Aaron Williams 82 13 18.9 .526 .000 .699 4.1 .9 .4 .9 7.2

Playoff statistics

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As of June 12, 2002[65][64]

New Jersey Nets statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Jason Collins 17 0 13.4 .364 — .658 2.4 .4 .3 .4 2.9
Lucious Harris 20 0 20.9 .489 .364 .830 2.7 .9 .7 .0 8.9
Richard Jefferson 20 0 22.1 .465 .000 .550 4.6 1.3 .6 .5 7.0
Anthony Johnson 19 0 8.5 .377 .100 .818 .7 1.1 .3 .0 2.6
Jason Kidd 20 20 40.2 .415 .189 .808 8.2 9.1 1.7 .4 19.6
Kerry Kittles 20 20 29.0 .435 .265 .778 3.2 2.3 1.6 .5 12.1
Todd MacCulloch 20 20 19.2 .491 — .613 5.2 .7 .3 1.4 6.2
Donny Marshall 7 0 2.0 .200 .000 1.000 .0 .0 .0 .0 .4
Kenyon Martin 20 20 37.5 .424 .222 .691 5.8 2.9 1.2 1.3 16.8
Brian Scalabrine 6 0 2.3 .333 .000 — .5 .0 .0 .2 .3
Keith Van Horn 20 20 32.2 .402 .440 .714 6.7 2.1 1.0 .5 13.3
Aaron Williams 20 0 20.8 .479 .000 .826 3.5 .8 .4 .8 6.5

Awards and records

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Transactions

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References

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