The 2001–02 New Jersey Nets season was the Nets' 35th season in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

, and 26th season in

East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an inner suburb, inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 Unit ...

. This season is notable for the Nets acquiring All-Star point guard

Jason Kidd Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the List of current NBA head coaches, head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regar ...

from the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

during the off-season. The team selected Eddie Griffin out of

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...

with the seventh overall pick in the

2001 NBA draft The 2001 NBA draft took place on June 27, 2001, in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player to be drafted with the first overall pick in the history of the NBA. The selection of Kwame Brown by the Washington Wizar ...

, but soon traded him to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

in exchange for top draft pick

Richard Jefferson Richard Allen Jefferson Jr. (born June 21, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played small forward. He played for eight teams in his 17-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jefferson playe ...

from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

, and rookie center Jason Collins out of

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, and signed free agent Todd MacCulloch. The Nets won nine of their first twelve games, held a 26–11 record as of January 16, 2002, and then held a 32–15 record at the All-Star break. 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 The ABA–NBA merger was a major pro sports business maneuver in 1976 when the American Basketball Association (ABA) combined with the National Basketball Association (NBA), after multiple attempts over several years. The NBA and ABA had entered ...

in 1976. , 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 Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 19-year career with the San Antonio Sp ...

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

voting, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, NBA All-Defensive First Team, and selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, with head coach

Byron Scott Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a role player, Scott won three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during the ...

coaching the Eastern Conference. In addition, second-year star

Kenyon Martin Kenyon Lee Martin Sr. (born December 30, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a power forward, he played for the New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets, Los An ...

averaged 14.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks 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 named 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. Jefferson also finished in second place in Rookie of the Year voting, while Scott finished in third place in

Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

voting. Under the guidance of Kidd and Martin, the young Nets team prospered through the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

, and ended up advancing all the way to the Eastern Conference title and the franchise's first-ever appearance in the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

. In the Eastern Conference first round, they defeated the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

in five games, then defeated the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

4–1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Then after trailing 2–1 to the third-seeded

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

in the Eastern Conference finals, the Nets won the series 4–2. 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 The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. Following the season, Van Horn and MacCulloch were both traded to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

, whom MacCulloch had previously played for.

Draft picks

Roster

Roster notes

* Forward/center Jamie Feick missed the entire season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Regular season

Standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

, - style="background:#cfc;" , 1 , October 30 ,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

W 103–97
, Keith Van Horn (26) ,

(10) ,

(9) ,

Continental Airlines Arena Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor sports and concert venue located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. Since closing, ...

8,749 , 1–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2 , October 31 , @

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

W 95–92
,

(21) , Todd MacCulloch (12) ,

(10) , FleetCenter
14,158 , 2–0 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 3 , November 2 , @

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

L 88–102
,

(17) ,

Kidd Kidd may refer to: Places * Kidd (railway point), British Columbia, a former Canadian settlement * Kidd's Beach, a coastal town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa * Kidd Islands, Antarctic island grouping * Mount Kidd, a peak in the Canadian ...

& Williams (6) ,

(5) ,

Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly known as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shock of the ...

22,076 , 2–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 4 , November 3 , Charlotte
W 95–85
, Keith Van Horn (28) , Keith Van Horn (9) ,

(8) ,

6,532 , 3–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 5 , November 8 ,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

W 106–94
, Todd MacCulloch (29) , Keith Van Horn (12) ,

(13) ,

5,277 , 4–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 6 , November 10 ,

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

W 87–84
,

(18) , MacCulloch & Van Horn (10) , ''Three players'' (4) ,

5,631 , 5–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 7 , November 13 , @

W 91–82
,

(20) , Keith Van Horn (13) ,

(10) , Conseco Fieldhouse
15,188 , 6–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 8 , November 16 ,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

W 109–83
,

(21) ,

(8) ,

(15) ,

15,638 , 7–1 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 9 , November 17 ,

L 82–94
,

(16) ,

& MacCulloch (9) ,

(12) ,

17,318 , 7–2 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 10 , November 19 , @

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

L 96–99 (OT)
,

(28) ,

(8) ,

(13) ,

11,319 , 7–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 11 , November 21 , @

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

W 90–89 (OT)
,

(18) , Todd MacCulloch (11) ,

(6) , Delta Center
17,413 , 8–3 , - align="center" , colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff", All-Star Break , - style="background:#fcc;" , 80 , April 14 , @

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

L 82–101
, Collins & Scalabrine (16) , Brian Scalabrine (9) , Anthony Johnson (5) ,

Air Canada Centre Scotiabank Arena (SBA), formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and t ...

19,800 , 51–29 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 81 , April 16 ,

L 98–103
, Kerry Kittles (30) , Aaron Williams (8) ,

(7) ,

15,084 , 51–30 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 82 , April 17 , @

W 99–94
, ''Four players'' (13) , Keith Van Horn (8) ,

(5) ,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

19,763 , 52–30

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , April 20 ,

L 83–89
,

(26) ,

(13) ,

(9) ,

18,555 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 22 ,

W 95–79
,

(20) ,

(10) ,

(9) ,

20,049 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , April 26 , @

W 85–84
,

(24) , Keith Van Horn (12) ,

(6) , Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , April 30 , @

L 74–97
,

(13) ,

(6) ,

(6) , Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 2 ,

W 120–109 (2OT)
,

(31) ,

Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...

(8) ,

(7) ,

20,049 , 3–2 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 5 , Charlotte
W 99–93
,

(21) ,

(7) ,

19,071 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , May 7 , Charlotte
W 102–88
, Lucious Harris (24) , Keith Van Horn (11) ,

(6) ,

20,049 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 9 , @ Charlotte
L 97–115
,

(16) , Collins,

(7) ,

(6) ,

Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles Coliseum, which was called Charlotte ...

11,363 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , May 12 , @ Charlotte
W 89–79
,

(24) ,

, Van Horn (11) ,

(8) ,

13,864 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 15 , Charlotte
W 103–95
,

(23) ,

(6) ,

(13) ,

20,049 , 4–1 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 19 ,

W 104–97
,

(18) ,

(13) ,

(11) ,

20,049 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 21 ,

L 86–93
,

(23) ,

(16) ,

(10) ,

19,850 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 25 , @

L 90–94
, Kerry Kittles (19) , Todd MacCulloch (11) ,

(11) , FleetCenter
18,624 , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , May 27 , @

W 94–92
, Kerry Kittles (22) , Keith Van Horn (10) ,

(9) , FleetCenter
18,624 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 29 ,

W 103–92
, Kerry Kittles (21) ,

(12) ,

(7) ,

19,850 , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 6 , May 31 , @

W 96–88
,

(16) ,

(13) ,

(13) , FleetCenter
18,624 , 4–2 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , June 5 , @ L.A. Lakers
L 94–99
,

(23) ,

(10) ,

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...

18,997 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , June 7 , @ L.A. Lakers
L 83–106
, Kerry Kittles (23) ,

(9) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , June 9 , L.A. Lakers
L 103–106
,

(30) ,

, Van Horn (5) ,

(10) ,

19,215 , 0–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , June 12 , L.A. Lakers
L 107–113
,

(35) ,

(11) ,

(12) ,

19,296 , 0–4

NBA Finals

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 Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

and

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

, 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

. The duo appeared on the

All-NBA First Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

and Bryant was honored with an

NBA All-Defensive Second Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...

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

to coach New Jersey. Thorn then dealt for

Stephon Marbury Stephon Xavier Marbury (born February 20, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who was also the head coach for the Beijing Royal Fighters of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) from 2019–2023. After his freshman year ...

in a three-team trade with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

and

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

, trading

Sam Cassell Samuel James Cassell Sr. (born November 18, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach and former point guard who serves as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drafted 24th overall in th ...

away to the Bucks.Nets Trade History
NBA.com/nets Due to the Nets' 31–51 season in 1999–00 season, they had the first overall pick in the

2000 NBA draft The 2000 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2000, at the Target Center in Minneapolis. It was the last draft held at the home arena of an NBA team until 2011; the following and subsequent drafts (through 2010) all took place at The Theater at Madis ...

, which they used to select

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

out of the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

. 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

for draftees

, Jason Collins and Brandon Armstrong. The next day,

owner

Jerry Colangelo Jerry Colangelo (born November 20, 1939) is an American businessman and sports executive. He formerly owned the Phoenix Suns of the NBA, the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, the Arizona Sandsharks of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, the A ...

announced a franchise-shaking trade; Phoenix would swap their point guard

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-NBABryant, McGrady are first-time All-NBA selections
''USA Today'' and All-Defensive TeamsPayton ties mark with ninth All-Defensive slot
''USA Today'' and was selected for his fifth

All-Star game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

. He also finished runner-up to

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

power forward

in the

voting.It's official: Duncan captures MVP award
USA Today. Retrieved December 28, 2008 Richard Jefferson was an

NBA All-Rookie Second Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for play ...

selection and Thorn, the architect of the franchise's resurgence, was awarded

NBA Executive of the Year The NBA Executive of the Year is an annual award in the National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1972–73 NBA season, to the league's best general manager (basketball), general manager, president of basketball/business operatio ...

Game One

Los Angeles's

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

, 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 Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT and CBS Sports. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "the Bread Truck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", ...

's in the 1993 NBA Finals, 1993 series.
Recap

Game Two

The second game was more of a statement as the Lakers clobbered the Nets by a score of 106-83 thanks to

's 40 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Recap

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

'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

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

Player statistics

Regular season statistics

As of April 17, 2002 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 35 , , 0 , , 5.6 , , .318 , , .294 , , .500 , , .5 , , .2 , , .2 , , .0 , , 1.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 77 , , 9 , , 18.3 , , .421 , , .500 , , .701 , , 3.9 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .6 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 25 , , 0 , , 10.0 , , .319 , , .000 , , .722 , , 1.8 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , .2 , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 9 , , 0 , , 5.6 , , .200 , , , , .500 , , .6 , , .6 , , .1 , , .2 , , .6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 74 , , 0 , , 21.0 , , .464 , , .373 , , .842 , , 2.8 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , .1 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 79 , , 9 , , 24.3 , , .457 , , .232 , , .713 , , 3.7 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .6 , , 9.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 34 , , 0 , , 10.8 , , .411 , , .333 , , .640 , , .9 , , 1.4 , , .9 , , .0 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 82 , , 82 , , 37.3 , , .391 , , .321 , , .814 , , 7.3 , , 9.9 , , 2.1 , , .2 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 82 , , 82 , , 31.7 , , .466 , , .405 , , .744 , , 3.4 , , 2.6 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , 13.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 62 , , 61 , , 24.2 , , .531 , , , , .671 , , 6.1 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 1.4 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 20 , , 0 , , 5.9 , , .276 , , .500 , , .667 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .2 , , .0 , , 1.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 73 , , 73 , , 34.3 , , .463 , , .224 , , .678 , , 5.3 , , 2.6 , , 1.2 , , 1.7 , , 14.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 28 , , 0 , , 10.4 , , .343 , , .300 , , .733 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .3 , , .1 , , 2.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 4 , , 0 , , 2.5 , , 1.000 , , , , 1.000 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 81 , , 81 , , 30.4 , , .433 , , .345 , , .800 , , 7.5 , , 2.0 , , .8 , , .5 , , 14.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 82 , , 13 , , 18.9 , , .526 , , .000 , , .699 , , 4.1 , , .9 , , .4 , , .9 , , 7.2

Playoff statistics

As of June 12, 2002 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 17 , , 0 , , 13.4 , , .364 , , , , .658 , , 2.4 , , .4 , , .3 , , .4 , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 20 , , 0 , , 20.9 , , .489 , , .364 , , .830 , , 2.7 , , .9 , , .7 , , .0 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 20 , , 0 , , 22.1 , , .465 , , .000 , , .550 , , 4.6 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , .5 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 19 , , 0 , , 8.5 , , .377 , , .100 , , .818 , , .7 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .0 , , 2.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 20 , , 20 , , 40.2 , , .415 , , .189 , , .808 , , 8.2 , , 9.1 , , 1.7 , , .4 , , 19.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 20 , , 20 , , 29.0 , , .435 , , .265 , , .778 , , 3.2 , , 2.3 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 20 , , 20 , , 19.2 , , .491 , , , , .613 , , 5.2 , , .7 , , .3 , , 1.4 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 7 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .200 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 20 , , 20 , , 37.5 , , .424 , , .222 , , .691 , , 5.8 , , 2.9 , , 1.2 , , 1.3 , , 16.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 6 , , 0 , , 2.3 , , .333 , , .000 , , , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .2 , , .3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 20 , , 20 , , 32.2 , , .402 , , .440 , , .714 , , 6.7 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 20 , , 0 , , 20.8 , , .479 , , .000 , , .826 , , 3.5 , , .8 , , .4 , , .8 , , 6.5

Awards and records

* Rod Thorn,

, NBA All-Defensive First Team *

, NBA All-Rookie Team, NBA All-Rookie Team Second Team

Transactions

References

External links

*
2001–02 New Jersey Nets on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:2001-02 New Jersey Nets season 2001–02 NBA season by team, New Jersey Nets season New Jersey Nets seasons 2001 in sports in New Jersey, New Jersey Nets 2002 in sports in New Jersey, New Jersey Nets 21st century in East Rutherford, New Jersey Eastern Conference (NBA) championship seasons Meadowlands Sports Complex