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2001–02 Los Angeles Lakers season

Pro basketball team season (won NBA championship)

Pro basketball team season (won NBA championship)

  • KCAL-TV
  • Fox Sports Net West (Defeated Nets 4–0)

The 2001–02 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 54th season for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association, and their 42nd season in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers entered the regular season as the 2-time defending NBA champions, having defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in five games in the 2001 NBA Finals, winning their 13th NBA championship. During the off-season, the team signed free agents, All-Star guard Mitch Richmond and Samaki Walker, and acquired Lindsey Hunter from the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Lakers got off to a fast start by winning their first seven games of the regular season, leading to a successful 16–1 start after a nine-game winning streak between November and December, and holding a 33–13 record at the All-Star break. The Lakers finished in second place in the Pacific Division with a 58–24 record, earned the third seed in the Western Conference, and qualified for the NBA playoffs for the eighth consecutive year.

Shaquille O'Neal averaged 27.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game, while Kobe Bryant averaged 25.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and Derek Fisher provided the team with 11.2 points per game, and also led them with 144 three-point field goals. In addition, Rick Fox contributed 7.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, while Robert Horry provided with 6.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, Walker averaged 6.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, Hunter contributed 5.8 points per game, and Richmond provided with 4.1 points per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, O'Neal and Bryant were both selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team; although O'Neal did not participate due to an injury for the second year in a row. Bryant scored 31 points along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, despite being booed by the hometown crowd in Philadelphia, as the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference, 135–120. Both Bryant and O'Neal were named to the All-NBA First Team, while Bryant was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team; O'Neal finished in third place in Most Valuable Player voting with 15 first-place votes (696 points), and Bryant finished in fifth place in MVP voting with 1 first-place vote. Bryant also finished tied in third place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 2002 NBA playoffs, and for the third consecutive year, the Lakers faced off against the 6th–seeded Portland Trail Blazers, a team that featured All-Star forward Rasheed Wallace, Bonzi Wells and Damon Stoudamire. The Lakers won the first two games over the Trail Blazers at home at the Staples Center, before winning Game 3 on the road, 92–91 at the Rose Garden Arena to win the series in a three-game sweep. It was the fifth time in the last six seasons that the Lakers won an NBA playoff series over the Trail Blazers.

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, and for the second consecutive year, the team faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Midwest Division champion San Antonio Spurs, who were led by All-Star forward, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Tim Duncan, All-Star center David Robinson, and rookie point guard Tony Parker. Despite both teams finishing with the same regular-season record, and the Spurs winning the Midwest Division title, the Lakers had home-court advantage in the series. The Lakers won Game 1 over the Spurs at the Staples Center, 86–80, but then lost Game 2 at home, 88–85 as the Spurs evened the series. The Lakers managed to win the next two games on the road at the Alamodome, before winning Game 5 over the Spurs at the Staples Center, 93–87 to win the series in five games.

In the Western Conference Finals, and also for the third consecutive year, the Lakers faced off against the top–seeded, and Pacific Division champion Sacramento Kings, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward Chris Webber, All-Star forward Peja Stojaković, and Mike Bibby. However, the Kings started the series without Stojaković, who was out due to an ankle injury, in which he suffered in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semi-finals against the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers won Game 1 over the Kings on the road, 106–99 at the ARCO Arena II, but then lost the next two games, before winning Game 4 over the Kings at home, 100–99 at the Staples Center to even the series. With Stojaković coming back from his ankle injury, the Kings defeated the Lakers in Game 5 at the ARCO Arena II, 92–91 to take a 3–2 series lead. However, the Lakers won Game 6 over the Kings at the Staples Center, 106–102, and then won Game 7 at the ARCO Arena II in overtime, 112–106 to win in a hard-fought seven-game series, and advance to the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year.

Game 6 of the Lakers-Kings series was one of the most controversial games in NBA history, due to the calls made by the referees, most of which were to the detriment of the Kings, and with the Lakers winning, 106–102 to even the series. Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on June 2, 2002, brought in a total of 23.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched Western Conference Finals game in NBA history.

In the 2002 NBA Finals, the Lakers faced off against the top–seeded New Jersey Nets, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Jason Kidd, second-year star Kenyon Martin, and Keith Van Horn. The Lakers won the first two games over the Nets at the Staples Center, and then won the next two games on the road, including a Game 4 win over the Nets at the Continental Airlines Arena, 113–107 to win the series in a four-game sweep; the Lakers won their third consecutive NBA championship for their second three-peat in franchise history, the first since 1952–54, as O'Neal was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player for the third straight year. This season marked the third and last of the Lakers' three-peat championships into the new millennium.

The Lakers finished eighth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 778,777 at the Staples Center during the regular season. Following the season, Richmond retired ending his fourteen-year career in the NBA, and Hunter was traded to the Toronto Raptors. The Lakers would not win another title until 2009, in which they defeated the Orlando Magic in five games. As of 2026, the 2001–02 Lakers are the most recent North American professional sports team to have accomplished a three-peat.

Draft picks

Main article: 2001 NBA draft

  • The Los Angeles Lakers did not have any Draft Picks.
  • The Lakers owned the 27th Pick Overall and it was sent to New York.
  • They also owned the 56th Pick Overall and it was sent to San Antonio.

Roster

  • Phil Jackson
  • Jim Cleamons
  • Frank Hamblen
  • Kurt Rambis
  • Tex Winter
  • Gary Vitti (trainer)

Regular season

Season standings

Game log

Pre-season

|- style="background:#fcc;" | 1 | October 7 | Golden State | L 89-99 | Kobe Bryant (30) | Robert Horry (7) | Kobe Bryant (5) | Stan Sheriff Center (Honolulu, HI) 10,300 | 0–1 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 2 | October 9 | Golden State | L 88-113 | Lindsey Hunter (13) | Dickey Simpkins (9) | Isaac Fontaine (4) | Stan Sheriff Center (Honolulu, HI) 9,227 | 0–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 3 | October 16 | Golden State | W 114-97 | Kobe Bryant (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Bryant & Hunter (6) | Centennial Garden (Bakersfield, CA) | 1–2 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 4 | October 19 | Phoenix | L 101–112 | Kobe Bryant (25) | Fox & O'Neal (6) | | San Diego Sports Arena (San Diego, CA) | 1–3 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 5 | October 20 | Sacramento | L 104-109 | Kobe Bryant (30) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | 3 players tied (4) | Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas, NV) 17,982 | 1–4 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 6 | October 23 | Memphis | W 128-94 | Kobe Bryant (24) | Samaki Walker (10) | Kobe Bryant (9) | Arrowhead Pond (Anaheim, CA) 17,457 | 2–4 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 7 | October 25 | Milwaukee | W 109-107 | Shaquille O'Neal (31) | O'Neal & Walker (7) | Bryant & O'Neal (5) | Staples Center 15,062 | 3–4 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 8 | October 26 | Phoenix | W 90-71 | George & O'Neal (15) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Kobe Bryant (7) | Staples Center 16,287 | 4-4

Regular season

|- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 | October 30 | Portland | W 98–87 | Bryant & O'Neal (29) | Shaquille O'Neal (18) | Shaquille O'Neal (5) | Staples Center 18,997 | 1–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2 | November 1 | @ Utah | W 105–101 | Kobe Bryant (39) | Rick Fox (8) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Delta Center 19,539 | 2–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 3 | November 2 | Phoenix | W 117–94 | Shaquille O'Neal (36) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Kobe Bryant (9) | Staples Center 18,997 | 3–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | November 4 | Utah | W 100–96 | Kobe Bryant (38) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Kobe Bryant (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 4–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | November 9 | Memphis | W 100–86 | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Kobe Bryant (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 5–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 6 | November 11 | Orlando | W 108–95 | Shaquille O'Neal (38) | Shaquille O'Neal (18) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Staples Center 18,997 | 6–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 7 | November 15 | @ Houston | W 98–97 (OT) | Kobe Bryant (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Rick Fox (6) | Compaq Center 16,285 | 7–0 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 8 | November 16 | @ Phoenix | L 83–95 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Kobe Bryant (5) | America West Arena 19,023 | 7–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 9 | November 18 | Sacramento | W 93–85 | Kobe Bryant (29) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Staples Center 18,997 | 8–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 10 | November 20 | @ L.A. Clippers | W 98–93 | Kobe Bryant (25) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Kobe Bryant (12) | Staples Center 20,316 | 9–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 11 | November 21 | @ Denver | W 89–68 | Kobe Bryant (24) | Bryant & O'Neal (13) | Kobe Bryant (7) | Pepsi Center 19,521 | 10–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 12 | November 23 | Golden State | W 106–90 | Kobe Bryant (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Rick Fox (5) | Staples Center 18,997 | 11–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 13 | November 25 | Denver | W 105–98 | Kobe Bryant (25) | Kobe Bryant (7) | Kobe Bryant (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 12–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 14 | November 27 | Milwaukee | W 104–85 | Kobe Bryant (33) | Samaki Walker (11) | Shaquille O'Neal (5) | Staples Center 18,997 | 13–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 15 | November 30 | @ Seattle | W 107–92 | Kobe Bryant (30) | Slava Medvedenko (7) | Robert Horry (8) | KeyArena 17,072 | 14–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 16 | December 1 | Minnesota | W 102–76 | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | 3 players tied (5) | Staples Center 18,997 | 15–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 17 | December 5 | Dallas | W 98–94 | Shaquille O'Neal (46) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Rick Fox (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 16–1 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 18 | December 7 | @ Sacramento | L 91–97 | Shaquille O'Neal (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Shaquille O'Neal (5) | ARCO Arena 17,317 | 16–2 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 19 | December 11 | Seattle | L 93–104 | Shaquille O'Neal (37) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Derek Fisher (8) | Staples Center 18,997 | 16–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 20 | December 14 | L.A. Clippers | W 110–80 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Kobe Bryant (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 17–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 21 | December 16 | Golden State | W 101–85 | Kobe Bryant (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (7) | Shaquille O'Neal (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 18–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 22 | December 20 | @ Houston | W 107–101 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Bryant & Horry (5) | Compaq Center 16,285 | 19–3 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 23 | December 21 | @ Memphis | L 108–114 | Kobe Bryant (36) | O'Neal & Walker (9) | Bryant & Fox (6) | Pyramid Arena 19,405 | 19–4 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 24 | December 25 | Philadelphia | W 88–82 | Samaki Walker (18) | Bryant & Horry (11) | Kobe Bryant (9) | Staples Center 18,997 | 20–4 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 25 | December 26 | @ Golden State | L 90–101 | Kobe Bryant (39) | Slava Medvedenko (8) | Kobe Bryant (5) | The Arena in Oakland 20,036 | 20–5 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 26 | December 28 | Toronto | L 86–89 | Kobe Bryant (26) | Samaki Walker (14) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 20–6 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 27 | December 30 | Houston | W 114–90 | Bryant & Fox (16) | Robert Horry (11) | Kobe Bryant (11) | Staples Center 18,997 | 21–6 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 28 | January 2 | @ Denver | W 87–86 | Kobe Bryant (28) | Samaki Walker (11) | Rick Fox (6) | Pepsi Center 17,932 | 22–6 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 29 | January 4 | Phoenix | W 118–86 | Shaquille O'Neal (24) | Samaki Walker (10) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 23–6 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 30 | January 6 | @ Toronto | W 109–89 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Samaki Walker (10) | 3 players tied (4) | Air Canada Centre 19,800 | 24–6 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 31 | January 8 | @ Detroit | W 121–92 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Kobe Bryant (6) | The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 | 25–6 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 32 | January 9 | @ Indiana | W 109–90 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Samaki Walker (13) | Derek Fisher (6) | Conseco Fieldhouse 18,345 | 26–6 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 33 | January 11 | @ Minnesota | L 102–120 | Shaquille O'Neal (29) | Samaki Walker (9) | Rick Fox (9) | Target Center 19,806 | 26–7 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 34 | January 12 | @ Chicago | L 104–106 (OT) | Derek Fisher (28) | Robert Horry (13) | Kobe Bryant (9) | United Center 23,147 | 26–8 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 35 | January 14 | Memphis | W 120–81 | Kobe Bryant (56) | Robert Horry (11) | Rick Fox (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 27–8 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 36 | January 16 | Miami | L 96–102 | Kobe Bryant (29) | Samaki Walker (13) | Kobe Bryant (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 27–9 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 37 | January 19 | @ San Antonio | W 98–81 | Kobe Bryant (28) | 3 players tied (7) | Kobe Bryant (5) | Alamodome 33,544 | 28–9 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 38 | January 22 | Denver | L 91–107 | Shaquille O'Neal (40) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 28–10 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 39 | January 23 | @ L.A. Clippers | L 90–95 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Samaki Walker (12) | Derek Fisher (5) | Staples Center 20,309 | 28–11 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 40 | January 25 | San Antonio | W 94–91 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 29–11 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 41 | January 27 | @ Philadelphia | L 87–93 | Shaquille O'Neal (26) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Rick Fox (6) | First Union Center 20,909 | 29–12 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 42 | January 29 | @ Atlanta | W 127–93 | Kobe Bryant (32) | Samaki Walker (12) | Fox & Hunter (4) | Philips Arena 19,742 | 30–12 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 43 | January 30 | @ Orlando | W 111–93 | Shaquille O'Neal (30) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Rick Fox (5) | TD Waterhouse Centre 17,248 | 31–12 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 44 | February 1 | @ Memphis | W 100–85 | Shaquille O'Neal (26) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Rick Fox (7) | Pyramid Arena 19,405 | 32–12 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 45 | February 3 | @ Dallas | W 101–94 | Shaquille O'Neal (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Robert Horry (8) | American Airlines Center 20,179 | 33–12 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 46 | February 6 | Chicago | L 89–97 | Kobe Bryant (38) | Samaki Walker (14) | Rick Fox (5) | Staples Center 18,997 | 33–13 |- align="center" |- style="background:#cfc;" |- bgcolor="#bbffbb" |- style="background:#cfc;" | 47 | February 12 | Washington | W 103–94 | Kobe Bryant (23) | Kobe Bryant (11) | Kobe Bryant (15) | Staples Center 18,997 | 34–13 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 48 | February 14 | @ Seattle | W 92–87 | Kobe Bryant (23) | Fox & George (8) | Kobe Bryant (10) | KeyArena 17,072 | 35–13 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 49 | February 15 | Atlanta | L 90–93 | Kobe Bryant (21) | 3 players tied (7) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Staples Center 18,997 | 35–14 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 50 | February 17 | @ Portland | L 105–111 | Kobe Bryant (28) | Robert Horry (8) | Lindsey Hunter (7) | Rose Garden 20,580 | 35–15 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 51 | February 19 | Boston | L 108–109 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Lindsey Hunter (9) | Staples Center 18,997 | 35–16 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 52 | February 21 | @ Cleveland | W 104–97 | Kobe Bryant (32) | Bryant & Horry (6) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Gund Arena 20,562 | 36–16 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 53 | February 22 | @ Charlotte | W 96–94 | Shaquille O'Neal (31) | Rick Fox (11) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Charlotte Coliseum 23,799 | 37–16 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 54 | February 24 | @ New York | W 107–91 | Shaquille O'Neal (30) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Bryant & O'Neal (5) | Madison Square Garden 19,763 | 38–16 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 55 | February 26 | @ Milwaukee | W 99–89 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Bradley Center 18,717 | 39–16 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 56 | February 27 | @ Minnesota | L 101–112 | Shaquille O'Neal (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Kobe Bryant (11) | Target Center 19,769 | 39–17 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 57 | March 1 | Indiana | W 96–84 | Shaquille O'Neal (33) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Robert Horry (6) | Staples Center 18,897 | 40–17 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 58 | March 3 | Houston | W 95–79 | Shaquille O'Neal (36) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Shaquille O'Neal (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 41–17 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 59 | March 5 | New Jersey | W 101–92 | Shaquille O'Neal (40) | Robert Horry (13) | Horry & O'Neal (4) | Staples Center 18,997 | 42–17 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 60 | March 6 | @ Utah | L 84–92 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Bryant & Hunter (4) | Delta Center 19,911 | 42–18 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 61 | March 10 | New York | W 117–103 | Shaquille O'Neal (40) | Robert Horry (13) | Kobe Bryant (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 43–18 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 62 | March 12 | Charlotte | W 107–66 | Kobe Bryant (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Bryant & Richmond (4) | Staples Center 18,997 | 44–18 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 63 | March 14 | @ Golden State | W 110–102 | Shaquille O'Neal (40) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Bryant & Fox (6) | The Arena in Oakland 20,042 | 45–18 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 64 | March 15 | L.A. Clippers | W 98–92 | Kobe Bryant (33) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Fox & Horry (5) | Staples Center 18,997 | 46–18 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 65 | March 17 | Dallas | W 105–103 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Bryant & O'Neal (9) | Kobe Bryant (11) | Staples Center 18,997 | 47–18 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 66 | March 19 | @ Dallas | L 98–114 | Shaquille O'Neal (32) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Horry & Richmond (4) | American Airlines Center 20,112 | 47–19 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 67 | March 20 | @ San Antonio | L 90–108 | Kobe Bryant (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Brian Shaw (5) | Alamodome 30,775 | 47–20 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 68 | March 22 | Detroit | W 94–82 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Horry & Walker (10) | Kobe Bryant (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 48–20 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 69 | March 24 | @ Sacramento | W 97–96 | Kobe Bryant (29) | O'Neal & Shaw (7) | Shaquille O'Neal (6) | ARCO Arena 17,317 | 49–20 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 70 | March 26 | Cleveland | W 121–116 | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Robert Horry (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 50–20 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 71 | March 27 | @ Phoenix | L 106–118 | Kobe Bryant (36) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Robert Horry (6) | America West Arena 19,023 | 50–21 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 72 | March 29 | Portland | W 91–79 | Bryant & O'Neal (34) | Samaki Walker (17) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 51–21 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 73 | March 31 | San Antonio | W 96–95 | Kobe Bryant (31) | 3 players tied (9) | Robert Horry (4) | Staples Center 18,997 | 52–21 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 74 | April 2 | @ Washington | W 113–93 | Shaquille O'Neal (22) | Shaquille O'Neal (18) | Kobe Bryant (6) | MCI Center 20,674 | 53–21 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 75 | April 3 | @ New Jersey | L 92–94 | Kobe Bryant (33) | Samaki Walker (14) | Bryant & Shaw (3) | Continental Airlines Arena 20,049 | 53–22 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 76 | April 5 | @ Boston | L 81–99 | Kobe Bryant (26) | Robert Horry (9) | 5 players tied (2) | FleetCenter 18,624 | 53–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 77 | April 7 | @ Miami | W 96–88 | Shaquille O'Neal (40) | Bryant & O'Neal (11) | Robert Horry (7) | American Airlines Arena 19,600 | 54–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 78 | April 9 | Utah | W 112–82 | Bryant & O'Neal (22) | Robert Horry (11) | Kobe Bryant (5) | Staples Center 18,997 | 55–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 79 | April 11 | Minnesota | W 96–83 | Shaquille O'Neal (32) | Samaki Walker (10) | Derek Fisher (4) | Staples Center 18,997 | 56–23 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 80 | April 14 | @ Portland | L 120–128 (2OT) | Shaquille O'Neal (36) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Kobe Bryant (9) | Rose Garden 20,580 | 56–24 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 81 | April 15 | Seattle | W 111–104 | Shaquille O'Neal (41) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Brian Shaw (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 57–24 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 82 | April 17 | Sacramento | W 109–95 | Bryant & O'Neal (21) | Samaki Walker (15) | Kobe Bryant (5) | Staples Center 18,997 | 58–24

Playoffs

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | April 21 | Portland | W 95–87 | Kobe Bryant (34) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Rick Fox (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | April 25 | Portland | W 103–96 | Shaquille O'Neal (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Kobe Bryant (5) | Staples Center 18,997 | 2–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | April 28 | @ Portland | W 92–91 | Kobe Bryant (25) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Bryant & O'Neal (7) | Rose Garden 20,580 | 3–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | May 5 | San Antonio | W 86–80 | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | 3 players tied (4) | Staples Center 18,997 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | May 7 | San Antonio | L 85–88 | Kobe Bryant (26) | Robert Horry (11) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | May 10 | @ San Antonio | W 99–89 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Alamodome 35,520 | 2–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | May 12 | @ San Antonio | W 87–85 | Kobe Bryant (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Shaquille O'Neal (5) | Alamodome 32,342 | 3–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | May 14 | San Antonio | W 93–87 | Kobe Bryant (26) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Rick Fox (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 4–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | May 18 | @ Sacramento | W 106–99 | Kobe Bryant (30) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | 3 players tied (5) | ARCO Arena 17,317 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | May 20 | @ Sacramento | L 90–96 | Shaquille O'Neal (35) | Robert Horry (20) | Fisher & Horry (4) | ARCO Arena 17,317 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | May 24 | Sacramento | L 90–103 | Kobe Bryant (22) | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Brian Shaw (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 1–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | May 26 | Sacramento | W 100–99 | Shaquille O'Neal (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (18) | Robert Horry (5) | Staples Center 18,997 | 2–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | May 28 | @ Sacramento | L 91–92 | Kobe Bryant (30) | Robert Horry (11) | 3 players tied (3) | ARCO Arena 17,317 | 2–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6 | May 31 | Sacramento | W 106–102 | Shaquille O'Neal (41) | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Bryant & Horry (5) | Staples Center 18,997 | 3–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 7 | June 2 | @ Sacramento | W 112–106 (OT) | Shaquille O'Neal (35) | Rick Fox (14) | Bryant & Fox (7) | ARCO Arena 17,317 | 4–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | June 5 | New Jersey | W 99–94 | Shaquille O'Neal (36) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | June 7 | New Jersey | W 106–83 | Shaquille O'Neal (40) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Staples Center 18,997 | 2–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | June 9 | @ New Jersey | W 106–103 | Kobe Bryant (36) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Derek Fisher (6) | Continental Airlines Arena 19,215 | 3–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | June 12 | @ New Jersey | W 113–107 | Shaquille O'Neal (34) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Continental Airlines Arena 19,296 | 4–0

NBA Finals

Summary

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

TeamGame 1Game 2Game 3Game 4Wins
**Los Angeles (West)****99****106****106****113**4
New Jersey (East)94831031070

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 an 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 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.

" 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. "

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

Team1st Qt.2nd Qt.3rd Qt.4th Qt.Total
New Jersey1422273194
**Los Angeles**29192427**99**

Game Two

Friday, June 7, 2002, 6:00 at the Staples Center.

The second game was more of 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

Team1st Qt.2nd Qt.3rd Qt.4th Qt.Total
New Jersey2122182283
**Los Angeles**27222829**106**

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

Team1st Qt.2nd Qt.3rd Qt.4th Qt.Total
**Los Angeles**31212628**106**
New Jersey23233225103

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

Team1st Qt.2nd Qt.3rd Qt.4th Qt.Total
**Los Angeles**27312629**113**
New Jersey34232327107

Player statistics

Season

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
808038.3.469.250.8295.55.51.48.4425.2
703528.2.411.413.8472.12.6.94.1311.2
828227.9.421.313.8244.73.5.82.267.9
82121.5.411.371.6753.71.4.87.517.1
812326.4.398.374.7835.92.9.951.106.8
824719.7.382.380.5001.51.6.80.235.8
59511.0.452.000.6482.7.7.27.222.8
2105.0.571.000.2501.2.3.00.241.2
71610.3.477.000.6612.2.6.41.154.7
676636.1.579.000.55510.73.0.612.0427.2
304.0.500.000.750.7.7.67.001.7
64211.1.405.290.9551.5.9.28.094.1
58010.9.353.330.6921.91.5.43.052.9
696324.0.512.000.6677.0.9.411.286.7

Playoffs

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
191943.8.434.379.7595.84.61.42.8926.6
191934.2.357.358.7863.32.71.00.0510.2
191934.3.482.349.7555.43.41.11.329.8
19017.2.365.229.7333.6.6.58.535.0
191437.0.449.387.7898.13.21.74.849.3
1807.3.311.276.000.4.6.11.002.0
701.4.000.000.000.3.0.00.00.0
703.0.600.000.000.6.0.00.00.9
191940.8.529.000.64912.62.8.532.5328.5
202.01.000.000.500.5.0.00.001.5
19012.5.333.2811.0001.81.6.26.322.9
19512.6.4621.000.7654.1.2.11.323.3

Player statistics citation:

Award winners

  • Shaquille O'Neal, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player
  • Shaquille O'Neal, All-NBA First Team
  • Shaquille O'Neal, League Leader, FG%, 57.9
  • Kobe Bryant, All-NBA First Team
  • Kobe Bryant, NBA All-Defensive Second Team
  • Kobe Bryant, NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award

Legacy

  • By winning the third straight Finals MVP, Shaquille O'Neal became only the second player to achieve this feat, after Michael Jordan doing it twice in 1991-93 and 1996–98.

References

References

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  4. (July 21, 2001). "Former Wizards G Richmond Signs with Lakers". The Washington Post.
  5. (June 29, 2001). "Lakers Trade for Hunter With Fisher on Shelf". ESPN.
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  55. [http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/2002/05/22/2002-05-22_title_goes_to_one_sharp_thor.html Title goes to one sharp Thorn: Nets GM honored as wheeler-deeler], ''New York Daily-News''. Accessed 2009-04-14. [https://archive.today/20090514201518/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/2002/05/22/2002-05-22_title_goes_to_one_sharp_thor.html Archived] 2009-05-14.
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  57. (2002-06-06). "Nets' slow start costs them dearly in Game 1".
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