2001–02 New Jersey Nets season

The 2001–02 New Jersey Nets season was the Nets' 35th season in the National Basketball Association, and their 26th season in East Rutherford, New Jersey.^[1] This season was notable for the Nets acquiring All-Star point guard Jason Kidd from the Phoenix Suns during the off-season.^[2][3] The team received the seventh overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, and selected power forward Eddie Griffin out of Seton Hall University, but soon traded him to the Houston Rockets in exchange for rookie small forward, and top draft pick Richard Jefferson from the University of Arizona, and rookie center Jason Collins out of Stanford University,^[4][5] and signed free agent Todd MacCulloch.^[6]

With the addition of Kidd and Jefferson, the Nets won nine of their first twelve games of the regular season, held a 26–11 record as of January 16, 2002, and then held a 32–15 record at the All-Star break.^[7] The team finished in first place in the Atlantic Division with a 52–30 record, their best record since joining the NBA after the ABA–NBA merger in 1976, and earning the first seed in the Eastern Conference.^[8] As of the 2025–26 NBA season^[update], this was the only season in which 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, led the Nets with 117 three-point field goals, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. In addition, second-year star Kenyon Martin 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, along with 101 three-point field goals, and Kerry Kittles, who returned after missing all of the previous season due to knee injuries, contributed 13.4 points and 1.6 steals per game. Meanwhile, 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, Lucious Harris contributed 9.1 points per game, Aaron Williams averaged 7.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, and Collins provided with 4.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.^[9]

During the NBA All-Star Weekend at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Kidd was selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team, while head coach Byron Scott was selected to coach the Eastern Conference.^[10][11] Meanwhile, Martin was selected for the NBA Rookie Challenge Game, as a member of the sophomore team.^[12][13] Kidd also finished in second place in Most Valuable Player voting, behind Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs,^[14][15] while Jefferson finished in second place in Rookie of the Year voting, behind Pau Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies,^[16][15] and Scott finished in third place in Coach of the Year voting.^[17][15]

In the Eastern Conference first round of the 2002 NBA playoffs, the Nets faced off against the eighth–seeded Indiana Pacers, a team that featured All-Star forward, and 2001–02 Most Improved Player award winner, Jermaine O'Neal, Reggie Miller and Brad Miller. The Nets lost game 1 to the Pacers at home, 89–83 at the Continental Airlines Arena. However, the team managed to win the next two games to take a 2–1 series lead, before losing game 4 to the Pacers on the road, 97–74 at the Conseco Fieldhouse. With the series tied at two games a piece, the Nets won game 5 over the Pacers at the Continental Airlines Arena in double-overtime, 120–109 to win in a hard-fought five-game series;^[18][19] it was the first time that the Nets won an NBA playoff series since the 1983–84 season.^[20]

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the team faced off against the fourth–seeded Charlotte Hornets, a team that featured All-Star guard Baron Davis, David Wesley and Elden Campbell; the Hornets were without scoring leader Jamal Mashburn, who was out due to a season-ending lower abdominal strain injury.^[21][22] The Nets took a 2–0 series lead over the Hornets, before losing game 3 on the road, 115–97 at the Charlotte Coliseum. The Nets won the next two games over the Hornets, including a game 5 home win at the Continental Airlines Arena, 103–95 to win the series in five games.^[23][24]

In the Eastern Conference finals, the Nets then faced off against the third–seeded Boston Celtics, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Paul Pierce, All-Star forward Antoine Walker, and former Nets guard Kenny Anderson. The Nets won game 1 over the Celtics at the Continental Airlines Arena, 104–97, but then lost the next two games, which included a game 3 road loss at the FleetCenter, 94–90 as the Celtics took a 2–1 series lead.^[25][26] However, the Nets managed to win the next three games, including a game 6 win over the Celtics at the FleetCenter, 96–88 to win the series in six games, and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.^[27][28]

In the 2002 NBA Finals, the Nets faced off against the third–seeded, and two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal, All-Star guard Kobe Bryant, and Derek Fisher. The Nets lost the first two games to the Lakers on the road at the Staples Center, before losing the next two games at home, including a game 4 loss to the Lakers at the Continental Airlines Arena, 113–107, thus losing the series in a four-game sweep, as the Lakers won their third consecutive NBA championship.^[29][30]

The Nets finished 26th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 564,194 at the Continental Airlines Arena during the regular season, which was the fourth-lowest in the league.^[9][31] Following the season, Van Horn and MacCulloch were both traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, whom MacCulloch had previously played for.^[32][33]