2001–02 NBA season

The 2001–02 NBA season was the 56th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their third straight championship, beating the New Jersey Nets 4–0 in the 2002 NBA Finals.

2001–02 NBA season
League	National Basketball Association
Sport	Basketball
Duration	October 30, 2001 – April 17, 2002 April 20 – June 2, 2002 (Playoffs) June 5 – 12, 2002 (Finals)
Number of teams	29
TV partner(s)	NBC, TNT, TBS
Draft
Top draft pick	Kwame Brown
Picked by	Washington Wizards
Regular season
Top seed	Sacramento Kings
Season MVP	Tim Duncan (San Antonio)
Top scorer	Allen Iverson (Philadelphia)
Playoffs
Eastern champions	New Jersey Nets
Eastern runners-up	Boston Celtics
Western champions	Los Angeles Lakers
Western runners-up	Sacramento Kings
Finals
Champions	Los Angeles Lakers
Runners-up	New Jersey Nets
Finals MVP	Shaquille O'Neal (L.A. Lakers)

Notable occurrences

Coaching changes

Offseason
Team	2000–01 coach	2001–02 coach
Cleveland Cavaliers	Randy Wittman	John Lucas
Detroit Pistons	George Irvine	Rick Carlisle
Portland Trail Blazers	Mike Dunleavy, Sr.	Maurice Cheeks
Washington Wizards	Leonard Hamilton	Doug Collins
In-season
Team	Outgoing coach	Incoming coach
Chicago Bulls	Tim Floyd	Bill Berry
	Bill Berry	Bill Cartwright
Denver Nuggets	Dan Issel	Mike Evans
Golden State Warriors	Dave Cowens	Brian Winters
New York Knicks	Jeff Van Gundy	Don Chaney
Phoenix Suns	Scott Skiles	Frank Johnson

• Kwame Brown became the first high school player to be drafted first overall when the Washington Wizards drafted him in the 2001 NBA draft.
• The Grizzlies relocated from Vancouver, British Columbia to Memphis, Tennessee. They played their first three seasons at The Pyramid in Memphis.
• The 2002 NBA All-Star Game was held at First Union Center in Philadelphia. Kobe Bryant of the Lakers took MVP honors amidst boos from the Philadelphia fans following a 135–120 victory by the West. Philadelphia was originally slated to host the 1999 All-Star Game, but was awarded the 2002 game instead due to the 1998 lockout.
• Prior to the start of the season, NBA and Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan, then part-owner of the Washington Wizards, announced his second comeback to the NBA, this time with the Wizards.
• The Dallas Mavericks played their first game at the American Airlines Center, not to be confused with the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.
• This was the last season that both NBC and TBS televised NBA games.
• NBA teams wore patches on their jerseys with the American flag and a red-white-and-blue ribbon, in honor of the victims of the September 11 attacks. The Raptors wore the American and Canadian flags on their jerseys.
• The only Canadian team left in the NBA, the Toronto Raptors, after losing seventeen of eighteen to drop to 30–38, won twelve of their last fourteen to finish at 42–40 and go to the NBA playoffs as the seventh seed in the East.
• The New Jersey Nets, who had never won fifty games in a season and had only been to the second round of the playoffs once, won 52 games to reach the Finals. With the Nets appearing in the Finals, the Denver Nuggets remain, as of 2018–19, the only former ABA team to have never reached the NBA Finals.
• 2001–02 is one of the most memorable seasons in the history of the Milwaukee Bucks. The team got off to a division-leading 26–13 start, and were 10 games over .500 as late as March 6. However, the Bucks lost 16 of their last 22 games and missed the playoffs, one of the biggest late-season collapses for a team that was contending for a division title in March.
• For the first time since 1985–86, no team won fewer than twenty games. The Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors shared the league's worst record of 21–61. This had however previously occurred during every season between 1973–74 and 1978–79 and again from 1983–84 to 1985–86.[1]
• Former All-Star Jayson Williams was charged with the murder of his limousine driver on February 14. He was immediately fired from his spot on NBC's Verizon Wireless at the Half shortly after appearing on TV during the All-Star Game the previous week.
• Marv Albert and Mike Fratello were involved in a limousine crash prior to the start of the 2002 Playoffs and were unable to announce for NBC. Albert returned to announce the 2002 Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals.
• The San Antonio Spurs played their final season at the Alamodome.
• The zone defense was legalized.
• The defensive three-second violation was introduced.
• This season marked the last time the NBA playoffs used a best–of–five series in the first round. Started from next season, the playoffs first-round series switched to the best–of–seven format.
• Notable incidents occurred during the playoffs. During the Magic–Hornets series, Baron Davis's game-winner was waved off in time at the buzzer by referee Bernie Fryer, in the Nets–Pacers series, Reggie Miller hit the turnaround 40–foot three–pointer at the buzzer at the end of regulation was made by referee Bob Delaney, and lastly in the Kings–Lakers series, Samaki Walker hit a three–pointer at the buzzer at the end of the first half and then Robert Horry hit a game–winning three–pointer at the buzzer. Following the season, the NBA instituted new rules regarding the end-of-period indicators. A LED light strip on the backboard and the scorer's table replaced the traditional electric red light behind the backboard, and a shot clock visible to all three viewable sides was mandated.
• Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals series between the Kings and the Lakers is considered to be one of the most controversial games in NBA history, as numerous questionable calls went against the Kings in the fourth quarter. The Lakers, led by O'Neal's 41 points and 17 rebounds, won, 106–102, setting the stage for Game 7 in Sacramento. There are allegations that the game was affected by the referees in relationship to the Tim Donaghy scandal.
• This season marked the first time the league's scoring leader (in this case Allen Iverson) failed to make the All-NBA First Team.

2001–02 NBA changes

• Detroit Pistons - added new logo and new uniforms also brought back to red white and blue replaced teal and maroon.
• Dallas Mavericks - added new logo and new uniforms. And move into their new arena The American Airlines Center.
• Milwaukee Bucks - added side panels on jerseys.
• Memphis Grizzlies - relocation from Canada to the United States and move to Memphis. Changed wordmark on their jerseys
• Seattle SuperSonics - added a new logo and new uniforms also brought back to yellow and green replaced dark green with red.
• Golden State Warriors - change wordmark on jerseys. Added side panels

Standings

By division

Eastern Conference 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 Central Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div y-Detroit Pistons 50 32 .610 – 26–15 24–17 20–8 x-Charlotte Hornets 44 38 .537 6 21–20 23–18 17–11 x-Toronto Raptors 42 40 .512 8 24–17 18–23 17–11 x-Indiana Pacers 42 40 .512 8 25–16 17–24 13–15 Milwaukee Bucks 41 41 .500 9 25–16 16–25 17–11 Atlanta Hawks 33 49 .402 17 23–18 10–31 11–17 Cleveland Cavaliers 29 53 .354 21 20–21 9–32 12–16 Chicago Bulls 21 61 .256 29 14–27 7–34 5–23

Western Conference Midwest Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div y-San Antonio Spurs 58 24 .707 – 32–9 26–15 21–3 x-Dallas Mavericks 57 25 .695 1 30–11 27–14 16–8 x-Minnesota Timberwolves 50 32 .610 8 29–12 21–20 15–9 x-Utah Jazz 44 38 .537 14 25–16 19–22 8–16 Houston Rockets 28 54 .341 30 18–23 10–31 9–15 Denver Nuggets 27 55 .329 31 20–21 7–34 8–16 Memphis Grizzlies 23 59 .280 35 15–26 8–33 7–17 Pacific Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div y-Sacramento Kings 61 21 .744 – 36–5 25–16 15–9 x-Los Angeles Lakers 58 24 .707 3 34–7 24–17 16–8 x-Portland Trail Blazers 49 33 .598 12 30–11 19–22 14–10 x-Seattle SuperSonics 45 37 .549 16 26–15 19–22 13–11 Los Angeles Clippers 39 43 .476 22 25–16 14–27 9–15 Phoenix Suns 36 46 .439 25 23–18 13–28 12–12 Golden State Warriors 21 61 .256 40 14–27 7–34 5–19

By conference

# 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

# Western Conference Team W L PCT GB 1 z-Sacramento Kings 61 21 .744 – 2 y-San Antonio Spurs 58 24 .707 3 3 x-Los Angeles Lakers 58 24 .707 3 4 x-Dallas Mavericks 57 25 .695 4 5 x-Minnesota Timberwolves 50 32 .610 11 6 x-Portland Trail Blazers 49 33 .598 12 7 x-Seattle SuperSonics 45 37 .549 16 8 x-Utah Jazz 44 38 .537 17 9 Los Angeles Clippers 39 43 .476 22 10 Phoenix Suns 36 46 .439 25 11 Houston Rockets 28 54 .341 33 12 Denver Nuggets 27 55 .329 34 13 Memphis Grizzlies 23 59 .280 38 14 Golden State Warriors 21 61 .256 40

Notes

• z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
• c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
• y – Clinched division title
• x – Clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.

First Round

Conference Semifinals

Conference Finals

NBA Finals

E1

New Jersey*

3

E8

Indiana

2

E1

New Jersey*

4

E4

Charlotte

1

E4

Charlotte

3

E5

Orlando

1

E1

New Jersey*

4

Eastern Conference

E3

Boston

2

E3

Boston

3

E6

Philadelphia

2

E3

Boston

4

E2

Detroit*

1

E2

Detroit*

3

E7

Toronto

2

E1

New Jersey*

0

W3

LA Lakers

4

W1

Sacramento*

3

W8

Utah

1

W1

Sacramento*

4

W4

Dallas

1

W4

Dallas

3

W5

Minnesota

0

W1

Sacramento*

3

Western Conference

W3

LA Lakers

4

W3

LA Lakers

3

W6

Portland

0

W3

LA Lakers

4

W2

San Antonio*

1

W2

San Antonio*

3

W7

Seattle

2

* Division winner
Bold Series winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage

Statistics leaders

Category	Player	Team	Stat
Points per game	Allen Iverson	Philadelphia 76ers	31.4
Rebounds per game	Ben Wallace	Detroit Pistons	13.0
Assists per game	Andre Miller	Cleveland Cavaliers	10.9
Steals per game	Allen Iverson	Philadelphia 76ers	2.8
Blocks per game	Ben Wallace	Detroit Pistons	3.5
FG%	Shaquille O'Neal	Los Angeles Lakers	.579
FT%	Reggie Miller	Indiana Pacers	.911
3FG%	Steve Smith	San Antonio Spurs	.472

Awards

Yearly awards

• Most Valuable Player: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
• Rookie of the Year: Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies
• Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons
• Sixth Man of the Year: Corliss Williamson, Detroit Pistons
• Most Improved Player: Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana Pacers
• Coach of the Year: Rick Carlisle, Detroit Pistons
• Executive of the Year: Rod Thorn, New Jersey Nets
• Sportsmanship Award: Steve Smith, San Antonio Spurs

All-NBA First Team: F – Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic F – Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs C – Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers G – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers G – Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets

All-NBA Second Team: F – Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves F – Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks F – Chris Webber, Sacramento Kings G – Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics G – Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers

All-NBA Third Team F – Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana Pacers F – Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons C – Dikembe Mutombo, Philadelphia 76ers G – Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics G – Steve Nash, Dallas Mavericks

NBA All-Defensive First Team: F – Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs F – Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves C – Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons G – Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics G – Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets

NBA All-Defensive Second Team F – Clifford Robinson, Detroit Pistons F – Bruce Bowen, San Antonio Spurs C – Dikembe Mutombo, Philadelphia 76ers G – Doug Christie, Sacramento Kings G – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

NBA All-Rookie First Team: Shane Battier, Memphis Grizzlies Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies Andrei Kirilenko, Utah Jazz Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs Jason Richardson, Golden State Warriors

All-Rookie Second Team: Eddie Griffin, Houston Rockets Richard Jefferson, New Jersey Nets Joe Johnson, Phoenix Suns Vladimir Radmanović, Seattle SuperSonics Željko Rebrača, Detroit Pistons Jamaal Tinsley, Indiana Pacers

Players of the month

The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month.

Month	Eastern Conference	Western Conference
October – November	Jason Kidd (New Jersey Nets) (1/1)	Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) (1/1)
December	Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) (1/2) Antoine Walker (Boston Celtics) (1/1)	Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) (1/2)
January	Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers) (1/1)	Chris Webber (Sacramento Kings) (1/1)
February	Tracy McGrady (Orlando Magic) (1/1)	Kevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves) (1/1)
March	Ben Wallace (Detroit Pistons) (1/1)	Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns) (1/1)
April	Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) (2/2)	Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) (2/2)

Rookies of the month

The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month.

Month	Eastern Conference	Western Conference
October – November	Jamaal Tinsley (Indiana Pacers) (1/2)	Pau Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies) (1/3)
December	Brendan Haywood (Washington Wizards) (1/1)	Shane Battier (Memphis Grizzlies) (1/1)
January	Richard Jefferson (New Jersey Nets) (1/1)	Pau Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies) (2/3)
February	Trenton Hassell (Chicago Bulls) (1/1)	Jason Richardson (Golden State Warriors) (1/1)
March	Jamaal Tinsley (Indiana Pacers) (2/2)	Pau Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies) (3/3)
April	Željko Rebrača (Detroit Pistons) (1/1)	Gilbert Arenas (Golden State Warriors) (1/1)

Coaches of the month

The following coaches were named Coaches of the Month.

Month	Coach
October – November	Larry Brown (Philadelphia 76ers) (1/1)
December	Doug Collins (Washington Wizards) (1/1)
January	Rick Adelman (Sacramento Kings) (1/1)
February	Rick Carlisle (Detroit Pistons) (1/1)
March	Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) (1/1)
April	Lenny Wilkens (Toronto Raptors) (1/1)

References

1. See Berri, David J., Brook, Stacey L., Frick, Bernd, Fenn, Aju J. and Vicente-Mayoral, Roberto; 'The Short Supply of Tall People: Competitive Imbalance and the National Basketball Association'; Journal of Economic Issues, Vol. 39, No. 4 (Dec., 2005), pp. 1029–1041