2001–02 NBA season

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, NBA TV, 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 (Los Angeles Lakers)

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.

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 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 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.
This was the final season for the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte, as they would relocate to New Orleans for the following season. However, the NBA added an expansion team to Charlotte in time for the 2004–05 NBA season. In 2013, the now New Orleans Pelicans announced they would relinquished their name and history to the new Charlotte team beginning in the 2014–15 season. Therefore, the official NBA record now states that the Charlotte NBA franchise suspended operations for two years at the conclusion of this season.
The San Antonio Spurs played their final home game at the Alamodome.
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 legend 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 theirs.
The only Canadian team left in the NBA, the Toronto Raptors, after losing seventeen of eighteen to drop to 30–38, win 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 2015–16 only former ABA team to have never reached the NBA Finals.
2001–02 is one of the most memorable 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 would proceed to lose 16 of their last 22 games and miss 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 both shared the league's worst record at 21–61. This had however previous occurred every season from 1973–74 to 1978–79 and from 1983–84 to 1985–86.^[1]
Former All-Star Jayson Williams was charged with the murder of his limo 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 2002 NBA Playoffs featured several controversial last-second shots. During Game 4 of the series between the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic, Baron Davis hit a three-pointer at the buzzer that should have counted, but was waved off. Later, Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers was awarded a game-tying three-pointer from half-court against the New Jersey Nets that should not have counted, but was. In the Western Conference Finals between the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers, Lakers forward Samaki Walker hit a three-pointer to end the half that should not have counted (the three points would later haunt the Kings as Robert Horry won the game on a last second shot). After the playoffs ended, it was decided that instant replay was needed in the NBA. In addition, the NBA installed red light beams on the backboard to determine the end of the shot clock and/or the game clock.
This season marked the first time the league's scoring leader (in this case Allen Iverson) failed to make the All-NBA First Team.
This was the last season the NBA Playoffs first round format was a best of five game series, it was changed in the 2003 NBA Playoffs to a best of seven game series.
Zone Defense was allowed.
Defensive three-second violation was introduced.

Final standings

By division

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

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.

Main article: 2002 NBA Playoffs

First Round			Conference Semifinals			Conference Finals			NBA Finals


1	Sacramento	3

8	Utah	1
			1	Sacramento	4

			4	Dallas	1
4	Dallas	3

5	Minnesota	0
						1	Sacramento	3
Western Conference
						3	L.A. Lakers	4
3	L.A. Lakers	3

6	Portland	0
			3	L.A. Lakers	4

			2	San Antonio	1
2	San Antonio	3

7	Seattle	2
									W3	L.A. Lakers	4

									E1	New Jersey	0
1	New Jersey	3

8	Indiana	2
			1	New Jersey	4

			4	Charlotte	1
4	Charlotte	3

5	Orlando	1
						1	New Jersey	4
Eastern Conference
						3	Boston	2
3	Boston	3

6	Philadelphia	2
			3	Boston	4

			2	Detroit	1
2	Detroit	3

7	Toronto	2

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	2.80
Blocks per game	Ben Wallace	Detroit Pistons	3.48
FG%	Shaquille O'Neal	Los Angeles Lakers	.579
FT%	Reggie Miller	Indiana Pacers	.911
3FG%	Steve Smith	San Antonio Spurs	.472

Awards

Yearly awards

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 – Cliff 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

Players of the month

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

Month	Eastern Conference	Western Conference
1October – November	Kidd, JasonJason Kidd (New Jersey Nets) (1/1)	Bryant, KobeKobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) (1/1)
2December	Pierce, PaulPaul Pierce (Boston Celtics) (1/2) Walker, AntoineAntoine Walker (Boston Celtics) (1/1)	Duncan, TimTim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) (1/2)
3January	Iverson, AllenAllen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers) (1/1)	Webber, ChrisChris Webber (Sacramento Kings) (1/1)
4February	McGrady, TracyTracy McGrady (Orlando Magic) (1/1)	Garnett, KevinKevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves) (1/1)
5March	Wallace, BenBen Wallace (Detroit Pistons) (1/1)	Marion, ShawnShawn Marion (Phoenix Suns) (1/1)
6April	Pierce, PaulPaul Pierce (Boston Celtics) (2/2)	Duncan, TimTim 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
1October – November	Tinsley, JamaalJamaal Tinsley (Indiana Pacers) (1/2)	Gasol, PauPau Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies) (1/3)
2December	Haywood, BrendanBrendan Haywood (Washington Wizards) (1/1)	Battier, ShaneShane Battier (Memphis Grizzlies) (1/1)
3January	Jefferson, RichardRichard Jefferson (New Jersey Nets) (1/1)	Gasol, PauPau Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies) (2/3)
4February	Hassell, TrentonTrenton Hassell (Chicago Bulls) (1/1)	Richardson, JasonJason Richardson (Golden State Warriors) (1/1)
5March	Tinsley, JamaalJamaal Tinsley (Indiana Pacers) (2/2)	Gasol, PauPau Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies) (3/3)
6April	Rebrača, ŽeljkoŽeljko Rebrača (Detroit Pistons) (1/1)	Arenas, GilbertGilbert Arenas (Golden State Warriors) (1/1)

Coaches of the month

The following coaches were named Coaches of the Month.

Month	Coach
1October – November	Brown, LarryLarry Brown (Philadelphia 76ers) (1/1)
2December	Collins, DougDoug Collins (Washington Wizards) (1/1)
3January	Adelman, RickRick Adelman (Sacramento Kings) (1/1)
4February	Carlisle, RickRick Carlisle (Detroit Pistons) (1/1)
5March	Popovich, GreggGregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) (1/1)
5April	Wilkens, LennyLenny Wilkens (Toronto Raptors) (1/1)

References

↑ 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

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2001–02 NBA season by team

Eastern

Atlantic	Boston Miami New Jersey New York Orlando Philadelphia Washington

Central	Atlanta Charlotte Chicago Cleveland Detroit Indiana Milwaukee Toronto

Western

Midwest	Dallas Denver Houston Memphis Minnesota San Antonio Utah

Pacific	Golden State L.A. Clippers L.A. Lakers Phoenix Portland Sacramento Seattle

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