O'Neal finished with 27 points and 18 rebounds, Bryant had 25. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers, and the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets. This year marked the return of playoff success for the Boston Celtics, who had last made the playoffs in 1995, won their last playoff series in 1992 and made their last Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 1988. This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first meeting. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Trouvez les Kings Lakers 2002 Webber images et les photos d’actualités parfaites sur Getty Images. NO! Choisissez parmi des contenus premium Mike Bibby 2002 de la plus haute qualité. Two games were decided on game winning shots and Game 7 was decided in overtime. They would make the playoffs again in 2016. Those are Rick Fox’s memories from the breathtaking 2002 Western Conference finals against the Sacramento Kings. 2002 Western Conference Finals. [24], Game 6 is considered to be one of the most controversial games in not just NBA history, but arguably all of North American professional sports history, as numerous questionable calls went against the Kings in the fourth quarter. 2002 Western Conference Finals [6] Report. Join our linker program. Relive the best moments from Game 7 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and Kings. The playoffs also marked the last appearance of the Charlotte Hornets in the playoffs until 2010. As members of the ABA, both teams met in the 1972 ABA Finals, where the Pacers won 4–2.[3]. That was without a doubt, the worst officiated series of all-time for any sport in … Bryant led Los Angeles with 30 points, but missed a potential game winner at the buzzer. The 2002 NBA playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2001–02 season. Or write about sports? The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets 4 games to 0. WhatsApp. The 2002 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s championship series for the 2001–02 season. In the final ten seconds with Los Angeles up 99–98, Peja Stojaković air-balled a wide open 3, and O'Neal was fouled on the rebound. This series involved two teams that had exceeded expectations during the season. Donoghy told the FBI that the NBA sometimes used referees to “manipulate results,” and that Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals was one of the games in which the league did so. Find out more. Game 4 is Patrick Ewing's final NBA game. [23] O'Neal had 28 points, but did not take a shot in the 4th quarter and fouled out. Only, they hadn’t really won. That's … Game 6 Was A Real Stinker", "NBA.com: Lakers March On as Kings Can't Dethrone Dynasty", "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs)", "Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2002_NBA_playoffs&oldid=1015272895, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. As a result, the Raptors lost 13 straight games without him. Browse more videos. Subscribe to our Free Newsletter, This Month in Sports ReferenceFind out when we add a feature or make a change. Dirk Nowitzki was virtually unstoppable in this series, averaging 33 points and 16 rebounds per game. Shaquille O'Neal was named NBA Finals MVP for the third straight year. TBS has aired some NBA basketball in the ensuing years due to conflicts on sister network TNT. The first two games were played in Boston, where the Celtics won both games resoundingly. This was the final postseason that held a best-of-5 first-round series; the 2003 NBA Playoffs saw those series expand to a best-of-7 format. 2002 NHL Western Conference Quarter-Finals Detroit Red Wings defeat Vancouver Canucks 4-2 This series marked the return of the Celtics to the playoffs for the first time in seven years, and they faced the reigning Eastern Conference champion in the first round. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. 2002 NHL Western Conference Finals Detroit Red Wings defeat Colorado Avalanche 4-3 The 76ers fought back, however, and with Allen Iverson scoring 42 points the 76ers won Game 3 and stayed alive. Pinterest. [22], As the series shifted back to Sacramento for Game 5, the Kings trailed almost the entire fourth quarter, but a jump shot by Bibby off a screen with 8.2 seconds left gave them the lead and was the game-winner in a 92–91 win. A poorly officiated Game 6 in the 2001-02 Western Conference finals cost the team a chance to eliminate the Los Angeles Lakers and move onto the NBA Finals. The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2002–03 season.The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeating the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets, 4 games to 2, in the NBA Finals. The Hornets moved the next year to New Orleans, while an expansion team, formerly the Bobcats, was formed in 2004. This was the first playoff meeting between the Pistons and the Raptors.[4]. In the early 2000s, the NBA was dominated by the Los Angeles Lakers. The Western Conference Finals of the 2002 NBA Playoffs. The 2002 playoffs are best remembered for that year's Western Conference Finals between the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings, which served as the de facto NBA championship, as the Eastern Conference champ, the Nets, were clearly inferior to both teams, and were eventually swept by the Lakers. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. [11], This was the first playoff meeting between the Nets and the Hornets.[12]. The letter states that Donaghy "learned from Referee A that Referees A and F wanted to extend the series to seven games. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The matchup between the Lakers and Kings is widely regarded as the most controversial playoff series in NBA history, as well as one of the most exciting. Are you a Stathead, too? This was the 19th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning 10 of the first 18 meetings. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets 4 games to 0. But Iverson's play at the end making a layup, scoring off an Eric Snow steal, and hitting some free throws after Walker drilled a three sealed the victory for the 76ers. This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Kings.[14]. Raptors' Guard, Chris Childs, attempted to draw a foul on a three-point shot, instead of passing it to an open Dell Curry. In Game 2, the Nets were blown out by 23, with O'Neal leading the way again, putting up 40 points and 12 rebounds and coming within 2 assists of a triple double. [26] The Washington Post sports columnist Michael Wilbon responded to the calls in Game 6: "I wrote down in my notebook six calls that were stunningly incorrect, all against Sacramento, all in the fourth quarter when the Lakers made five baskets and 21 foul shots to hold on to their championship." 6 years ago | 15 views. Led by a collection talent, a unit all about the team, WE before ME, all for one and one for all. Game 4 would not only be the last game played at Charlotte Coliseum until 2004 when the Charlotte Bobcats were an expansion team (the Bobcats would make the first of their two only playoff appearances in 2010), but the last playoff game ever played at the arena. In Game 1, the Nets stayed within striking distance, but Shaquille O'Neal's 36 points and 16 rebounds led the Lakers to victory. [20], The Kings went to Staples Center and dominated Game 3 to regain home-court advantage, leading by as many as 27 and never trailing. The 2002 Western Conference finals is widely regarded as one of the best series in NBA playoff history, with the last four games coming down to the final seconds. Tim knew Referees A and F to be 'company men', always acting in the interest of the NBA, and that night, it was in the NBA's interest to add another game to the series." But Boston went on an amazing streak of three-pointers, hitting an NBA playoff record nine of them in the 4th quarter and 19 in the game. Several years later, disgraced ref Tim Donaghy accused the Game 6 officiating crew of fixing the game, at the behest of the NBA's front office.[1]. 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals Lakers vs. Kings League Champion: Los Angeles Lakers. The Nets won game one, but Boston came back to steal game two in New Jersey to send the series back to Boston tied 1-1. 2002 Western Conference Finals [6] Almond Karl. Hundreds of reporters are here for the finals, and many of them descended on two players at yesterday's media sessions. Game 5 would also be the Hornets' last playoff game before moving to New Orleans and then being renewed in 2014. 2002 NBA Playoff Series 2002 Western Conference Finals The Nets won games five and six to advance to the team's first of two consecutive NBA Finals. The 2002 NBA playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2001–02 season. Game 3 was a close matchup with Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant all scoring 26 or more points. The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West: The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East: Although the Nets won the series in 5, it would be most remarkable for more playoff heroics by Reggie Miller; Miller banked in a 40-footer at the buzzer to force OT, and then fly in for a dunk over 3 Net defenders with 3.1 seconds left in the extra session to force the 2nd overtime. It was also the first time that professional sports teams from Detroit and Toronto met in a postseason series since the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs met in the 1993 Norris Division Semifinals, but no two teams from the two cities have met in a postseason series since. This was the first playoff meeting between the Magic and the Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats franchise.[6]. The Spurs led going into the fourth quarter of four out of the five games, yet were able to win only one. They were again paced by Webber and Bibby, who combined for 50 points, and got solid contributions from Doug Christie (17 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals) and Vlade Divac (11 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks). Kings 'robbed' in 2002 Western Conference finals, Tim Donaghy claims originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area. [19] The loss snapped the NBA record 12-game playoff road winning streak for the Lakers. Los Angeles raced out to a 36-point first quarter in Game 1 behind 67% shooting and never trailed, paced by Kobe Bryant's 30 point effort and 26 points from Shaquille O'Neal. 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals controversy What teams were involved? Data Provided By especially since a judge ruled that he can’t be on the Presidential ballot.. 2002 Western Conference Finals might refer to: The Western Conference Finals of the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Webber nearly had a triple double (26 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists), Bibby scored 23, and Divac had 12 points and 12 rebounds. This brought the series to New Jersey with the Lakers up 2-0. This was the tenth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning eight of the first nine meetings. The Sacramento Kings clinched the best record in the NBA, and earned home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. Question 622631: During the second game of the 2002 Western Conference finals, the Los Angeles Lakers scored a total of 90 points, resulting from a combination of three-point baskets, two-point baskets, and one-point free-throws. Playing next. The Sacramento Kings were the 1st seed in the Western Conference with a record of 61-21. The 56th edition of the championship series was played between June 5 and June 12 an… They whittled it down to 2 on the final possession with a chance to tie or win it, but Bryant missed a running layup and Shaq missed a put-back attempt. There were 11 times as many two-point baskets as three-point baskets and five times as many free-throws as three-point baskets. Bibby scored 23 in all, and Webber had 29 points and 13 rebounds in support. Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle SuperSonics vs. San Antonio Spurs, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history. We present them here for purely educational purposes. This page was last edited on 31 March 2021, at 15:28. Chris Webber believes Game 6 of 2002 conference finals was fixed. Chris Webber had 28 points and 14 rebounds, but the other Kings combined shot under 40 percent. Kings vs. Lakers: 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals. NBA insiders have also agreed with Donaghy, Stephen A. Smith, Bill Plaschke, Mike Wilbon and Skip Bayless all covered the game and they agreed it was an embarrassment to the NBA and revere it as … The Lakers, led by O'Neal's 41 points and 17 rebounds, won 106-102, setting the stage for Game 7 in Sacramento. The Detroit Pistons were coming off a year where they had lost 50 games. The 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings is widely regarded as one of the best series in NBA playoff history.. The last TBS-aired game under its various contracts was Game 5 of the Lakers-Spurs series, while Game 4 of the NBA Finals marked the last telecast on NBC. * Division winner This was the first playoff meeting between the Celtics and the Nets.[17]. Jump to navigation Jump to search. Kings vs Lakers, 3-4 - 2002 Western Conference Finals Team and players stats from the Western Conference Finals series played between the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2002 Playoffs. The total number of playoff games was 70, including the NBA Finals. Though they eventually lost to the Nets 4–2 (preventing a Celtics–Lakers NBA Finals), they did create the biggest 4th quarter playoff comeback in Game 3, winning 94–90 after trailing by as much as 21 prior to the fourth quarter. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. The series concluded with Fox’s Lakers grinding out a Game 7 overtime victory, in enemy territory, despite the best efforts of the league’s loudest fans. Follow. This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning the first meeting. In the 2003 Western Conference Finals between LA and the Sacramento Kings, a lot of those doubts saw affirmation. In Game 3, the Celtics were down by as much as 26 points (21 coming into the 4th quarter), but they accomplished the biggest comeback in NBA Playoff history as the Celtics outscored the Nets 41-16 in the fourth quarter. [10], This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Timberwolves. [25] The Lakers shot 40 free throws overall, 27 in the fourth quarter alone, and the Kings' big men were plagued with foul trouble (Divac, Webber, Scot Pollard, and Lawrence Funderburke were called for 20 fouls, with Divac and Pollard both fouling out). Twitter. The Sacramento Kings were robbed of their chance to play for an NBA championship in 2002 when a referee scandal marred the Western Conference Finals series against the Lakers. Choisissez parmi des contenus premium Kings Lakers 2002 Webber de la plus haute qualité. [2], This was the first NBA playoff meeting between the Pacers and the Nets. Horry scored 11 of his 18 points in the 4th quarter, including two more crucial 3-pointers. Facebook. Sacramento stumbled in Game 7 and the rest is history. [27], Game 7 was tense, featuring 16 ties and 19 lead changes. By. Announcers: for NBC, Mike Breen announced Game 1, Marv Albert Games 3-7; Bill Walton & Steve Jones joined them as the analysts. Destiny was knocking at the doorstep, until May 30th, 2002, Game 6 Western Conference Finals a day that the Sacramento Kings would love to have erased from their memory. Do you have a blog? In the post game interview, Childs stated that he thought the team was down by four points, not three. [21], In Game 4, Sacramento again got out to a fast start with a 40-point first quarter and built a 24-point first half lead. Trouvez les Mike Bibby 2002 images et les photos d’actualités parfaites sur Getty Images. And yes, you can say free throw this free throw that, but did samaki's 3 really count? Finals MVP: Shaquille O'Neal (36.3 / 12.3 / 3.8), Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, April 3, 4:25AM. There were no words to describe how the Kings felt after Game 7. Share. The Hornets were renamed the Pelicans in 2013, after which the Bobcats reclaimed the Hornets name in 2014. 1. Sacramento was undone by poor free throw shooting (16–30 from the line), a horrid 2–20 from behind the arc, and a seeming unwillingness for anyone other than Bibby to take crucial shots down the stretch. Chris Webber, star forward on that Kings team, spoke about how it felt to be robbed out of a Conference title in 2002. The Los Angeles Lakers were celebrating after their “victory” over the Sacramento Kings in the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Gerald Wallace, recalling controversial Game 6 of 2002 Western Conference Finals: Sacramento Kings were a referee away from going to the Finals Updated Mar 24, 2019; Posted May 08, 2014 Facebook Share Bibby finished with 29 points, and Webber finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists. 2016 NBA By Alex Putterman on 05/05/2016 05/11/2016. However, many have wondered if LA has had help from referees and the general ‘big-market bias’. The Lakers sweep the Blazers thanks to a series-winning 3 by Robert Horry with 2.1 seconds left in Game 3. This was the final postseason that held a best-of-5 first-round series; the 2003 NBA Playoffs saw those series expand to a best-of-7 format. It also said that NBA officials would tell referees to not call technical fouls on certain players, and states that a referee was privately reprimanded by the league for ejecting a star player in the first quarter of a January 2000 game. There are allegations that the game was affected by the referees in relationship to the Tim Donaghy scandal. And the worst part? TNT analyst Chris Webber went on Dan Patrick’s radio show Wednesday to … This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning three series apiece. [30], (1) New Jersey Nets vs. (8) Indiana Pacers, (2) Detroit Pistons vs. (7) Toronto Raptors, (3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers, (4) Charlotte Hornets vs. (5) Orlando Magic, (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Seattle SuperSonics, (3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers, (4) Dallas Mavericks vs. (5) Minnesota Timberwolves, (1) New Jersey Nets vs. (4) Charlotte Hornets, (2) Detroit Pistons vs. (3) Boston Celtics, (1) Sacramento Kings vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks, (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Los Angeles Lakers, (1) New Jersey Nets vs. (3) Boston Celtics, (1) Sacramento Kings vs. (3) Los Angeles Lakers, NBA Finals (W3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (E1) New Jersey Nets, 1954 Eastern Division Round Robin Semifinals, 1954 Western Division Round Robin Semifinals, "2002 Lakers-Kings Game 6 at heart of Donaghy allegations", "Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus Indiana Pacers (Playoffs)", "Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Toronto Raptors (Playoffs)", "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)", "Team Rivalry Finder — Charlotte Hornets versus Orlando Magic (Playoffs)", "Team Rivalry Finder — Sacramento Kings versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)", "Team Rivalry Finder — Oklahoma City Thunder versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)", "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs)", "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Minnesota Timberwolves (Playoffs)", "Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus Charlotte Hornets (Playoffs)", "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs)", "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs)", "Kobe Continues to be Thorn in Spurs' Side", "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)", "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Brooklyn Nets (Playoffs)", "Lakers vs. Kings - Game Recap - May 18, 2002 - ESPN", "Lakers vs. Kings - Game Recap - May 20, 2002 - ESPN", "Kings vs. Lakers - Game Recap - May 24, 2002 - ESPN", "Kings vs. Lakers - Game Recap - May 26, 2002 - ESPN", "NBA.com: Kings One Away from a Crowning Achievement", "Lakers vs. Kings - Game Recap - May 28, 2002 - ESPN", "Kings vs. Lakers - Game Recap - May 31, 2002 - ESPN", "Talk About Foul! 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