Schedule and 2002 Results
Regular Season Records: Charlotte 44-38, New Jersey 52-30
Game 1 on Sunday, 5 May: Cha. loses at N.J., 99-pts-93
Game 2 on Tuesday, 7 May: Cha. loses at N.J., 102-pts-88
Game 3 on Thursday, 9 May: N.J. loses at Cha., 115-pts-97
Game 4 on Sunday, 12 May: N.J. wins at Cha., 89-pts-79
Game 5 on Wednesday, 15 May: Cha. at N.J., 103-pts-95

SERIES NOTES: Post Game 5 assessment: By defeating the Charlotte Hornets 103-pts-95, the New Jersey Nets win their first-ever best-of-7 NBA playoff series, while the Charlotte Hornets lose their last-ever best-of-7 NBA playoff series. The NBA Board of Governors has approved the move of the Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans, so if and when the New Orleans-based team wins a best-of-7 playoff berth, this site will follow its own custom and recognize that team as a new franchise irrespective of whether the "Hornets" sobriquet is retained by the New Orleans-based team. The "book" on the NBA Charlotte Hornets is now closed. New Jersey improves its best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 5 record to 1-1 (1-0 at home), while the best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 5 record of the Charlotte Hornets becomes a permanent 1-3 (all on the road). New Jersey's best-of-7 NBA playoffs series record is now 1-1 (1-1 in the NBA Quarterfinals or the Eastern Conference Semifinals). Charlotte's best-of-7 NBA playoffs series record is now and will forever be 0-4 (all in the Qtrs-round). Only the existing NHL Phoenix Coyotes (0-5) and the old NHL Hartford Whalers (0-7) have/had worse best-of-7 series records. The series win order is WWLWW, and was last seen in the 2002 NHL Qtrs-round when Detroit defeated St. Louis WWLWW. Best-of-7 series 863 thus becomes the 19th in the NBA Quarterfinals, the 31st in the NBA (all rounds), and the 70th in MLB/NBA/NHL all-round play to show a WWLWW win order. The very first MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series to go the WWLWW route was the MLB Chicago Cubs' 1908 World Series victory. Post Game 4 assessment: New Jersey visits and defeats Charlotte 89-pts-79 to take a 3-games-1 series lead. New Jersey's best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 4 record is now 2-0 (1-0 on the road); Charlotte's best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 4 record is now 1-3 (1-3 at home). New Jersey leads a best-of-7 series 3-games-1 for the first time. When trailing a best-of-7 series 3-games-1, Charlotte's series record is 0-2. Post Game 3 assessment: Charlotte hosts and defeats New Jersey 115-pts-97 to narrow the New Jersey series lead to 2-games-1. In best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 3 action, New Jersey is now 0-2 (0-1 on the road), while Charlotte is 3-1 (3-1 at home). New Jersey is leading a best-of-7 series 2-games-1 for the first time, while Charlotte has an 0-3 series record when trailing 2-games-1. Post Game 2 assessment: New Jersey hosts and defeats Charlotte 102-pts-88 to take a commanding 2-games-nil series lead. Thus, New Jersey improves its best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 2 record to 1-1 (1-0 at home) while that of Charlotte falls to 1-3 (1-3 on the road). New Jersey leads a best-of-7 playoff series 2-games-nil for the first time. Charlotte has an 0-2 series record when trailing the series 2-games-nil. The only NBA team to lose Games 1-2 of an NBA best-of-7 Qtrs-round series on the road but win the series is the Houston Rockets in series 691, a 1995 match-up vs. the Phoenix Suns. Post Game 1 assessment: New Jersey hosts and defeats Charlotte 99-pts-93 to forge a 1-game-nil series lead. The Nets thus improve their best-of-7 Qtrs-round Game 1 record to 2-0 (1-0 at home), while that of Charlotte falls to 0-4 (0-4 on the road). When leading a best-of-7 series 1-game-nil, New Jersey has an 0-1 series record; when trailing a best-of-7 series 1-game-nil, Charlotte has an 0-3 series record. From 1947 through 2001, NBA teams winning Game 1 of a best-of-7 series by six points have posted a 10-6 series record. In its only previous best-of-7 playoff series (series 435 -- the 1984 NBA Qtrs), New Jersey also won Game 1 by six points, but lost the series in six games to the Milwaukee Bucks. Pre-series assessment: In the 2001-02 regular season, New Jersey finished 8 regular-season games ahead of Charlotte. From 1947 through 2001, when NBA best-of-7 opponents were separated by eight regular-season games, the team with the better regular-season record has gone on to post a 13-4 (.765) best-of-7 series record in that series against that opponent, with an active series winning streak of nine series wins and counting.