Schedule and 2002 Results
Regular Season Records: New Jersey 52-30, Boston 49-33
Game 1 on Sunday, 19 May: Bos. loses at N.J., 104-pts-97
Game 2 on Tuesday, 21 May: Bos. wins at N.J., 93-pts-86
Game 3 on Saturday, 25 May: N.J. loses at Bos., 94-pts-90
Game 4 on Monday, 27 May: N.J. wins at Bos., 94-pts-92
Game 5 on Wednesday, 29 May: Bos. loses at N.J., 103-pts-92
Game 6 on Friday, 31 May: N.J. wins at Bos., 96-pts-88

SERIES NOTES:

Post Game 6 notes: New Jersey defeats the Celtics at Boston 96-pts-88, thus winning series 867 by a 4-games-2 margin. The best-of-7 Semis-round Game 6 record for New Jersey is now 1-0 (1-0 on the road); the best-of-7 Semis-round Game 6 record for Boston is now 7-8 (2-1 in home games). New Jersey's best-of-7 series record is now 2-1 and 1-0 in the Semis-round; that for Boston is now 50-15 and 18-8 in the Semifinals round. New Jersey won series 867 through a WLLWWW win order. Series 867 was the third NHL Semis-round series to follow the WLLWWW win order, the 18th NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order, and the 22nd NHL, NBA, or MLB series (all rounds) to follow that win order. New Jersey trailed Boston by 10 points at the half. From 1947 through the 2002 NBA Quarterfinals: When the road team has trailed by 10 points at halftime in best-of-7 play, its game record was 8-51 (.136).

Post Game 5 notes: New Jersey hosts and defeats Boston 103-pts-92 to take a 3-games-2 series lead. The best-of-7 Semis-round Game 5 record for New Jersey is now 1-0 (1-0 at home), while that for Boston is now 18-7 (2-3 on the road). New Jersey is leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2 for the first time. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, Boston has a 5-10 series record and is on a three-series losing streak.

Post Game 4 notes: New Jersey defeats the Celtics in Boston 94-pts-92 to tie their series at 2-games-all. The best-of-7 Semis-round Game 4 record for Boston is now 9-17 (3-2 at home), while that for New Jersey is now 1-0 (1-0 on the road). When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, Boston has a series record of 23-6 and is on a 3-series losing streak, while New Jersey has a series record of 0-1.

Post Game 3 notes: Boston hosts and defeats New Jersey 94-pts-90 to take a 2-games-1 lead in their best-of-7 NBA Semifinals series. The best-of-7 Semis-round Game 3 record for Boston is now 13-13 (9-3 at home), while that for New Jersey is now 0-1 (0-1 on the road). When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, Boston owns a series record of 32-2; when trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, New Jersey owns a series record of 0-1. Boston trailed by 21 points after three quarters; the Celtics mounted the largest fourth-quarter comeback ever in best-of-7 NBA playoff history to win Game 3. The previous largest involved an 18-point deficit after three quarters in best-of-7 series 668: In Game 2 of the 1994 Quarterfinals, Phoenix trailed Houston 100-pts-82 after three quarters, but rallied to win 124-pts-117 in overtime. In best-of-7 NBA playoff rounds from 1947 through Friday 24 May 2002, teams leading by 19+ points after three quarters had a 172-0 game record (some national media reported that figure as 171-0, but Sacramento had a 23-point lead after three quarters in Los Angeles [24 May 2002] in series 868 and held on to win, thus improving that mark to 172-0; it's now 172-1). Boston outscored New Jersey in the fourth quarter 41 to 16: That 25-point fourth-quarter differential is the largest ever in an NBA best-of-7 playoff game, breaking the old mark of 23 points set in best-of-7 series 136 by the Boston Celtics (in Game 6 of the 1960 NBA Finals vs. the St. Louis Hawks) and tied in best-of-7 series 410 by the Philadelphia 76ers (in Game 5 of the 1982 NBA Finals vs. the Los Angeles Lakers). Boston trailed by 20 points at the half. Prior to this game, NBA teams trailing by 20 points at halftime of a best-of-7 playoff game had an 0-15 game record. Boston's comeback from the 20-point halftime deficit was the second-biggest ever in NBA best-of-7 playoff history, second only to the original Baltimore Bullets, which in best-of-7 series 70 Game 2 (the 1948 NBA Finals) trailed the Philadelphia Warriors 41-pts-20 at halftime (a 21-point deficit) but rallied to win 66-pts-63.

Post Game 2 notes: Boston visits and defeats New Jersey 93-pts-86 to tie best-of-7 series 867 at 1-game-all. The win improves Boston's best-of-7 Semis-round Game 2 record to 15-11 (4-8 on the road); the loss drops New Jersey's best-of-7 Semis-round Game 2 record to 0-1 (0-1 at home). When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, New Jersey has an 0-1 series record, while Boston has a 21-9 series record.

Post Game 1 notes: New Jersey hosts and defeats Boston 104-pts-97 to take a 1-game-nil lead in best-of-7 series 867. The win sets New Jersey's best-of-7 Semis-round Game 1 record at 1-0 (1-0 at home), and lowers that record for Boston to 18-8 (3-2 on the road). When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, New Jersey has a 1-1 series record; when trailing a best-of-7 series 1-game-nil, Boston has a 7-10 series record. The win improves the Nets' overall best-of-7 Game 1 record to 3-0. As is also relevant to the Sacramento - L.A. series: From 1947 through 2001, when an NBA team wins Game 1 of a best-of-7 series by seven points, its series record is a perfect 9-0. NBA teams such as Boston which lose Game 1 of a best-of-7 Semis-round series on the road had a 9-57 series record from 1947 through the 2002 Quarterfinals. Two of those nine series victories came against the Celtics (best-of-7 series 273: New York Knickerbockers defeated Boston in the 1973 NBA Semis; best-of-7 series 408: Philadelphia 76ers defeated Boston in the 1982 NBA Semis); thus, those '73 Knicks and '82 Sixers set a favorable precedent for the Boston Celtics in this series, despite having defeated predecessors of the 2002 Celtics.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2001-02 regular season, New Jersey finished three games ahead of Boston. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series from 1947 through the 2002 Quarterfinals (285 series total), when a team finishes the regular season three games ahead of its best-of-7 playoff series opponent, its series record against such opponents is 7-9.