Schedule and 2002 Results
Regular Season Records: New Jersey 52-30, Los Angeles 58-24
Game 1 on Wednesday, 5 June: N.J. loses at L.A., 99-pts-94
Game 2 on Friday, 7 June: N.J. loses at L.A., 106-pts-83
Game 3 on Sunday, 9 June: L.A. wins at N.J., 106-pts-103
Game 4 on Wednesday, 12 June: L.A. wins at N.J., 113-pts-107

SERIES NOTES:

Game 4 notes: Los Angeles visited and defeated New Jersey 113-pts-107 to win Game 4 and the series (4-games-nil). The Nets led after the first quarter, 34-pts-27; it was the only quarter in best-of-7 series 869 after which the Nets held a lead (another quarter ended with a tie score; the Lakers led after the other ten quarters of the series). As such, the Nets were swept but averted an "annihilation" as defined by WhoWins™. The sweep was the seventh in the NBA Finals, and the first in the NBA Finals by the Los Angeles Lakers. The sweep was the 37th in NBA best-of-7 series (all rounds), and the eleventh by the L.A. Lakers. The sweep was the 148th in NBA/NHL/MLB best-of-7 playoff history. The best-of-7 Finals-round Game 4 record of the L.A. Lakers is now 8-13 and 5-4 on the road; that of the Nets is now 0-1 and 0-1 at home. The L.A. Lakers' best-of-7 series record is now 51-23 (.689) in all rounds and 9-12 in the NBA Finals (those 12 Finals-round series losses are an NHL/NBA/MLB high); the N.J. Nets' best-of-7 series record is now 2-2. A total of 811 points were tallied in this series, which is roughly two-thirds down the list of total points scored in each of the 37 NBA best-of-7 sweeps (nothing overly unusual, there).

Game 3 notes: Los Angeles visited and defeated New Jersey 106-pts-103 to take a 3-games-nil lead in the 2002 NBA Finals. The best-of-7 Finals-round Game 3 record for the L.A. Lakers is now 11-10 (5-4 on the road), while that for New Jersey is now 0-1 (0-1 at home). When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-nil, the Los Angeles Lakers own a 17-0 series record; the New Jersey Nets are trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-nil for the first time. Through twelve quarters of the 2002 NBA Finals, the New Jersey Nets still have yet to own an end-quarter lead: This series is the 16th NBA series overall, the fourth NBA Finals series, and the sixth in which the Minneapolis/L.A. Lakers led in which one team held end-quarter leads in twelve out of twelve quarters. If the Lakers lead after each of the four or four-plus Game 4 quarters, they will have secured the seventh NBA (all rounds) and the third NBA Finals "pseudo-annihilation," in which the swept team fails to lead the game after any quarter.

Game 2 notes: The L.A. Lakers hosted and defeated the N.J. Nets 106-pts-83 to take a 2-games-nil lead in the 2002 NBA Finals. The best-of-7 Finals Game 2 record for the Los Angeles Lakers is now 11-10 and 7-2 at home; that for the Nets is now 0-1 (0-1 on the road). When leading a best-of-7 series 2-games-nil, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 31-1 series record, losing only in the 1969 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics. The New Jersey Nets are trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil for the first time. The Lakers have now held in-game leads at the end of the first eight quarters of the series: The last time one team did so in the NBA Finals was fifteen years ago, when the Lakers led the Boston Celtics after each of the first eight quarters of the 1987 NBA Finals.

Game 1 notes: The Los Angeles Lakers hosted and defeated the New Jersey Nets 99-pts-94 to take a 1-game-nil 2002 NBA Finals lead. It was the first Game 1 loss in four best-of-7 tries for the Nets, which are now 0-1 (0-1 on the road) in best-of-7 Finals-round Game 1 play. The Los Angeles Lakers are now 10-11 (6-3 at home) in best-of-7 Finals-round Game 1 play. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, Los Angeles owns a 42-7 series record; the last loss occurred in the 1991 NBA Finals to the Chicago Bulls. The New Jersey Nets are trailing a best-of-7 series 1-game-nil for the first time. NBA teams winning Game 1 by five points have a 7-4 series record.

Pre-series notes: Los Angeles finished the 2001-02 regular season six games ahead of New Jersey. From 1947 through the 2002 NBA Semifinals round, when NBA best-of-7 opponents were separated by six regular-season games, the team playing Game 1 at home (Los Angeles) has gone on to post a 13-3 (.813) best-of-7 series record in that series against that opponent. Fifteen years ago, the Lakers entered the 1987 NBA Finals six regular-season games ahead of the Boston Celtics, and defeated the Celtics in six games to win the 1987 NBA championship. The last NBA team to trail a best-of-7 playoff opponent by six regular-season games but win the series was the New York Knickerbockers, which defeated the Indiana Pacers in their 1999 NBA Semifinals series.