Schedule and 2003 Results
Regular Season Records: New Jersey 49-33, Boston 44-38
Game 1 on Monday, 5 May: Boston loses at New Jersey, 97-pts-93
Game 2 on Wednesday, 7 May: Boston loses at New Jersey, 104-pts-95
Game 3 on Friday, 9 May: New Jersey wins at Boston, 94-pts-76
Game 4 on Monday, 12 May: New Jersey at Boston, 110-pts-101 (2OT)

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 4: After two overtime periods in Boston, the New Jersey Nets defeated the Boston Celtics 110-pts-101 to capture a 4-games-nil sweep of MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 897. The four-game sweep of a best-of-7 playoff series is the 38th in the NBA (all best-of-7 rounds), the 18th in the NBA Quarterfinals, the 51st in all (NBA and NHL) Quarterfinals, and the 150th in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series (all rounds). The sweep is the first best-of-7 sweep won by the New Jersey Nets, and is the second suffered by the Boston Celtics (the first was in best-of-7 series 420, to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1983 NBA Quarterfinals). The New Jersey Nets now have a best-of-7 NBA playoff series record of 4-2; the Boston Celtics now have a best-of-7 NBA playoff series record of 51-16.

After Game 3: The New Jersey Nets visited and defeated the Boston Celtics 94-pts-76 in Game 3 of best-of-7 series 897, thus taking a 3-games-nil lead in series 897. Series 897 is the first best-of-7 NBA playoff series in which the New Jersey Nets enjoyed a 3-games-nil series lead; when trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-nil, the Boston Celtics have a series record of 0-2 and a Game 4 record of 1-1. The 18-point margin of road victory for the Nets in Game 3 is the largest Game 3 margin of victory for a road team since best-of-7 series 841 in the 2001 NBA Quarterfinals round, in which the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento, 103-pts-81, en route to a four-game sweep.

After Game 2: The New Jersey Nets again hosted and defeated the Boston Celtics, 104-pts-95, thereby taking a 2-games-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 897. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the New Jersey Nets have a series record of 1-0; when trailing 2-games-nil, the Boston Celtics have a series record of 1-5, with the sole win occurring in best-of-7 series 215 (the 1969 NBA Finals, in which the Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers). From 1947 through 2002, teams leading an NBA Quarterfinals best-of-7 playoff series WW @ HH (such as New Jersey) had a 66-1 series record: The sole loss occurred in best-of-7 series 691, in which the Phoenix Suns were defeated by the Houston Rockets in their 1995 NBA Quarterfinals series.

After Game 1: The New Jersey Nets hosted and defeated the Boston Celtics 97-pts-93 to take a one-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 897. When leading a best-of-7 series 1-game-nil, the New Jersey Nets have a 3-1 series record; when trailing 1-game-nil, the Boston Celtics have a 7-11 series record.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2002-03 regular season, New Jersey finished 5 games ahead of Boston. From 1947 through the 2003 NBA Preliminary round, when an NBA team led its best-of-7 playoff series opponent by 5 regular-season games, it has gone on to post an 18-7 (.720) best-of-7 series record in that series against that opponent. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 897 is the second best-of-7 meeting between Boston and New Jersey; New Jersey won the previous best-of-7 series against Boston.