Who Won the 2003 NBA Championship?

The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2002–03 NBA season. The Finals were between the San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference and the New Jersey Nets of the Eastern Conference, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, with the first 2 games in San Antonio, the next 2 games in New Jersey, and the last 3 games in San Antonio.

The 2003 NBA Playoffs

The Western Conference

The playoffs began on April 19, 2003, and ended on June 15, 2003, with the San Antonio Spurs defeating the New Jersey Nets, 4 games to 2, in the Finals to win their second NBA championship. Tim Duncan was named the Finals MVP.

The Western Conference playoff seeds were:

1. San Antonio Spurs (60–22) – Southwest Division champions
2. Dallas Mavericks (57–25) – Northwest Division champions
3. Minnesota Timberwolves (51–31) – Midwest Division champions
4. Sacramento Kings (55–27) – Pacific Division champions
5. Portland Trail Blazers (50–32)
6. Los Angeles Lakers (50–32)
7. Utah Jazz (42–40)
8. Memphis Grizzlies (28–54)

The first round of the playoffs was played between April 19 and May 4, and featured:

The West’s #1 seed San Antonio Spurs versus the #8 seed Memphis Grizzlies

The Spurs won 3–1

The West’s #2 seed Dallas Mavericks versus the #7 seed Utah Jazz

The Mavericks won 3-1

The West’s #3 seed Minnesota Timberwolves versus the #6 seed Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers won 3-2

The West’s #4 seed Sacramento Kings versus the #5 seed Portland Trail Blazers

The Kings won 3-2

The Eastern Conference

In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons took on the Orlando Magic, while the Indiana Pacers faced off against the New Jersey Nets. The Pistons and Pacers both won their respective series in five games, setting up a conference finals matchup between the two teams. The Pistons ended up winning the series in six games, and advanced to the NBA Finals.

The 2003 NBA Finals

The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2002–03 NBA season. The Spurs of Western Conference won the title, beating the Nets of the Eastern Conference, 4 games to 2.

Game 1

The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2002–03 NBA season. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs took on the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, with the first 2 games in San Antonio, the next 3 games in East Rutherford, and the last 2 games in San Antonio.

The Spurs won the series 4–2 to win their 2nd franchise championship. Spurs forward Tim Duncan was named as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of both the series and the Finals.

Game 2

The San Antonio Spurs took on the New Jersey Nets in Game 2 of the 2003 NBA Finals. This was a rematch of the previous year’s Finals, in which the Spurs had prevailed. The Spurs were looking to take a 2-0 lead in the series, while the Nets were hoping to even things up at 1-1.

The game was tight throughout, with neither team leading by more than six points. With under a minute to play, Tim Duncan hit a jumper to give the Spurs a three-point lead. The Nets had one last chance to tie the game, but Kerry Kittles missed a jumper as time expired.

The Spurs went on to win the series in six games, capturing their second consecutive NBA championship.

Game 3

The San Antonio Spurs took Game 3 of the 2003 NBA Finals, defeating the New Jersey Nets 96–83. Tim Duncan led the Spurs to victory with 30 points and 17 rebounds, while Tony Parker added 18 points and 6 assists. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was named the NBA Finals MVP.

Game 4

In Game 4, the Mavericks took a 3-1 lead in the series with a 102-93 victory. Nowitzki had 33 points and 13 rebounds, while Nash added 19 points and 10 assists. Duncan had 30 points and 17 rebounds for the Spurs, but San Antonio shot just 39 percent from the field as a team. The Mavericks held a slim 50-49 lead at halftime, but they outscored the Spurs 32-24 in the third quarter to take control of the game. Dallas would go on to win the series in six games, becoming the first eighth-seeded team to win an NBA championship.

Game 5

The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2002–03 NBA season. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs faced the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, with the first 2 games in San Antonio, the next 2 games in New Jersey, and games 5–7 (if necessary) back in San Antonio.

The Spurs won the series 4 games to 2. The Finals were televised on ABC, with Al Michaels and Hubie Brown commentating.

The 2003 NBA Champion

The 2003 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2002–03 NBA season. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs played the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage.

The San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

The Spurs are one of four former American Basketball Association teams to remain intact in the NBA after the 1976 ABA–NBA merger and are the only former ABA team to have won an NBA championship. The Spurs’ five NBA championships are tied with the Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers for fourth most in NBA history behind only the Boston Celtics (17), Los Angeles Lakers (16), and Chicago Bulls (6). As of 2019, the Spurs have generated the sixth-highest winning percentage among all NBA teams since their founding.