Who Won The NBA Finals In 2002?

The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Finals in 2002.

The teams

The Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They play their home games at Staples Center, which they share with their in-city rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers. The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in NBA history, having won 16 NBA championships.

The New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The Nets are one of two NBA franchises in New York City; the other is the New York Knicks.

The franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the NBA’s rival league, the American Basketball Association (ABA). They played in New Jersey as the New Jersey Americans during their first season, before moving to Long Island in 1968 and changing their name to the New York Nets. During this time, the Nets won two ABA championships (in 1974 and 1976). The Nets were purchased by Ted Turner in 1977 and soon became a powerhouse in professional basketball, led by Julius Erving and Bill Russell.

In 2002, they finally made it to the NBA Finals but lost to their crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers.

The players

The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2002 NBA Finals, beating the New Jersey Nets 4-0. The series was played from June 5 to June 19, 2002. Shaquille O’Neal was named the Finals MVP.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Bryant is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, and ranks third on both the league’s all-time regular season scoring and all-time postseason scoring lists. He is one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal (/ʃəˈkɪl/ shə-KIL; born March 6, 1972), nicknamed Shaq (/ʃæk/ SHAK), is an American retired professional basketball player who is currently a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. Standing 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall and weighing 325 pounds (147 kg), he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA. O’Neal played for six teams throughout his 19-year NBA career.

O’Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He quickly became one of the best centers in the league, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 1992–93 and leading his team to the 1995 NBA Finals. After four years with the Magic, O’Neal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers. He won three consecutive championships with Kobe Bryant and helped lead Bryant and coach Phil Jackson to their first ever championship as a head coach and player duo. In 2004, after eight seasons with Los Angeles, O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a future first-round draft pick. The trade was prompted by disagreements between O’Neal and Kobe Bryant,[2] as well as Andrew Bynum’s rapid development into a capable starting center.

In Miami, he teamed with Dwyane Wade to form one of the deadliest duos in NBA history.[3] They helped lead Miami to six consecutive Eastern Conference Championships from 2005 to 2010, winning an NBA championship in 2006 and reaching the Finals again in 2011. Prior to his final season with Miami, O’Neal was traded back to Phoenix §20 million cash considerations for forward Shawn Marion and guard Leron Rogers.[4] He played his final season withPhoenix before he was amnestied by mutual agreement between himself and management following season-ending injuries during his tenure.[5][6][7][8] Standing at 14–2 (4.3 m)

O’neal is considered one of planet’s very best ever professional basketball players.[9][10][11] He has frequently been referred to as one of biggest “What If” stories ever wonder about had he not experienced several serious problems during his physical prime.[12] He has been written about at length several times due how towering size, strength athleticism enabled him achieve such great success while playing center position, which has been called most physically demanding position on court because larger heavier opponents often defend it.[13][14]

The game

The game of the NBA Finals in 2002 was very intense. The Los Angeles Lakers were up against the Sacramento Kings. This was a very important game because the Lakers were down by 3 games. The Kings were a very good team and the Lakers knew that they had to win this game. Kobe Bryant was the star player for the Lakers and he knew that he had to step up his game.

The final score

The final score of the 2002 NBA Finals was 92-93, in favor of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The highlights

The 2002 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s championship series for the 2001–02 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers (who were also defending their NBA title from the previous season), and the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets.

The Lakers swept the Nets four games to none, winning their third consecutive NBA championship and tenth overall. Shaquille O’Neal was named Finals MVP for the third year in a row.

It was also the first Finals sweep since 1988, when the Los Angeles Lakers had swept Detroit Pistons.