[1] This season is notable for the Nets acquiring All-Star point guard Jason Kidd from the Phoenix Suns during the off-season.
Kidd was credited for most of the turnaround, as the Nets had finished 26–56 the previous year; Kidd averaged 14.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 9.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game, as he finished second to the Spurs' Tim Duncan in Most Valuable Player voting,[17][18][19][20] and was named to the All-NBA First Team, NBA All-Defensive First Team, and selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with head coach Byron Scott coaching the Eastern Conference.
[30][31][32][20] Under the guidance of Kidd and Martin, the young Nets team prospered through the playoffs, and ended up advancing all the way to the Eastern Conference title and the franchise's first-ever appearance in the NBA Finals.
[43][44][45][46] However, New Jersey's season would end without an improbable NBA crown, as the Nets were swept in four games by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Amid tensions between co-captains Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, the franchise had another stellar season, finishing 58–24 (.707), good for second in the Pacific Division and earning the third seed in the Western Conference.
With another lottery pick, Thorn dealt it to the Houston Rockets for draftees Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins and Brandon Armstrong.
[62] With the Princeton offense installed from the coaching staff,[63] the Nets rebounded to a 52–30 (.634) mark, a twenty-six-win improvement from the last season, and clinched the number-one seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Nets trotted out a lineup of Kidd, Kittles, Martin, Van Horn and MacCulloth to hold up against the two-time defending and heavily favored champions.
The Lakers brought out Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Shaquille O'Neal, Robert Horry, and Kobe Bryant, who drew the assignment of guarding Kidd.
Taking advantage of a late arrival to the arena by New Jersey, L.A. dominated the first 17 minutes of play with a 42–19 score by the 6:41 mark in the second quarter.