With the NBA on hiatus and New York continuing its battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak, Brooklyn Nets games will not be played for the foreseeable future.
For the Nets, as much as any team, this comes at an odd time — Brooklyn was battling the Orlando Magic for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings. At the stoppage of play, the Nets had a half-game advantage over the Magic.
Since there aren’t any games, each day Nets Wire will highlight impressive individual performances and major moments throughout Nets history:
May 31, 2002 was a big day for the Nets franchise. It was the first time the organization had the chance to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals since joining the league.
The Celtics had other plans though. Boston took a seven-point lead in the first quarter at home and expanded their lead to 10 by halftime. Then New Jersey responded.
The Nets clamped down on defense in the third quarter, holding Boston to 15 points, erasing their lead to gain a one-point advantage. New Jersey closed the door in the fourth, outscoring the Celtics 26-19 to win the game 96-88 and the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals with it (full box score).
“If you believe in yourself and your teammates, good things will happen,” Jason Kidd said after the win. ‘The Nets will be a blueprint for any team out there that has a good group of guys who believe in one another and want everybody to succeed and not be selfish.”
Kidd finished with 15 points, 13 rebounds, 13 assists, one steal and one blocked shot. Kenyon Martin led the Nets in scoring with 16 points, and Richard Jefferson (15 points), Lucious Harris (12), Keith Van Horn (11) and Todd MacCullough (11) each finished in double-figures.