2002–03 NBA season

2002–03 NBA season
League	National Basketball Association
Sport	Basketball
Duration	October 29, 2002 – April 16, 2003 April 19 – May 29, 2003 (Playoffs) June 4 – 15, 2003 (Finals)
TV partner/s	ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBA TV
Draft
Top draft pick	Yao Ming
Picked by	Houston Rockets
Regular season
Top seed	San Antonio Spurs
Season MVP	Tim Duncan (San Antonio)
Top scorer	Tracy McGrady (Orlando)
Playoffs
Eastern champions	New Jersey Nets
Eastern runners-up	Detroit Pistons
Western champions	San Antonio Spurs
Western runners-up	Dallas Mavericks
Finals
Finals champions	San Antonio Spurs
Runners-up	New Jersey Nets
Finals MVP	Tim Duncan (San Antonio)
NBA seasons
← 2001–02	2003–04 →

The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.

Contents 1 Notable occurrences 2 Final standings 2.1 By division 2.2 By conference 3 Playoffs 4 Statistics leaders 5 Awards 5.1 Yearly awards 5.2 Players of the month 5.3 Rookies of the month 5.4 Coaches of the month 6 See also

Notable occurrences

Coaching changes

Offseason
Team	2001-02 coach	2002-03 coach
Denver Nuggets	Mike Evans	Jeff Bzdelik
Golden State Warriors	Brian Winters	Eric Musselman
In-season
Team	Outgoing coach	Incoming coach
Atlanta Hawks	Lon Kruger	Terry Stotts
Cleveland Cavaliers	John Lucas	Keith Smart
Los Angeles Clippers	Alvin Gentry	Dennis Johnson
Memphis Grizzlies	Sidney Lowe	Hubie Brown

• The Hornets relocate from Charlotte, North Carolina to New Orleans, Louisiana, resulting in a two-year absence for the Carolinas, until the birth of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004. They also play their first game at New Orleans Arena. As a result the NBA prohibits NBA games (except national games) from being broadcast in the Carolinas. On their New Orleans debut (Oct. 30, 2002) against the city's former occupants, the Utah Jazz, the Hornets posthumously retired Pete Maravich's No. 7, even though he never played for the team, but was honored for his basketball contributions to the city.
• The San Antonio Spurs played their first game at the SBC Center (now the AT&T Center).
• The Houston Rockets played their final game at the Compaq Center (formerly The Summit).
• The 2003 NBA All-Star Game was held at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The West won 155-145 in double overtime, the longest All-Star game in NBA history. Minnesota's Kevin Garnett took the game's MVP honors. It was also the last time an Eastern Conference city hosted an All-Star Game, and the last time a rookie played (until 2011) and started an All-Star game, with Yao Ming making his all-star debut.
• Michael Jordan announces his third and final retirement. He plays his last game on April 16, 2003 in Philadelphia.
• The NBA on ABC begins (replacing NBA on NBC) again after a 29 year hiatus when the NBA signs new television deals with TNT and the consortium of ABC and ESPN. This agreement significantly decreased the amount of games on network television, including the playoffs, in which very few games are shown on ABC, with the exception of the NBA Finals, which are shown entirely on ABC. Also, both conference finals are shown live on cable for the first time.
• For the first time in NBA history, two former ABA teams contest each other in the NBA Finals, the New Jersey Nets versus the San Antonio Spurs. The Nets became the only team in NBA Finals history to wear a throwback uniform in a Finals game, wearing their 1976 home uniforms in Game 5.
• A new instant replay rule is in effect to help officials in determining close calls. Bright red lights are installed on the backboards and scoring tables to make the shot easier to figure out.
• The NBA changes the first round format from a best of five game series to a best of seven game series for the 2003 NBA Playoffs.
• A new low in television ratings for the NBA Finals is reached, replacing the 1981 series as the least watched Finals (later surpassed by the 2007 finals).
• On January 7, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers scored 45 points against the Seattle Sonics. Kobe made nine consecutive three-pointers and finished with 12 overall, a new NBA record for most "3's" in a game, later tied by Donyell Marshall.
• Eight NBA teams (the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and Washington Wizards) wore throwback uniforms to celebrate the first ever NBA Hardwood Classics Nights, commemorating either a player milestone, team anniversary or championship anniversary. The NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta featured NBA players wearing the 1987 All-Star uniforms as an extension.
• The Los Angeles Lakers debuted their white and gold alternate jerseys in a loss against the Sacramento Kings on December 25, 2002 at Staples Center. The jerseys were designed as a tribute to long-time announcer Chick Hearn, who passed away on August 5 from a head injury caused by a fall. The Lakers also sport a black patch in his honor.
• The Toronto Raptors set a dubious NBA record by not dressing 12 players for any of their games.
• Lenny Wilkens becomes the all time leader in losses surpassing Bill Fitch.
• Reebok became the official outfitter for NBA teams, except those still under contract with Nike. Reebok would later become the endorser for all NBA teams in 2004 until its merger and subsequent transfer to Adidas in 2006.
• David Robinson announced his retirement. He would eventually go on to win the championship with the Spurs.

Final standings

By division

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-New Jersey Nets	49	33	.598	–	33–8	16–25	16–8
x-Philadelphia 76ers	48	34	.585	1	25–16	23–18	17–7
x-Boston Celtics	44	38	.537	5	25–16	19–22	13–12
x-Orlando Magic	42	40	.512	7	26–15	16–25	14–11
Washington Wizards	37	45	.451	12	23–18	14–27	11–13
New York Knicks	37	45	.451	12	24–17	13–28	9–15
Miami Heat	25	57	.305	24	16–25	9–32	5–19

Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Detroit Pistons	50	32	.610	–	30–11	20–21	19–9
x-Indiana Pacers	48	34	.585	2	32–9	16–25	19–9
x-New Orleans Hornets	47	35	.573	3	29–12	18–23	17–11
x-Milwaukee Bucks	42	40	.512	8	25–16	17–24	16–12
Atlanta Hawks	35	47	.427	15	26–15	9–32	14–14
Chicago Bulls	30	52	.366	20	27–14	3–38	12–16
Toronto Raptors	24	58	.293	26	15–26	9–32	10–18
Cleveland Cavaliers	17	65	.207	33	14–27	3–38	5–23

Midwest Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-San Antonio Spurs	60	22	.732	–	33–8	27–14	17–7
x-Dallas Mavericks	60	22	.732	–	33–8	27–14	18–6
x-Minnesota Timberwolves	51	31	.622	9	33–8	18–23	15–9
x-Utah Jazz	47	35	.573	13	29–12	18–23	15–9
Houston Rockets	43	39	.524	17	28–13	15–26	11–13
Memphis Grizzlies	28	54	.341	32	20–21	8–33	5–17
Denver Nuggets	17	65	.207	43	13–28	4–37	3–21

Pacific Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Sacramento Kings	59	23	.720	–	35–6	24–17	17–7
x-Los Angeles Lakers	50	32	.610	9	31–10	19–22	15–9
x-Portland Trail Blazers	50	32	.610	9	27–14	23–18	15–9
x-Phoenix Suns	44	38	.537	15	30–11	14–27	12–12
Seattle SuperSonics	40	42	.488	19	25–16	15–26	11–13
Golden State Warriors	38	44	.463	21	24–17	14–27	8–16
Los Angeles Clippers	27	55	.329	32	16–25	11–30	6–18

By conference

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Detroit Pistons	50	32	.610	–
2	y-New Jersey Nets	49	33	.598	1
3	x-Indiana Pacers	48	34	.585	2
4	x-Philadelphia 76ers	48	34	.585	2
5	x-New Orleans Hornets	47	35	.573	3
6	x-Boston Celtics	44	38	.537	6
7	x-Milwaukee Bucks	42	40	.512	8
8	x-Orlando Magic	42	40	.512	8
9	New York Knicks	37	45	.451	13
9	Washington Wizards	37	45	.451	13
11	Atlanta Hawks	35	47	.427	15
12	Chicago Bulls	30	52	.366	20
13	Miami Heat	25	57	.305	25
14	Toronto Raptors	24	58	.293	26
15	Cleveland Cavaliers	17	65	.207	33

#	Western Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-San Antonio Spurs	60	22	.732	–
2	y-Sacramento Kings	59	23	.720	1
3	x-Dallas Mavericks	60	22	.732	–
4	x-Minnesota Timberwolves	51	31	.622	9
5	x-Los Angeles Lakers	50	32	.610	10
6	x-Portland Trail Blazers	50	32	.610	10
7	x-Utah Jazz	47	35	.573	13
8	x-Phoenix Suns	44	38	.537	16
9	Houston Rockets	43	39	.524	17
10	Seattle SuperSonics	40	42	.488	20
11	Golden State Warriors	38	44	.463	22
12	Memphis Grizzlies	28	54	.341	32
13	Los Angeles Clippers	27	55	.329	33
14	Denver Nuggets	17	65	.207	43

Notes

• y, z – clinched division title
• x – clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.

	First Round					Conference Semifinals					Conference Finals					NBA Finals
	1	San Antonio	4
	8	Phoenix	2
						1	San Antonio	4
						5	L.A. Lakers	2
	4	Minnesota	2
	5	L.A. Lakers	4
											1	San Antonio	4
	Western Conference
										3	Dallas	2
	3	Dallas	4
	6	Portland	3
						3	Dallas	4
						2	Sacramento	3
	2	Sacramento	4
	7	Utah	1
																W1	San Antonio	4
															E2	New Jersey	2
	1	Detroit	4
	8	Orlando	3
						1	Detroit	4
						4	Philadelphia	2
	4	Philadelphia	4
	5	New Orleans	2
											1	Detroit	0
	Eastern Conference
										2	New Jersey	4
	3	Indiana	2
	6	Boston	4
						6	Boston	0
						2	New Jersey	4
	2	New Jersey	4
	7	Milwaukee	2

Statistics leaders

Category	Player	Team	Stat
Points per game	Tracy McGrady	Orlando Magic	32.1
Rebounds per game	Ben Wallace	Detroit Pistons	15.4
Assists per game	Jason Kidd	New Jersey Nets	8.9
Steals per game	Allen Iverson	Philadelphia 76ers	2.7
Blocks per game	Theo Ratliff	Atlanta Hawks	3.2
FG%	Eddy Curry	Chicago Bulls	58.5
FT%	Allan Houston	New York Knicks	91.9
3FG%	Bruce Bowen	San Antonio Spurs	44.1

Awards

Yearly awards

• Most Valuable Player: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
• Rookie of the Year: Amar'e Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
• Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons
• Sixth Man of the Year: Bobby Jackson, Sacramento Kings
• Most Improved Player: Gilbert Arenas, Golden State Warriors
• Coach of the Year: Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs
• Executive of the Year: Joe Dumars, Detroit Pistons
• Sportsmanship Award: Ray Allen, Seattle SuperSonics

All-NBA First Team: F - Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves F - Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs C - Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers G - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers G - Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic

All-NBA Second Team: F - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks F - Chris Webber, Sacramento Kings C - Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons G - Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets G - Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers

All-NBA Third Team: F - Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics F - Jamal Mashburn, New Orleans Hornets F - Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana Pacers G - Stephon Marbury, Phoenix Suns G - Steve Nash, Dallas Mavericks

NBA All-Defensive First Team F - Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs F - Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves C - Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons G - Doug Christie, Sacramento Kings G - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

All-Defensive Second Team: F - Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers F - Bruce Bowen, San Antonio Spurs C - Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers G - Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets G - Eric Snow, Philadelphia 76ers

NBA All-Rookie First Team: Yao Ming, Houston Rockets Amar'e Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns Caron Butler, Miami Heat Drew Gooden, Orlando Magic Nenê Hilario, Denver Nuggets

All-Rookie Second Team: G - Manu Ginóbili, San Antonio Spurs G - Gordan Giricek, Orlando Magic F - Carlos Boozer, Cleveland Cavaliers G - Jay Williams, Chicago Bulls G - J. R. Bremer, Boston Celtics

Players of the month

The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month.

Month	Eastern Conference	Western Conference
1October – November	McGrady, TracyTracy McGrady (Orlando Magic) (1/2)	Finley, MichaelMichael Finley (Dallas Mavericks) (1/1) Nash, SteveSteve Nash (Dallas Mavericks) (1/1) Nowitzki, DirkDirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks) (1/1)
2December	Kidd, JasonJason Kidd (New Jersey Nets) (1/1)	Webber, ChrisChris Webber (Sacramento Kings) (1/1)
3January	O'Neal, JermaineJermaine O'Neal (Indiana Pacers) (1/2)	Bryant, KobeKobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) (1/1)
4February	Mashburn, JamalJamal Mashburn (New Orleans Hornets) (1/1)	Garnett, KevinKevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves) (1/2)
5March	McGrady, TracyTracy McGrady (Orlando Magic) (2/2)	O'Neal, ShaquilleShaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers) (1/1)
6April	Magloire, JamaalJamaal Magloire (New Orleans Hornets) (1/1)	Garnett, KevinKevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves) (2/2)

Rookies of the month

The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month.

Month	Eastern Conference	Western Conference
1October – November	Butler, CaronCaron Butler (Miami Heat) (1/4)	Gooden, DrewDrew Gooden (Memphis Grizzlies) (1/6)
2December	Williams, JayJay Williams (Chicago Bulls) (1/1)	Yao Ming (Houston Rockets) (1/2)
3January	Butler, CaronCaron Butler (Miami Heat) (2/4)	Stoudemire, Amar'eAmar'e Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns) (1/2)
4February	Butler, CaronCaron Butler (Miami Heat) (3/4)	Yao Ming (Houston Rockets) (2/2)
5March	Butler, CaronCaron Butler (Miami Heat) (4/4)	Ginóbili, ManuManu Ginóbili (San Antonio Spurs) (1/1)
6April	Boozer, CarlosCarlos Boozer (Cleveland Cavaliers) (1/1)	Stoudemire, Amar'eAmar'e Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns) (2/2)

Coaches of the month

The following coaches were named the Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month.

Month	Eastern Conference	Western Conference
1October – November	Thomas, IsiahIsiah Thomas (Indiana Pacers) (1/1)	Nelson, DonDon Nelson (Dallas Mavericks) (1/1)
2December	Scott, ByronByron Scott (New Jersey Nets) (1/1)	Johnson, FrankFrank Johnson (Phoenix Suns) (1/1)
3January	Karl, GeorgeGeorge Karl (Milwaukee Bucks) (1/1)	Popovich, GreggGregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) (1/2)
4February	Brown, LarryLarry Brown (Philadelphia 76ers) (1/2)	Saunders, FlipFlip Saunders (Minnesota Timberwolves) (1/1)
5March	Brown, LarryLarry Brown (Philadelphia 76ers) (2/2)	Popovich, GreggGregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) (2/2)
5April	Silas, PaulPaul Silas (New Orleans Hornets) (1/1)	Jackson, PhilPhil Jackson (Los Angeles Lakers) (1/1)

See also

NBA seasons Also this year: 2002 Draft • 2003 Playoffs • 2003 Finals  • 2003 All-Star Game  • 2003 WNBA season 1940s 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1950s 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1960s 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1970s 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1980s 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1990s 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 2000s 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2010s 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12

2002–03 NBA season by team 2002 NBA Draft • All-Star Game • Playoffs • Finals • Transactions Eastern Atlantic Boston • Miami • New Jersey • New York • Orlando • Philadelphia • Washington Central Atlanta • Chicago • Cleveland • Detroit • Indiana • Milwaukee • New Orleans • Toronto Western Midwest Dallas • Denver • Houston • Memphis • Minnesota • San Antonio • Utah Pacific Golden State • L.A. Clippers • L.A. Lakers • Phoenix • Portland • Sacramento • Seattle