# 2003 NBA playoffs

The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2002–03 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeating the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets, 4 games to 2, in the NBA Finals. Tim Duncan was named NBA Finals MVP for the second time.

## Overview

The 2003 Playoffs were notable for several reasons.
* This postseason featured the most series decided by six games in NBA playoff history. (Coincidentally, the Spurs won every single playoff series in six games en route to the championship.)
* For the first time since 1974, all series were conducted in a best-of-seven format. From 1984 to 2002, the first-round series were best of five. It is also notable as the only time the first round did not include any series sweeps.
* This is the first postseason that the NBA Playoffs carried more games on cable television than regular broadcast television, and marks the debut for the NBA Playoffs to be aired on NBA TV, and the return broadcast on ESPN and ABC after the NBA departed from NBC and TBS.
* This was the final postseason appearance for David Robinson, Steve Kerr, Shawn Kemp and John Stockton
Despite relocating to New Orleans in the offseason, the Hornets made their third consecutive postseason. After Charlotte reclaimed the Hornets name and pre-2002–03 history in 2014 (and the Pelicans claimed the Hornets' history from 2002–03 onwards), this marked the first postseason for the New Orleans franchise.
The Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz continued the longest active Western Conference playoff appearance streaks at the time, entering their 21st and 20th postseason appearances, respectively.
The Minnesota Timberwolves entered their seventh consecutive postseason. In addition, they were awarded home-court advantage for the first time in franchise history in their series against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Orlando Magic became the seventh team to lose a playoff series despite leading 3–1, losing to the Detroit Pistons in the first round. The Magic would not win another playoff game again until 2008.
Game 5 of the Kings–Jazz series was the final game featuring Karl Malone and John Stockton as members of the Utah Jazz. Stockton would retire after the season while Malone would sign with the Lakers in the offseason. After this, the Jazz would not return to the playoffs until 2007.
With their first-round series loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Minnesota Timberwolves earned the dubious distinction of making their first seven postseason appearances, only to lose in the first round. They would break that streak by winning their first playoff series the following postseason.
The Portland Trail Blazers snapped a ten-game playoff losing streak dating back to 2000 with a Game 4 win in their first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks. The Trail Blazers also became the third team in NBA History to force a Game 7 after trailing 0–3 before bowing out. They would not return to the playoffs until 2009.
With their conference semifinals loss to the New Jersey Nets, the Boston Celtics were swept in a postseason series for the first time since 1983, and would not return to the Conference Semifinals until 2008.
With their conference semifinals loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Lakers' championship streak was snapped at 3. With the win, the Spurs returned to the Western Conference Finals for the third time in five seasons.
With their conference semifinals win over the Philadelphia 76ers, the Detroit Pistons advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars-led team was swept by the Chicago Bulls in 1991. The Pistons would go on to appear in six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals through 2008, the most consecutive appearances for any Eastern Conference team since the Bill Russell-led Boston Celtics (1956–69).
With their conference semifinals victory over the Sacramento Kings, the Dallas Mavericks made the conference finals for the first time since 1988.
This was the first Western Conference Finals since 1995 to take place entirely in the state of Texas.
With their Eastern Conference Finals sweep of the Detroit Pistons, the New Jersey Nets won ten straight postseason games, the most since the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers.
In Game 6 of the Spurs–Mavericks series, Steve Kerr and Manu Ginóbili sparked a 42–15 run to help the Spurs advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. The Mavericks would not return to the Conference Finals (let alone face the Spurs in the playoffs) until 2006.
As of 2024, the 49–win New Jersey Nets are the most recent NBA Finals participant to win fewer than 50 games in an 82–game season. Four teams have since made the Finals with sub-50 win records, but each of those times, the season was shorter than 82 games for particular reasons:
* The Miami Heat (46–20) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (47–19) both made the 2012 Finals, but the 2011–12 season was shortened to 66 games due to the 2011 NBA lockout.
* The Miami Heat (44–29) made the Finals in the 2019–20 season, but that season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and no team played a full 82-game schedule.
* The Milwaukee Bucks (46–26) made it to the Finals in the 2020–21 season, however that season was only 72 games long due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Playoff qualifying
### Western Conference

| Seed | Team | Record |
| 1 | San Antonio Spurs | 60–22 (2–2 head-to-head vs. DAL, 36–16 record vs. Western Conference) |
| 2 | Sacramento Kings | 59–23 |
| 3 | Dallas Mavericks | 60–22 (2–2 head-to-head vs. SAS, 34–18 record vs. Western Conference) |
| 4 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 51–31 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Lakers | 50–32 (2–2 head-to-head vs. POR, 15–9 record vs. Pacific Division, 33–19 record vs. Western Conference) |
| 6 | Portland Trail Blazers | 50–32 (2–2 head-to-head vs. LAL, 15–9 record vs. Pacific Division, 29–23 record vs. Western Conference) |
| 7 | Utah Jazz | 47–35 |
| 8 | Phoenix Suns | 44–38 |

### Eastern Conference

| Seed | Team | Record |
| 1 | Detroit Pistons | 50–32 |
| 2 | New Jersey Nets | 49–33 |
| 3 | Indiana Pacers | 48–34 (2–2 head-to-head vs. PHI, 35–19 record vs. Eastern Conference) |
| 4 | Philadelphia 76ers | 48–34 (2–2 head-to-head vs. IND, 35–19 record vs. Eastern Conference) |
| 5 | New Orleans Hornets | 47–35 |
| 6 | Boston Celtics | 44–38 |
| 7 | Milwaukee Bucks | 42–40 (2–2 head-to-head vs. ORL, 32–22 record vs. Eastern Conference) |
| 8 | Orlando Magic | 42–40 (2–2 head-to-head vs. MIL, 31–23 record vs. Eastern Conference) |

## Bracket

| First Round | First Round | First Round | | | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | | NBA Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals |
| E1 | Detroit* | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | Orlando | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | Orlando | 3 | | | E1 | Detroit* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E4 | Philadelphia | 2 | | | | | | | |
| E4 | Philadelphia | 4 | | | E4 | Philadelphia | 2 | | | | | | | |
| E5 | New Orleans | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E5 | New Orleans | 2 | | | | | | E1 | Detroit* | 0 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E1 | Detroit* | 0 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E2 | New Jersey* | 4 | | | | |
| E3 | Indiana | 2 | | | | | | | | | E2 | New Jersey* | 4 | | | | |
| E6 | Boston | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E6 | Boston | 4 | | | E6 | Boston | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E2 | New Jersey* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| E2 | New Jersey* | 4 | | | E2 | New Jersey* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| E7 | Milwaukee | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E7 | Milwaukee | 2 | | | | | | | | | | E2 | New Jersey* | 2 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | W1 | San Antonio* | 4 |
| W1 | San Antonio* | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | W1 | San Antonio* | 4 |
| W8 | Phoenix | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W8 | Phoenix | 2 | | | W1 | San Antonio* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W5 | LA Lakers | 2 | | | | | | | |
| W4 | Minnesota | 2 | | | W5 | LA Lakers | 2 | | | | | | | |
| W5 | LA Lakers | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W5 | LA Lakers | 4 | | | | | | W1 | San Antonio* | 4 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W1 | San Antonio* | 4 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W3 | Dallas | 2 | | | | |
| W3 | Dallas | 4 | | | | | | | | | W3 | Dallas | 2 | | | | |
| W6 | Portland | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W6 | Portland | 3 | | | W3 | Dallas | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W2 | Sacramento* | 3 | | | | | | | |
| W2 | Sacramento* | 4 | | | W2 | Sacramento* | 3 | | | | | | | |
| W7 | Utah | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* * Division winner
* Bold Series winner
* Italic Team with home-court advantage

## First round
### Eastern Conference first round
#### (1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Orlando Magic

* TNT
* April 20 12:30 PM
* Boxscore
Orlando Magic 99, Detroit Pistons 94 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–19, 25–21, 27–32, 23–22 |||
| Pts: Tracy McGrady 43 Rebs: Drew Gooden 15 Asts: Jacque Vaughn 6 | Pts: Richard Hamilton 28 Rebs: Ben Wallace 13 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 |
| Orlando leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 21,261 Referees: Tim Donaghy, Bennett Salvatore, Derrick Stafford
* NBA TV
* April 23 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
Orlando Magic 77, Detroit Pistons 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 14–31, 26–23, 21–16, 16–19 |||
| Pts: Tracy McGrady 46 Rebs: Drew Gooden 11 Asts: Jacque Vaughn 6 | Pts: Richard Hamilton 30 Rebs: Ben Wallace 16 Asts: Richard Hamilton 5 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Sean Corbin, Dan Crawford, Greg Willard
* ESPN
* April 25 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 80, Orlando Magic 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–19, 17–29, 17–25, 17–16 |||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 22 Rebs: Ben Wallace 22 Asts: Chauncey Billups 5 | Pts: Tracy McGrady 29 Rebs: Gooden, McGrady 7 each Asts: Darrell Armstrong 8 |
| Orlando leads series, 2–1 |||
* TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando, Florida Attendance: 17,283 Referees: Jess Kersey, Ken Mauer, Eddie F. Rush
* ESPN
* April 27 5:30 PM
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 92, Orlando Magic 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–19, 21–35, 17–27, 25–19 |||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 25 Rebs: Ben Wallace 24 Asts: Barry, Billups 3 each | Pts: Tracy McGrady 27 Rebs: Drew Gooden 13 Asts: Tracy McGrady 9 |
| Orlando leads series, 3–1 |||
* TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando, Florida Attendance: 17,283 Referees: James Capers, Bob Delaney, Tom Washington
* NBA TV
* April 30 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
Orlando Magic 67, Detroit Pistons 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 13–26, 24–24, 20–23, 10–25 |||
| Pts: Tracy McGrady 19 Rebs: Drew Gooden 15 Asts: Tracy McGrady 4 | Pts: Richard Hamilton 24 Rebs: Ben Wallace 21 Asts: Billups, Robinson 4 each |
| Orlando leads series, 3–2 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Tony Brothers, Mike Callahan, Steve Javie
* NBA TV
* May 2 7:00 PM
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 103, Orlando Magic 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–21, 24–24, 23–21, 26–22 |||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 40 Rebs: Ben Wallace 17 Asts: Chauncey Billups 4 | Pts: Tracy McGrady 37 Rebs: Drew Gooden 12 Asts: Tracy McGrady 5 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando, Florida Attendance: 16,909 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Jim Clark, Monty McCutchen
* ABC
* May 4 12:30 PM
* Boxscore
Orlando Magic 93, Detroit Pistons 108 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–27, 24–31, 18–27, 29–23 |||
| Pts: Tracy McGrady 21 Rebs: Drew Gooden 17 Asts: Tracy McGrady 6 | Pts: Chauncey Billups 37 Rebs: Ben Wallace 12 Asts: Michael Curry 6 |
| Detroit wins series, 4–3 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Dan Crawford, Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson
The Pistons became the 7th team in NBA history to overcome a 3–1 series deficit and the first 1st seed to do so.
Detroit won 2–1 in the regular-season series :
December 25, 2002
Recap
Detroit Pistons 99, Orlando Magic 104
TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando, Florida
January 13, 2003
Recap
Detroit Pistons 101, Orlando Magic 86
TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando, Florida
February 13, 2003
Recap
Orlando Magic 88, Detroit Pistons 98
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Magic winning the first meeting.
Orlando leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1996
Detroit Pistons 0, Orlando Magic 3
1996 Eastern Conference First Round :

#### (2) New Jersey Nets vs. (7) Milwaukee Bucks

* ABC
* April 19 12:30 PM
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 96, New Jersey Nets 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–29, 15–26, 25–34, 36–20 |||
| Pts: Tim Thomas 25 Rebs: Desmond Mason 8 Asts: Gary Payton 10 | Pts: Kenyon Martin 21 Rebs: Kenyon Martin 15 Asts: Jason Kidd 14 |
| New Jersey leads series, 1–0 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 16,102 Referees: Tony Brothers, Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson
* ESPN
* April 22 7:00 PM
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 88, New Jersey Nets 85 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 23–23, 22–20, 17–16 |||
| Pts: Gary Payton 22 Rebs: Anthony Mason 8 Asts: Gary Payton 7 | Pts: Kenyon Martin 22 Rebs: Kenyon Martin 12 Asts: Jason Kidd 8 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 17,633 Referees: Bob Delaney, Nolan Fine, Eddie F. Rush
* TNT
* April 24 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
New Jersey Nets 103, Milwaukee Bucks 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–20, 24–19, 25–32, 24–30 |||
| Pts: Jason Kidd 26 Rebs: Collins, Martin 8 each Asts: Jason Kidd 7 | Pts: Sam Cassell 24 Rebs: Tim Thomas 11 Asts: Gary Payton 8 |
| New Jersey leads series, 2–1 |||
* Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 17,539 Referees: Joe DeRosa, Scott Foster, Tom Washington
* TNT
* April 26 4:00 PM
* Boxscore
New Jersey Nets 114, Milwaukee Bucks 119 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 26–26, 23–36, 25–13, Overtime: 14–19 |||
| Pts: Kenyon Martin 30 Rebs: Jason Collins 8 Asts: Jason Kidd 10 | Pts: Toni Kukoč 23 Rebs: Desmond Mason 8 Asts: Gary Payton 14 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 18,391 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Steve Javie, Blane Reichelt
* TNT
* April 29 7:00 PM
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 82, New Jersey Nets 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 16–24, 23–17, 21–28 |||
| Pts: Toni Kukoč 18 Rebs: Desmond Mason 12 Asts: Gary Payton 5 | Pts: Jason Kidd 19 Rebs: Richard Jefferson 16 Asts: Kidd, Martin 5 each |
| New Jersey leads series, 3–2 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 16,601 Referees: James Capers, Joe Crawford, Bill Spooner
* TNT
* May 1 7:00 PM
* Boxscore
New Jersey Nets 113, Milwaukee Bucks 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–18, 26–26, 32–26, 25–31 |||
| Pts: Kenyon Martin 29 Rebs: Jason Kidd 11 Asts: Jason Kidd 11 | Pts: Gary Payton 24 Rebs: Tim Thomas 6 Asts: Gary Payton 8 |
| New Jersey wins series, 4–2 |||
* Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 18,717 Referees: David Jones, Jack Nies, Derrick Stafford
* In Game 3, Rodney Rogers hit the game winner with 2 seconds left.
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series :
November 6, 2002
Recap
New Jersey Nets 93, Milwaukee Bucks 99
Bradley Center, Milwaukee
December 27, 2002
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 90, New Jersey Nets 110
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
December 28, 2002
Recap
New Jersey Nets 104, Milwaukee Bucks 96
Bradley Center, Milwaukee
March 19, 2003
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 104, New Jersey Nets 85
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey :
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bucks winning the first two meetings.
Milwaukee leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series :
1984
Milwaukee Bucks 4, New Jersey Nets 2
1984 Eastern Conference Semifinals
1986
Milwaukee Bucks 3, New Jersey Nets 0
1986 Eastern Conference First Round :

#### (3) Indiana Pacers vs. (6) Boston Celtics

* ESPN
* April 19 2:00 PM
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 103, Indiana Pacers 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 26–29, 17–21, 34–21 |||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 40 Rebs: Paul Pierce 11 Asts: Paul Pierce 6 | Pts: Ron Artest 26 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 9 Asts: Jamaal Tinsley 9 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 16,380 Referees: Ted Bernhardt, Sean Corbin, Joe Crawford
* NBA TV
* April 21 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 77, Indiana Pacers 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–33, 24–21, 17–16, 12–19 |||
| Pts: Antoine Walker 19 Rebs: Tony Battie 11 Asts: Paul Pierce 6 | Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 23 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 20 Asts: Jamaal Tinsley 7 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 15,881 Referees: Tony Brothers, Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson
* TNT
* April 24 6:00 PM
* Boxscore
Indiana Pacers 83, Boston Celtics 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 15–31, 29–17, 14–27, 25–26 |||
| Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 21 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 16 Asts: Jamaal Tinsley 8 | Pts: Paul Pierce 21 Rebs: Paul Pierce 12 Asts: Walter McCarty 6 |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 |||
* FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 18,624 Referees: Mike Callahan, James Capers, Steve Javie
* ESPN2
* April 27 12:00 PM
* Boxscore
Indiana Pacers 92, Boston Celtics 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–19, 23–17, 14–37, 30–29 |||
| Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 25 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 19 Asts: Jamaal Tinsley 13 | Pts: Paul Pierce 37 Rebs: Antoine Walker 11 Asts: Paul Pierce 7 |
| Boston leads series, 3–1 |||
* FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 18,624 Referees: Joe DeRosa, Nolan Fine, Eddie F. Rush
* NBA TV
* April 29 8:30 PM
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 88, Indiana Pacers 93 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 26–26, 21–14, 17–26, Overtime: 0–5 |||
| Pts: Antoine Walker 21 Rebs: Eric Williams 8 Asts: Paul Pierce 8 | Pts: Ron Artest 26 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 22 Asts: Tim Hardaway 6 |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 |||
* Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 15,326 Referees: Bob Delaney, Ronnie Nunn, Derrick Stafford
* NBA TV
* May 1 7:00 PM
* Boxscore
Indiana Pacers 90, Boston Celtics 110 :
| Scoring by quarter: 15–33, 19–17, 24–29, 32–31 |||
| Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 25 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 19 Asts: Erick Strickland 5 | Pts: Paul Pierce 27 Rebs: Pierce, Williams 8 each Asts: Antoine Walker 5 |
| Boston wins series, 4–2 |||
* FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 18,624 Referees: Joe Crawford, Luis Grillo, Bill Spooner
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series :
January 17, 2003
Recap
Indiana Pacers 93, Boston Celtics 98
FleetCenter, Boston
February 1, 2003
Recap
Boston Celtics 100, Indiana Pacers 109
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
February 26, 2003
Recap
Indiana Pacers 69, Boston Celtics 71
FleetCenter, Boston
March 19, 2003
Recap
Boston Celtics 72, Indiana Pacers 102
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis :
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first two meetings.
Boston leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series. :
1991
Boston Celtics 3, Indiana Pacers 2
1991 Eastern Conference First Round
1992
Boston Celtics 3, Indiana Pacers 0
1992 Eastern Conference First Round :

#### (4) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (5) New Orleans Hornets

* TNT
* April 20 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
New Orleans Hornets 90, Philadelphia 76ers 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–27, 24–22, 24–21, 22–28 |||
| Pts: Jamal Mashburn 28 Rebs: P. J. Brown 8 Asts: Baron Davis 6 | Pts: Allen Iverson 55 Rebs: Keith Van Horn 10 Asts: Eric Snow 10 |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 |||
* First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 19,711 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney, David Jones
* TNT
* April 23 7:00 PM
* Boxscore
New Orleans Hornets 85, Philadelphia 76ers 90 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–27, 16–23, 28–26, 19–14 |||
| Pts: David Wesley 24 Rebs: Jamaal Magloire 8 Asts: Jamal Mashburn 6 | Pts: Allen Iverson 29 Rebs: Kenny Thomas 16 Asts: Derrick Coleman 6 |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–0 |||
* First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 20,229 Referees: Tim Donaghy, Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson
* TNT
* April 26 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 85, New Orleans Hornets 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 19–20, 19–21, 20–31 |||
| Pts: Allen Iverson 28 Rebs: Keith Van Horn 9 Asts: Allen Iverson 7 | Pts: Baron Davis 28 Rebs: P. J. Brown 12 Asts: Baron Davis 8 |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–1 |||
* New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana Attendance: 17,320 Referees: Luis Grillo, Jack Nies, Mark Wunderlich
* TNT
* April 28 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 96, New Orleans Hornets 87 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–20, 27–25, 22–21, 22–21 |||
| Pts: Allen Iverson 22 Rebs: Kenny Thomas 8 Asts: Eric Snow 12 | Pts: Baron Davis 34 Rebs: P. J. Brown 9 Asts: Baron Davis 7 |
| Philadelphia leads series, 3–1 |||
* New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana Attendance: 16,243 Referees: Mike Callahan, Steve Javie, Blane Reichelt
* TNT
* April 30 6:00 PM
* Boxscore
New Orleans Hornets 93, Philadelphia 76ers 91 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 21–21, 24–24, 22–17 |||
| Pts: Jamal Mashburn 21 Rebs: Jamaal Magloire 12 Asts: Baron Davis 10 | Pts: Allen Iverson 30 Rebs: Kenny Thomas 14 Asts: Iverson, Snow 7 each |
| Philadelphia leads series, 3–2 |||
* First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 19,403 Referees: Jim Clark, Dan Crawford, Monty McCutchen
* ESPN
* May 2 8:30 PM
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 107, New Orleans Hornets 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 27–24, 31–32, 24–16 |||
| Pts: Allen Iverson 45 Rebs: Keith Van Horn 18 Asts: Eric Snow 9 | Pts: Jamal Mashburn 36 Rebs: three players 8 each Asts: Baron Davis 11 |
| Philadelphia wins series, 4–2 |||
* New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana Attendance: 18,570 Referees: Nolan Fine, Ken Mauer, Eddie F. Rush
New Orleans won 2–1 in the regular-season series. :
November 19, 2002
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 98, New Orleans Hornets 99
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
November 25, 2002
Recap
New Orleans Hornets 87, Philadelphia 76ers 108
First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
April 13, 2003
Recap
New Orleans Hornets 94, Philadelphia 76ers 89
First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania :
This was the first playoff meeting between the 76ers and the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets franchise.

### Western Conference first round
#### (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Phoenix Suns

* ESPN
* April 20 4:30 PM
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 96, San Antonio Spurs 95 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–23, 19–17, 25–23, 27–24, Overtime: 9–8 |||
| Pts: Stephon Marbury 26 Rebs: Shawn Marion 12 Asts: Stephon Marbury 6 | Pts: Stephen Jackson 23 Rebs: Tim Duncan 13 Asts: Tony Parker 7 |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 19,217 Referees: Scott Foster, Ken Mauer, Eddie F. Rush
* TNT
* April 21 7:00 PM
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 76, San Antonio Spurs 84 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–16, 18–31, 21–16, 14–21 |||
| Pts: Stephon Marbury 32 Rebs: Shawn Marion 12 Asts: Stephon Marbury 5 | Pts: Stephen Jackson 23 Rebs: Tim Duncan 12 Asts: Speedy Claxton 7 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 19,217 Referees: Joe Crawford, Luis Grillo, Mark Wunderlich
* NBA TV
* April 25 7:00 PM
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 99, Phoenix Suns 86 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–18, 28–18, 16–20, 30–30 |||
| Pts: Tony Parker 29 Rebs: Tim Duncan 23 Asts: Tim Duncan 6 | Pts: Stephon Marbury 25 Rebs: Joe Johnson 9 Asts: Stephon Marbury 7 |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–1 |||
* America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 19,023 Referees: Jim Clark, Dan Crawford, Monty McCutchen
* TNT
* April 27 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 84, Phoenix Suns 86 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–19, 23–15, 23–22, 21–30 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 24 Rebs: Tim Duncan 11 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 5 | Pts: Stephon Marbury 18 Rebs: Shawn Marion 14 Asts: Hardaway, Marbury 7 each |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,756 Referees: Bernie Fryer, David Jones, Derrick Stafford
* NBA TV
* April 29 6:00 PM
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 82, San Antonio Spurs 94 :
| Scoring by quarter: 14–27, 16–27, 23–18, 29–22 |||
| Pts: Shawn Marion 22 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 14 Asts: Stephon Marbury 7 | Pts: Malik Rose 27 Rebs: Tim Duncan 17 Asts: Tim Duncan 6 |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–2 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 19,217 Referees: Ted Bernhardt, Sean Corbin, Bennett Salvatore
* TNT
* May 1 9:30 PM
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 87, Phoenix Suns 85 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–21, 16–22, 23–18, 23–24 |||
| Pts: Stephen Jackson 21 Rebs: Tim Duncan 20 Asts: Tim Duncan 10 | Pts: Shawn Marion 24 Rebs: Shawn Marion 15 Asts: Penny Hardaway 5 |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–2 |||
* America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,913 Referees: Bob Delaney, Joe DeRosa, Joe Forte
In Game 1, after Amar'e Stoudemire banks in a game-tying 3 with 7.9 seconds left in regulation, Stephon Marbury hits the game-winning 3 at the buzzer in OT.
Phoenix won 3–1 in the regular-season series :
November 29, 2002
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 87, Phoenix Suns 94
America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
January 14, 2003
Recap
Phoenix Suns 100, San Antonio Spurs 108 (OT)
SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas
March 4, 2003
Recap
Phoenix Suns 104, San Antonio Spurs 97
SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas
April 13, 2003
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 85, Phoenix Suns 92
America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona :
This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning three of the first five meetings.
Phoenix leads 3–2 in all-time playoff series. :
1992
Phoenix Suns 3, San Antonio Spurs 0
1992 Western Conference First Round
1993
Phoenix Suns 4, San Antonio Spurs 2
1993 Western Conference Semifinals
1996
Phoenix Suns 1, San Antonio Spurs 3
1996 Western Conference First Round
1998
Phoenix Suns 1, San Antonio Spurs 3
1998 Western Conference First Round
2000
Phoenix Suns 3, San Antonio Spurs 1
2000 Western Conference First Round :

#### (2) Sacramento Kings vs. (7) Utah Jazz

* TNT
* April 19 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
Utah Jazz 90, Sacramento Kings 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–19, 8–19, 21–23, 36–35 |||
| Pts: Karl Malone 25 Rebs: Greg Ostertag 11 Asts: Karl Malone 8 | Pts: Chris Webber 27 Rebs: Chris Webber 11 Asts: Bobby Jackson 6 |
| Sacramento leads series, 1–0 |||
* ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California Attendance: 17,317 Referees: Hue Hollins, Jack Nies, Mark Wunderlich
* TNT
* April 21 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
Utah Jazz 95, Sacramento Kings 108 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 20–32, 22–25, 31–26 |||
| Pts: Andrei Kirilenko 17 Rebs: Matt Harpring 8 Asts: Mark Jackson 4 | Pts: Peja Stojaković 29 Rebs: Clark, Divac 7 each Asts: Bobby Jackson 6 |
| Sacramento leads series, 2–0 |||
* ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California Attendance: 17,317 Referees: Ronnie Nunn, Blane Reichelt, Bill Spooner
* ESPN
* April 26 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
Sacramento Kings 104, Utah Jazz 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–30, 29–29, 21–21, 28–27 |||
| Pts: Chris Webber 24 Rebs: Chris Webber 11 Asts: Mike Bibby 7 | Pts: Greg Ostertag 22 Rebs: Greg Ostertag 12 Asts: John Stockton 7 |
| Sacramento leads series, 2–1 |||
* Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 19,911 Referees: Ted Bernhardt, Leroy Richardson, Bennett Salvatore
* TNT
* April 28 8:30 PM
* Boxscore
Sacramento Kings 99, Utah Jazz 82 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–28, 17–13, 36–18, 26–23 |||
| Pts: Peja Stojaković 27 Rebs: Chris Webber 11 Asts: Mike Bibby 9 | Pts: Karl Malone 24 Rebs: Greg Ostertag 14 Asts: John Stockton 7 |
| Sacramento leads series, 3–1 |||
* Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 19,911 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Ken Mauer, Ron Olesiak
* TNT
* April 30 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
Utah Jazz 91, Sacramento Kings 111 :
| Scoring by quarter: 15–29, 26–24, 27–32, 23–26 |||
| Pts: Harpring, Padgett 16 each Rebs: Scott Padgett 6 Asts: John Stockton 7 | Pts: Chris Webber 26 Rebs: Chris Webber 11 Asts: Mike Bibby 7 |
| Sacramento wins series, 4–1 |||
* ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California Attendance: 17,317 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington, Greg Willard
Game 5 was John Stockton's final NBA game. It was also Karl Malone's last game in Utah as he joined the Los Angeles Lakers during the following offseason.
Sacramento won 3–1 in the regular-season series. :
December 14, 2002
Recap
Sacramento Kings 98, Utah Jazz 96
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
January 28, 2003
Recap
Utah Jazz 102, Sacramento Kings 92
ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California
March 7, 2003
Recap
Sacramento Kings 108, Utah Jazz 105 (OT)
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
April 16, 2003
Recap
Utah Jazz 84, Sacramento Kings 95
ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California :
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece.
Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series :
1999
Sacramento Kings 2, Utah Jazz 3
1999 Western Conference First Round
2002
Sacramento Kings 3, Utah Jazz 1
2002 Western Conference First Round :

#### (3) Dallas Mavericks vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers

* TNT
* April 19 7:00 PM
* Boxscore
Portland Trail Blazers 86, Dallas Mavericks 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 31–19, 12–28, 22–26 |||
| Pts: Rasheed Wallace 26 Rebs: Davis, Wells 10 each Asts: Scottie Pippen 5 | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 46 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 10 Asts: Steve Nash 9 |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 20,336 Referees: Mike Callahan, Steve Javie, Ron Olesiak
* TNT
* April 23 8:30 PM
* Boxscore
Portland Trail Blazers 99, Dallas Mavericks 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–23, 23–25, 29–24, 28–31 |||
| Pts: Bonzi Wells 45 Rebs: Dale Davis 15 Asts: Damon Stoudamire 5 | Pts: Steve Nash 28 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 9 Asts: Steve Nash 8 |
| Dallas leads series, 2–0 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 20,356 Referees: Ted Bernhardt, Joe Forte, Bennett Salvatore
* ESPN
* April 25 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
Dallas Mavericks 115, Portland Trail Blazers 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–22, 34–39, 20–24, 31–18 |||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 42 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 10 Asts: Steve Nash 10 | Pts: Ruben Patterson 19 Rebs: Zach Randolph 10 Asts: Bonzi Wells 6 |
| Dallas leads series, 3–0 |||
* Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon Attendance: 19,980 Referees: Joe Crawford, Hue Hollins, Greg Willard
* TNT
* April 27 5:00 PM
* Boxscore
Dallas Mavericks 79, Portland Trail Blazers 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–26, 29–23, 10–33, 17–16 |||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 26 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 11 Asts: Nick Van Exel 7 | Pts: Zach Randolph 25 Rebs: Zach Randolph 15 Asts: Damon Stoudamire 11 |
| Dallas leads series, 3–1 |||
* Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon Attendance: 19,980 Referees: Jim Clark, Dan Crawford, Monty McCutchen
* TNT
* April 30 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
Portland Trail Blazers 103, Dallas Mavericks 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 15–21, 28–29, 28–27, 32–22 |||
| Pts: Zach Randolph 22 Rebs: Zach Randolph 9 Asts: Bonzi Wells 7 | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 35 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 11 Asts: Steve Nash 11 |
| Dallas leads series, 3–2 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 20,438 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Scott Foster, Ken Mauer
* ESPN
* May 2 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
Dallas Mavericks 103, Portland Trail Blazers 125 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–27, 14–37, 28–33, 37–28 |||
| Pts: Steve Nash 21 Rebs: Adrian Griffin 8 Asts: Steve Nash 6 | Pts: Zach Randolph 21 Rebs: Zach Randolph 10 Asts: McInnis, Wallace 6 each |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon Attendance: 20,602 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich
* ABC
* May 4 2:30 PM
* Boxscore
Portland Trail Blazers 95, Dallas Mavericks 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–19, 23–26, 28–26, 22–36 |||
| Pts: Stoudamire, Wallace 17 each Rebs: Zach Randolph 10 Asts: Damon Stoudamire 9 | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 31 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 11 Asts: Steve Nash 7 |
| Dallas wins series, 4–3 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 20,281 Referees: Joe Crawford, Bob Delaney, Steve Javie
The Trail Blazers became the third NBA team to force a Game 7 after being down 0–3, after the New York Knicks in the 1951 NBA Finals and the Denver Nuggets in the 1994 Western Conference semifinals. This would not happen again until 2023.
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series :
November 11, 2002
Recap
Portland Trail Blazers 73, Dallas Mavericks 82
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
December 4, 2002
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 103, Portland Trail Blazers 88
Rose Garden Arena, Portland, Oregon
January 26, 2003
Recap
Portland Trail Blazers 100, Dallas Mavericks 93
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
March 28, 2003
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 95, Portland Trail Blazers 112
Rose Garden Arena, Portland, Oregon :
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Trail Blazers winning the first two meetings.
Portland leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series :
1985
Dallas Mavericks 1, Portland Trail Blazers 3
1985 Western Conference First Round
1990
Dallas Mavericks 0, Portland Trail Blazers 3
1990 Western Conference First Round :

#### (4) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. (5) Los Angeles Lakers

* ABC
* April 20 2:00 PM
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 117, Minnesota Timberwolves 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 39–23, 27–29, 22–24, 29–22 |||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 39 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 10 Asts: Bryant, Horry 8 each | Pts: Kevin Garnett 23 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 14 Asts: Kevin Garnett 7 |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 |||
* Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota Attendance: 17,097 Referees: Dan Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Jess Kersey
* TNT
* April 22 8:30 PM
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 91, Minnesota Timberwolves 119 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 20–29, 24–31, 24–31 |||
| Pts: Bryant, O'Neal 27 each Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 14 Asts: Kobe Bryant 8 | Pts: Troy Hudson 37 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 20 Asts: Troy Hudson 10 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota Attendance: 17,132 Referees: Scott Foster, Jack Nies, Tom Washington
* TNT
* April 24 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
Minnesota Timberwolves 114, Los Angeles Lakers 110 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–24, 23–22, 28–25, 21–30, Overtime: 13–9 |||
| Pts: Kevin Garnett 33 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 14 Asts: Rod Strickland 7 | Pts: Kobe Bryant 30 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 17 Asts: Kobe Bryant 6 |
| Minnesota leads series, 2–1 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Ronnie Nunn, Leroy Richardson, Bill Spooner
* ABC
* April 27 12:00 PM
* Boxscore
Minnesota Timberwolves 97, Los Angeles Lakers 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 19–18, 29–28, 23–31 |||
| Pts: Garnett, Hudson 28 each Rebs: Kevin Garnett 18 Asts: Kevin Garnett 5 | Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 34 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 23 Asts: Shaquille O'Neal 6 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Joe Crawford, Joe Forte, Greg Willard
* TNT
* April 29 8:30 PM
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 120, Minnesota Timberwolves 90 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–25, 30–23, 36–25, 26–17 |||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 32 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 11 Asts: Devean George 6 | Pts: Kevin Garnett 25 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 16 Asts: Troy Hudson 7 |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 |||
* Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota Attendance: 20,098 Referees: Tim Donaghy, Eddie F. Rush, Mark Wunderlich
* TNT
* May 1 9:30 PM
* Boxscore
Minnesota Timberwolves 85, Los Angeles Lakers 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–25, 13–22, 20–22, 22–32 |||
| Pts: Garnett, Hudson 18 each Rebs: Kevin Garnett 12 Asts: Garnett, Szczerbiak 5 each | Pts: Kobe Bryant 31 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 17 Asts: Shaquille O'Neal 9 |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–2 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Ron Garretson, Blane Reichelt, Bennett Salvatore
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series :
December 1, 2002
Recap
Minnesota Timberwolves 110, Los Angeles Lakers 107
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
December 17, 2002
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 80, Minnesota Timberwolves 96
Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
March 7, 2003
Recap
Minnesota Timberwolves 96, Los Angeles Lakers 106
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
March 14, 2003
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 106, Minnesota Timberwolves 99
Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Lakers and the Timberwolves.

## Conference semifinals
### Eastern Conference semifinals
#### (1) Detroit Pistons vs. (4) Philadelphia 76ers

* ESPN
* May 6 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 87, Detroit Pistons 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 19–25, 26–24, 21–25 |||
| Pts: Allen Iverson 27 Rebs: Derrick Coleman 8 Asts: Allen Iverson 8 | Pts: Richard Hamilton 25 Rebs: Ben Wallace 12 Asts: Billups, Robinson 4 each |
| Detroit leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Joe Crawford, Joe Forte, Ronnie Nunn
* ESPN
* May 8 7:00 PM
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 97, Detroit Pistons 104 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 19–22, 27–19, 21–21, Overtime: 5–12 |||
| Pts: Allen Iverson 31 Rebs: Kenny Thomas 19 Asts: Allen Iverson 7 | Pts: Atkins, Hamilton 23 each Rebs: Ben Wallace 15 Asts: Richard Hamilton 6 |
| Detroit leads series, 2–0 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Bob Delaney, Monty McCutchen, Bennett Salvatore
* ESPN
* May 10 7:00 PM
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 83, Philadelphia 76ers 93 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–23, 18–25, 15–21, 31–24 |||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 24 Rebs: Mehmet Okur 10 Asts: Billups, Robinson 4 each | Pts: Allen Iverson 25 Rebs: Kenny Thomas 14 Asts: Allen Iverson 11 |
| Detroit leads series, 2–1 |||
* First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 20,743 Referees: Joe DeRosa, Eddie F. Rush, Bill Spooner
* ESPN
* May 11 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 82, Philadelphia 76ers 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–21, 14–22, 21–18, 29–34 |||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 30 Rebs: Ben Wallace 15 Asts: three players 3 each | Pts: Allen Iverson 36 Rebs: Derrick Coleman 15 Asts: Allen Iverson 11 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 20,549 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Bernie Fryer, Greg Willard
* ESPN
* May 14 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 77, Detroit Pistons 78 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 13–15, 21–18, 20–15 |||
| Pts: Derrick Coleman 23 Rebs: Derrick Coleman 11 Asts: Allen Iverson 9 | Pts: Richard Hamilton 20 Rebs: Ben Wallace 17 Asts: Atkins, Hamilton 5 each |
| Detroit leads series, 3–2 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Mike Callahan, Jim Clark, Steve Javie
* ESPN
* May 16 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 93, Philadelphia 76ers 89 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 15–24, 21–20, 27–20, 18–17, Overtime: 12–8 |||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 28 Rebs: Ben Wallace 18 Asts: Chauncey Billups 5 | Pts: Allen Iverson 38 Rebs: Kenny Thomas 14 Asts: Allen Iverson 9 |
| Detroit wins series, 4–2 |||
* First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 20,888 Referees: Ron Garretson, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore
* In Game 5, Chucky Atkins hit the game-winning layup with 0.9 seconds left after Derrick Coleman was called for goaltending on the shot.
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series :
January 8, 2003
Recap
Detroit Pistons 103, Philadelphia 76ers 94 (OT)
First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
January 22, 2003
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 92, Detroit Pistons 83
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
March 20, 2003
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 85, Detroit Pistons 113
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
April 8, 2003
Recap
Detroit Pistons 74, Philadelphia 76ers 91
First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning the first meeting, which occurred when the Nationals/76ers franchise were in Syracuse and the Pistons franchise were in Fort Wayne.
Philadelphia/ Syracuse leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1955
Fort Wayne Pistons 3, Syracuse Nationals 4
1955 NBA Finals :

#### (2) New Jersey Nets vs. (6) Boston Celtics

* TNT
* May 5 7:00 PM
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 93, New Jersey Nets 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–20, 23–29, 27–23, 20–25 |||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 34 Rebs: Antoine Walker 8 Asts: Paul Pierce 8 | Pts: Kenyon Martin 21 Rebs: Jefferson, Williams 9 each Asts: Jason Kidd 9 |
| New Jersey leads series, 1–0 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 17,343 Referees: Scott Foster, Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington
* TNT
* May 7 7:00 PM
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 95, New Jersey Nets 104 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–19, 20–32, 21–31, 29–22 |||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 32 Rebs: Paul Pierce 10 Asts: Paul Pierce 11 | Pts: Richard Jefferson 25 Rebs: Jason Kidd 11 Asts: Jason Kidd 8 |
| New Jersey leads series, 2–0 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 19,934 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Jim Clark, Steve Javie
* TNT
* May 9 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
New Jersey Nets 94, Boston Celtics 76 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–15, 23–24, 29–17, 18–20 |||
| Pts: Kenyon Martin 25 Rebs: Jason Kidd 9 Asts: Jason Kidd 11 | Pts: Paul Pierce 23 Rebs: Antoine Walker 15 Asts: Tony Delk 6 |
| New Jersey leads series, 3–0 |||
* FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 18,624 Referees: Dan Crawford, Derrick Stafford, Greg Willard
* TNT
* May 12 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
New Jersey Nets 110, Boston Celtics 101 (2OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 29–26, 21–20, 19–21, Overtime: 7–7, 13–4 |||
| Pts: Jason Kidd 29 Rebs: Kidd, Martin 10 each Asts: Jason Kidd 8 | Pts: Paul Pierce 27 Rebs: Paul Pierce 10 Asts: Pierce, Walker 7 each |
| New Jersey wins series, 4–0 |||
* FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 18,624 Referees: Joe Crawford, Hue Hollins, Bill Spooner
New Jersey won 3–1 in the regular-season series :
November 20, 2002
Recap
New Jersey Nets 79, Boston Celtics 96
FleetCenter, Boston
December 25, 2002
Recap
Boston Celtics 81, New Jersey Nets 117
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
March 13, 2003
Recap
Boston Celtics 75, New Jersey Nets 90
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
March 18, 2003
Recap
New Jersey Nets 87, Boston Celtics 74
FleetCenter, Boston :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nets winning the first meeting.
New Jersey leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
2002
Boston Celtics 2, New Jersey Nets 4
2002 Eastern Conference Finals :

### Western Conference semifinals
#### (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (5) Los Angeles Lakers

* TNT
* May 5 8:30 PM
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 82, San Antonio Spurs 87 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–20, 19–18, 17–22, 30–27 |||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 37 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 21 Asts: Shaquille O'Neal 3 | Pts: Tim Duncan 28 Rebs: David Robinson 11 Asts: Tim Duncan 7 |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Mike Callahan, James Capers, Eddie F. Rush
* TNT
* May 7 8:30 PM
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 95, San Antonio Spurs 114 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–31, 25–29, 24–34, 28–20 |||
| Pts: Bryant, O'Neal 27 each Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 10 Asts: Jannero Pargo 3 | Pts: Bruce Bowen 27 Rebs: Tim Duncan 13 Asts: Tim Duncan 7 |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–0 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Ken Mauer, Derrick Stafford
* TNT
* May 9 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 95, Los Angeles Lakers 110 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–29, 19–21, 31–31, 28–29 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 28 Rebs: Tim Duncan 11 Asts: Jackson, Parker 4 each | Pts: Kobe Bryant 39 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 16 Asts: Shaquille O'Neal 8 |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–1 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Ron Garretson, Steve Javie, Mark Wunderlich
* ABC
* May 11 12:30 PM
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 95, Los Angeles Lakers 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–19, 22–20, 21–32, 28–28 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 36 Rebs: Stephen Jackson 10 Asts: Tim Duncan 5 | Pts: Kobe Bryant 35 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 17 Asts: Shaquille O'Neal 5 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Jack Nies, Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington
* TNT
* May 13 8:30 PM
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 94, San Antonio Spurs 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–29, 20–27, 26–24, 30–16 |||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 36 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12 Asts: Kobe Bryant 6 | Pts: Tim Duncan 27 Rebs: Tim Duncan 14 Asts: Tim Duncan 5 |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–2 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Ed Bernhardt, Dan Crawford, Bob Delaney
* ABC
* May 15 5:00 PM
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 110, Los Angeles Lakers 82 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–25, 25–25, 24–19, 32–13 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 37 Rebs: Tim Duncan 16 Asts: Tony Parker 5 | Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 31 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 10 Asts: Kobe Bryant 6 |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–2 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa
* In Game 5, the Lakers nearly overcame a 25-point deficit, but Robert Horry's potential game-winning 3 went in and out.
San Antonio won 4–0 in the regular-season series :
October 29, 2002
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 87, Los Angeles Lakers 82
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
November 20, 2002
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 88, San Antonio Spurs 95
SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas
February 14, 2003
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 103, Los Angeles Lakers 95
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
March 23, 2003
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 89, San Antonio Spurs 98
SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas :
This was the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning six of the first eight meetings.
Los Angeles leads 6–2 in all-time playoff series :
1982
Los Angeles Lakers 4, San Antonio Spurs 0
1982 Western Conference Finals
1983
Los Angeles Lakers 4, San Antonio Spurs 2
1983 Western Conference Finals
1986
Los Angeles Lakers 3, San Antonio Spurs 0
1986 Western Conference First Round
1988
Los Angeles Lakers 3, San Antonio Spurs 0
1988 Western Conference First Round
1995
Los Angeles Lakers 2, San Antonio Spurs 4
1995 Western Conference Semifinals
1999
Los Angeles Lakers 0, San Antonio Spurs 4
1999 Western Conference Semifinals
2001
Los Angeles Lakers 4, San Antonio Spurs 0
2001 Western Conference Finals
2002
Los Angeles Lakers 4, San Antonio Spurs 1
2002 Western Conference Semifinals :

#### (2) Sacramento Kings vs. (3) Dallas Mavericks

* ESPN
* May 6 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
Sacramento Kings 124, Dallas Mavericks 113 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–24, 29–26, 36–26, 26–37 |||
| Pts: Peja Stojaković 26 Rebs: Christie, Stojaković 9 each Asts: Chris Webber 9 | Pts: three players 20 each Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 11 Asts: Steve Nash 7 |
| Sacramento leads series, 1–0 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 20,525 Referees: Tony Brothers, Dan Crawford, Jack Nies
* ESPN
* May 8 8:30 PM
* Boxscore
Sacramento Kings 110, Dallas Mavericks 132 :
| Scoring by quarter: 40–44, 21–39, 24–30, 25–19 |||
| Pts: Chris Webber 31 Rebs: Bobby Jackson 8 Asts: Doug Christie 9 | Pts: Nick Van Exel 36 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 12 Asts: Steve Nash 7 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 20,491 Referees: Ted Bernhardt, Joe DeRosa, Eddie F. Rush
* ESPN
* May 10 6:30 PM
* Boxscore
Dallas Mavericks 141, Sacramento Kings 137 (2OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–36, 39–28, 20–27, 31–22, Overtime: 12–12, 16–12 |||
| Pts: Nick Van Exel 40 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 20 Asts: Steve Nash 11 | Pts: Peja Stojaković 39 Rebs: Bobby Jackson 11 Asts: Doug Christie 7 |
| Dallas leads series, 2–1 |||
* ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California Attendance: 17,317 Referees: Mike Callahan, Joe Crawford, Hue Hollins
* TNT
* May 11 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
Dallas Mavericks 83, Sacramento Kings 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 17–28, 24–29, 22–18 |||
| Pts: Bell, Finley 16 each Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 11 Asts: Steve Nash 6 | Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu 17 Rebs: Peja Stojaković 12 Asts: Doug Christie 7 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California Attendance: 17,317 Referees: Ron Garretson, Steve Javie, Mark Wunderlich
* TNT
* May 13 6:00 PM
* Boxscore
Sacramento Kings 93, Dallas Mavericks 112 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–24, 28–30, 10–29, 22–29 |||
| Pts: Doug Christie 21 Rebs: Christie, Pollard 9 each Asts: Doug Christie 7 | Pts: Steve Nash 25 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 15 Asts: Dirk Nowitzki 9 |
| Dallas leads series, 3–2 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 20,556 Referees: Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington
* TNT
* May 15 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
Dallas Mavericks 109, Sacramento Kings 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–21, 28–36, 35–32, 22–26 |||
| Pts: Nick Van Exel 35 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 12 Asts: Finley, Nash 4 each | Pts: Peja Stojaković 24 Rebs: Jim Jackson 12 Asts: Doug Christie 6 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California Attendance: 17,317 Referees: Dan Crawford, Bob Delaney, Joe Forte
* ABC
* May 17 7:00 PM
* Boxscore
Sacramento Kings 99, Dallas Mavericks 112 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–23, 24–25, 24–28, 32–36 |||
| Pts: Mike Bibby 25 Rebs: Peja Stojaković 9 Asts: Bibby, Jackson 5 each | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 30 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 19 Asts: Steve Nash 13 |
| Dallas wins series, 4–3 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 20,595 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush
Sacramento won 3–1 in the regular-season series :
January 15, 2003
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 94, Sacramento Kings 123
ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California
February 4, 2003
Recap
Sacramento Kings 110, Dallas Mavericks 109
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
February 27, 2003
Recap
Sacramento Kings 126, Dallas Mavericks 124 (OT)
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
March 16, 2003
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 129, Sacramento Kings 123 (OT)
ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Kings winning the first meeting.
Sacramento leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
2002
Dallas Mavericks 1, Sacramento Kings 4
2002 Western Conference Semifinals :

## Conference finals
### Eastern Conference finals
#### (1) Detroit Pistons vs. (2) New Jersey Nets

* ABC
* May 18 1:30 pm
* Boxscore
New Jersey Nets 76, Detroit Pistons 74 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–16, 21–20, 12–27, 21–11 |||
| Pts: Kenyon Martin 16 Rebs: Jason Collins 10 Asts: Jason Kidd 7 | Pts: Richard Hamilton 24 Rebs: Ben Wallace 22 Asts: Chauncey Billups 6 |
| New Jersey leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Dan Crawford, Jack Nies, Derrick Stafford
* ESPN
* May 20 8:00 pm
* Boxscore
New Jersey Nets 88, Detroit Pistons 86 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–19, 19–23, 19–25, 30–19 |||
| Pts: Kenyon Martin 25 Rebs: Jason Collins 14 Asts: Jason Kidd 5 | Pts: Richard Hamilton 24 Rebs: Ben Wallace 19 Asts: Chauncey Billups 10 |
| New Jersey leads series, 2–0 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Joe DeRosa, Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington
* ABC
* May 22 8:30 pm
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 85, New Jersey Nets 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 23–29, 19–23, 20–17 |||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 21 Rebs: Ben Wallace 15 Asts: Five players 3 each | Pts: Jason Kidd 34 Rebs: Jason Kidd 12 Asts: Jason Kidd 6 |
| New Jersey leads series, 3–0 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 19,923 Referees: Mike Callahan, Ken Mauer, Eddie F. Rush
* ESPN
* May 24 8:00 pm
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 82, New Jersey Nets 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 18–22, 23–23, 18–29 |||
| Pts: Clifford Robinson 21 Rebs: Ben Wallace 13 Asts: Chauncey Billups 6 | Pts: Jason Kidd 26 Rebs: Jason Kidd 12 Asts: Jason Kidd 7 |
| New Jersey wins series, 4–0 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 19,923 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Steve Javie, Greg Willard
* Jason Kidd hit the game-winning jumper with 1.4 seconds left in Game 1.
Detroit won 2–1 in the regular-season series :
December 15, 2002
Recap
New Jersey Nets 91, Detroit Pistons 101
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
December 21, 2002
Recap
Detroit Pistons 92, New Jersey Nets 100
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
February 1, 2003
Recap
New Jersey Nets 84, Detroit Pistons 106
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first meeting.
Detroit leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1985
Detroit Pistons 3, New Jersey Nets 0
1985 Eastern Conference First Round :

### Western Conference finals
#### (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Dallas Mavericks

* TNT
* May 19 8:30 PM
* Boxscore
Dallas Mavericks 113, San Antonio Spurs 110 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–36, 34–30, 26–25, 30–19 |||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 38 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 15 Asts: Steve Nash 3 | Pts: Tim Duncan 40 Rebs: Tim Duncan 15 Asts: Tim Duncan 7 |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Ron Garretson, Bennett Salvatore, Greg Willard
* TNT
* May 21 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
Dallas Mavericks 106, San Antonio Spurs 119 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–35, 20–34, 31–25, 31–25 |||
| Pts: Michael Finley 29 Rebs: Finley, Nowitzki 10 each Asts: Steve Nash 8 | Pts: Tim Duncan 32 Rebs: Tim Duncan 15 Asts: Duncan, Jackson 5 each |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Ted Bernhardt, Joe Crawford
* TNT
* May 23 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 96, Dallas Mavericks 83 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–18, 20–28, 31–20, 27–17 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 34 Rebs: Tim Duncan 24 Asts: Tim Duncan 6 | Pts: Nick Van Exel 16 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 9 Asts: Steve Nash 9 |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–1 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 20,695 Referees: Dan Crawford, Bob Delaney, Bill Spooner
* TNT
* May 25 7:30 PM
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 102, Dallas Mavericks 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 26–28, 30–18, 25–25 |||
| Pts: Tony Parker 25 Rebs: Tim Duncan 20 Asts: Tim Duncan 7 | Pts: Finley, Nash 25 each Rebs: Van Exel, Williams 8 each Asts: Van Exel, Williams 3 each |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–1 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 20,561 Referees: Joe DeRosa, Bernie Fryer, Derrick Stafford
* TNT
* May 27 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
Dallas Mavericks 103, San Antonio Spurs 91 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 24–28, 27–23, 29–10 |||
| Pts: Michael Finley 31 Rebs: three players 8 each Asts: Steve Nash 6 | Pts: Tim Duncan 23 Rebs: Tim Duncan 15 Asts: three players 6 each |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–2 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Mike Callahan, Jack Nies, Eddie F. Rush
* TNT
* May 29 8:00 PM
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 90, Dallas Mavericks 78 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–22, 18–24, 16–23, 34–9 |||
| Pts: Stephen Jackson 24 Rebs: Duncan, Rose 11 each Asts: three players 4 each | Pts: Nick Van Exel 19 Rebs: Raef LaFrentz 12 Asts: Steve Nash 11 |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–2 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 20,812 Referees: Ron Garretson, Steve Javie, Tom Washington
Steve Kerr puts on a shooting performance for the ages connecting on 4 3-pointers closing out Dallas in game 6. Dirk Nowitzki missed the final three games with a knee injury.
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series :
December 11, 2002
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 104, San Antonio Spurs 111
SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas
February 20, 2003
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 87, Dallas Mavericks 95
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
March 20, 2003
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 112, Dallas Mavericks 110 (OT)
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
April 16, 2003
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 93, San Antonio Spurs 72
SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first meeting.
San Antonio leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
2001
Dallas Mavericks 1, San Antonio Spurs 4
2001 Western Conference Semifinals :

## NBA Finals (W1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (E2) New Jersey Nets

* ABC
* June 4 7:30 pm
* Recap
New Jersey Nets 89, San Antonio Spurs 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–18, 21–24, 17–32, 30–27 |||
| Pts: Kenyon Martin 21 Rebs: Kenyon Martin 12 Asts: Jason Kidd 10 | Pts: Tim Duncan 32 Rebs: Tim Duncan 20 Asts: Tim Duncan 6 |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa
* ABC
* June 6 7:30 pm
* Recap
New Jersey Nets 87, San Antonio Spurs 85 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–18, 22–17, 25–21, 21–29 |||
| Pts: Jason Kidd 30 Rebs: Jason Kidd 7 Asts: Kenyon Martin 4 | Pts: Tony Parker 21 Rebs: Tim Duncan 12 Asts: Tony Parker 5 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Dan Crawford, Bob Delaney, Bennett Salvatore
* ABC
* June 8 8:30 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 84, New Jersey Nets 79 :
| Scoring by quarter: 15–21, 18–9, 21–27, 30–22 |||
| Pts: Tony Parker 26 Rebs: Tim Duncan 16 Asts: Tim Duncan 7 | Pts: Kenyon Martin 23 Rebs: Kenyon Martin 11 Asts: Jason Kidd 11 |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–1 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 19,280 Referees: Ron Garretson, Steve Javie, Jack Nies
* ABC
* June 11 8:30 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 76, New Jersey Nets 77 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–16, 16–29, 23–11, 19–21 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 23 Rebs: Tim Duncan 16 Asts: Parker, Jackson 3 each | Pts: Kenyon Martin 20 Rebs: Kenyon Martin 13 Asts: Jason Kidd 9 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 19,280 Referees: Mike Callahan, Bernie Fryer, Eddie Rush
* ABC
* June 13 8:30 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 93, New Jersey Nets 83 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–18, 23–16, 24–23, 27–26 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 29 Rebs: Tim Duncan 17 Asts: Duncan, Parker 4 each | Pts: Jason Kidd 29 Rebs: Kenyon Martin 9 Asts: Jason Kidd 7 |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–2 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 19,280 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe Crawford, Bennett Salvatore
* ABC
* June 15 7:30 pm
* Recap
New Jersey Nets 77, San Antonio Spurs 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–17, 16–21, 22–19, 14–31 |||
| Pts: Jason Kidd 21 Rebs: Kenyon Martin 10 Asts: Jason Kidd 7 | Pts: Tim Duncan 21 Rebs: Tim Duncan 20 Asts: Tim Duncan 10 |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–2 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Dan Crawford, Bob Delaney, Ron Garretson
* Game 6 is David Robinson's final NBA game.
The Spurs become the first team to win all playoff series in 6 games.
Tied 1–1 in the regular-season series :
November 13, 2002
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 82, New Jersey Nets 91
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
March 6, 2003
Recap
New Jersey Nets 78, San Antonio Spurs 92
SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas :
This was the first NBA playoff meeting between the Nets and the Spurs. As members of the ABA, both teams met in the 1976 ABA Semifinals, where the Nets won 4–3.

## Statistical leaders

| Category | Game High | Game High | Game High | Average | Average | Average | Average |
| Category | Player | Team | High | Player | Team | Avg. | GP |
| Points | Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers | 55 | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers | 32.1 | 12 |
| Rebounds | Tim Duncan Ben Wallace | San Antonio Spurs Detroit Pistons | 24 | Jermaine O'Neal | Indiana Pacers | 17.5 | 6 |
| Assists | Gary Payton Jason Kidd | Milwaukee Bucks New Jersey Nets | 14 | Gary Payton | Milwaukee Bucks | 8.7 | 6 |
| Steals | Ben Wallace | Detroit Pistons | 7 | Ben Wallace | Detroit Pistons | 2.5 | 17 |
| Blocks | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs | 8 | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs | 3.3 | 24 |