The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings in a convincing 113-86 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the 2002 NBA Finals. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant combined for 69 points, 25 rebounds, and 11 assists as they led their team to their third consecutive NBA championship appearance.
The Lakers jumped out to an early 36-19 lead after the first quarter and kept that momentum throughout the majority of the game. In addition, Malone was able to keep Corliss Williamson’s minutes limited which helped maintain the Kings’ tempo on offense.
Kings vs Lakers Winner:
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 115-113.
The Lakers were up by 19 points during the second half but with 0:03 remaining, Chris Webber hit a jumper to close the gap. It was too little too late for the Kings as Lakers’ superstar Kobe Bryant nailed two free throws with 1 second left in regulation to tie the game at 111 apiece and send it into overtime.
The rest is history as O’Neal took over during overtime scoring 9 of his 30 points during that time frame; he also grabbed 10 boards.
Los Angeles Lakers MVP:
Shaquille O’Neal had 37 points and 15 rebounds.
He shot 13 for 24 from the field which included a perfect 3 for 3 from behind the three-point line. It was a dominant performance by Shaq who seemed hungry to win his first championship since 2000 when he played with the Miami Heat.
O’Neal stated in an interview with TNT, “We know what happened the last time we were here (in Sacramento). We didn’t finish it off; I sure did tonight.” He also added that “I’m happy for myself and my teammates, but mostly for the city of Los Angeles.” Bryant was superb during game 1 as well scoring 32 points. The two superstars combined for 69 points, 25 rebounds, 11 assists, and 6 blocks against one of the best defensive teams in the league.
Kings MVP:
Brad Miller had a near double-double performance with 25 points and 9 rebounds.
Chris Webber led his team in scoring with 29 points while shooting 10 for 18 from the field including 4 of 5 from three-point territory. The Kings needed their other star players to step up during game 1 and they did not which is why they lost so convincingly to the Lakers. Doug Christie was held scoreless, Peja Stojakovic only scored 8 points on 2 for 11 shooting, and Vlade Divac had 4 rebounds but no points.
Malone played just 24 minutes as he was able to limit Corliss Williamson’s production; it forced Rick Adelman to play his bench more than normal throughout the game. Bobby Jackson scored 12 points off the bench while Brad Miller had 25 points and 9 rebounds.
Overall, Sacramento performed well below their season averages but it wasn’t enough against a much more talented Los Angeles squad.
Who won the 2002 NBA finals
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings in a convincing 113-86 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the 2002 NBA Finals. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant combined for 69 points, 25 rebounds, and 11 assists as they led their team to their third consecutive NBA championship appearance.
The Lakers jumped out to an early 36-19 lead after the first quarter and kept that momentum throughout the majority of the game. In addition, Malone was able to keep Corliss Williamson’s minutes limited which helped maintain the Kings’ tempo on offense.
Conclusion
The 2002 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2001-02 National Basketball Association season, and the conclusion of the season’s playoffs. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference champion and defending NBA champion, the New Jersey Nets, 4 games to 3. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, so the first team to collect four game victories would win the series.
