EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey, 26 May 2003 — Jason Kidd had 26 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists to steer the New Jersey Nets into the NBA finals with a 102-82 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.
New Jersey picked up their second consecutive Eastern Conference title thanks to a 4-0 sweep of the best-of-seven final series against the Pistons. The Nets now face a showdown with San Antonio or Dallas starting June 4.
“We put ourselves in this position to win at home,” Kidd told reporters. “There’s no better place to win than at home but our job isn’t done yet.”
The Nets won their 10th consecutive playoff game, the fourth longest streak in playoff history, in easy fashion. They led by nine points at the half and at the end of three quarters before blowing it open in the final session.
Kenyon Martin scored 14 points and added 10 rebounds for the Nets while Richard Jefferson also had 14 points.
“It’s a great win for this organization,” Nets coach Byron Scott said. “The way we came out and didn’t take anything for granted is a great testament to our team.”
The Nets had a scare with less than seven minutes to play when Kidd landed on his ankle and was down on the court for several minutes in obvious pain. But he recovered and played on before leaving for good with three minutes left.
Clifford Robinson led Detroit, the top seed in the East going into the playoffs, with 21 points and Richard Hamilton added 20.
Ben Wallace chipped in with 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Pistons, who were never in the series after losing the first two games by a combined four points in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
“It’s never fun when you lose but the Nets were the better team,” Detroit coach Rick Carlisle said. “I really think the Nets have a great chance at whoever comes out of the West.”
New Jersey will be looking for redemption after being swept by the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals last year.
The victory came one day after the New Jersey Devils, the Nets’ co-tenants in the Continental Airlines Arena, advanced to the Stanley Cup finals.
It is the first time two teams who share the same building have advanced to the NBA and Stanley Cup finals in the same year since New York’s Knicks and Rangers in 1994.
