Nets Celebrate 22nd Anniversary of First Finals Appearance

Last night Nets fans watched their former superstar Jason Kidd lead the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals. The 51-year-old head coach, Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving dispatched of the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, earning a date with the Boston Celtics for the right to this year's crown.

History has a way of repeating itself, especially in the NBA. 22 years ago today, Kidd's 15-13-13 game helped the New Jersey Nets triumph over the same Celtics en route to the franchise's first ever NBA Finals appearance.

On this date, May 31st in 2002-

The New Jersey Nets defeat the Boston Celtics 96-88 in Game 6 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Championship, winning the series 4 games to 2.

Advance to their first NBA Finals appearance.#NJNets #NBA pic.twitter.com/b7wlmj8VMH
— Dominick DiNardo (@dinardodp) May 31, 2024

The Nets' 96-88 victory ended the series in six games, boasting an all-around team victory in the deciding contest. Kidd's 13 assists were spread evenly throughout his supporting cast, bumping Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson, Keith Van Horn, Lucious Harris and Todd MacCulloch to a combined 65 points, with each notching a double-digit scoring mark.

Despite former Net Kenny Anderson leading all-scorers with 18 points for Boston, New Jersey was able to hold the soon-to-be superstar Paul Pierce to just 14 points. The Nets refused to be beaten by the future hall of famer, forcing the Celtics depth to decide the game. When the final buzzer sounded, Kidd and company had won the privilege of taking on the "Kobe and Shaq" Los Angeles Lakers, who New Jersey would prove to be no match for. L.A. ultimately swept the inexperienced Nets, claiming their third-straight title and last of the Bryant-O'Neal pairing.

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