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.

This postseason was notable for being the first time all series were conducted in a best-of-7 format. It was also the only time in playoff history that no team was swept in a first-round series. From 1984–2002, the first-round series was best-of-5.

This is the first time that the NBA Playoffs carried more games on cable television than regular broadcast television. This also marks the debut for the NBA Playoffs to be aired on NBA TV, and the return broadcast on ESPN & ABC after the NBA departed from NBC and TBS.

The Detroit Pistons advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars-led team were swept by the Chicago Bulls in 1991, ending the Pistons' quest for a third consecutive title.

The Dallas Mavericks also ended a long conference finals drought by making it there for the first time since 1988.

Bracket

	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

Playoff qualifying

Western Conference

Seed	Team	Record
1	San Antonio Spurs	60–22
2	Sacramento Kings	59–23
3	Dallas Mavericks	60–22
4	Minnesota Timberwolves	51–31
5	Los Angeles Lakers	50–32
6	Portland Trail Blazers	50–32
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
4	Philadelphia 76ers	48–34
5	New Orleans Hornets	47–35
6	Boston Celtics	44–38
7	Milwaukee Bucks	42–40
8	Orlando Magic	42–40

Western Conference

Champion: San Antonio Spurs

First Round

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Phoenix Suns

Last Playoff Meeting: 2000 Western Conference First Round (Phoenix won 3-1)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (PHO-SAS)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1*	April 19	Phoenix	96	San Antonio	95	1-0	SBC Center, San Antonio	ESPN 5:30 EDT/4:30CT	Recap
2	April 21	Phoenix	76	San Antonio	84	1–1	SBC Center, San Antonio	TNT 7:30 EDT/6:30CT	Recap
3	April 25	San Antonio	99	Phoenix	86	1–2	America West Arena, Phoenix	NBA TV 10:00 EDT/8:00MT	Recap
4	April 27	San Antonio	84	Phoenix	86	2–2	America West Arena, Phoenix	TNT 10:30 EDT/8:30MT	Recap
5	April 29	Phoenix	82	San Antonio	94	2–3	SBC Center, San Antonio	NBA TV 8:30 EDT/7:30CT	Recap
6	May 1	San Antonio	87	Phoenix	85	2–4	America West Arena, Phoenix	TBS 10:30 EDT/8:30MT	Recap
San Antonio wins series 4–2

Stephon Marbury hits the game-winning 3 at the buzzer in Game 1.

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

Last Playoff Meeting: 2002 Western Conference First Round (Sacramento won 3-1)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (UTA-SAC)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	April 19	Utah	90	Sacramento	96	0–1	ARCO Arena, Sacramento	TNT 10:30 EDT/7:30PT	Recap
2	April 21	Utah	95	Sacramento	108	0–2	ARCO Arena, Sacramento	TNT 10:00 EDT/7:00PT	Recap
3	April 26	Sacramento	104	Utah	108	1–2	Delta Center, Salt Lake City	ESPN 10:30 EDT/7:30PT	Recap
4	April 28	Sacramento	99	Utah	82	1–3	Delta Center, Salt Lake City	TNT 10:30 EDT/7:30PT	Recap
5	April 30	Utah	91	Sacramento	111	1–4	ARCO Arena, Sacramento	TNT 10:30 EDT/7:30PT	Recap
Sacramento wins series 4–1

Game 5 is John Stockton's final NBA game.

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

Last Playoff Meeting: 1990 Western Conference First Round (Portland won 3-0)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (POR-DAL)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	April 19	Portland	86	Dallas	96	0–1	American Airlines Center, Dallas	TNT 8:00 EDT/7:00CT	Recap
2	April 23	Portland	99	Dallas	103	0–2	American Airlines Center, Dallas	TNT 9:30 EDT/8:30CT	Recap
3	April 25	Dallas	115	Portland	103	0–3	Rose Garden, Portland	ESPN 10:30 EDT/7:30PT	Recap
4	April 27	Dallas	79	Portland	98	1–3	Rose Garden, Portland	TNT 8:00 EDT/7:00PT	Recap
5	April 30	Portland	103	Dallas	99	2–3	American Airlines Center, Dallas	TNT 8:00 EDT/7:00CT	Recap
6	May 2	Dallas	103	Portland	125	3–3	Rose Garden, Portland	ESPN 10:30 EDT/7:30PT	Recap
7	May 4	Portland	95	Dallas	107	3–4	American Airlines Center, Dallas	ABC 3:30 EDT/2:30CT	Recap
Dallas wins series 4–3

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

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Timberwolves and Lakers.

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (LAL-MIN)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	April 20	L.A. Lakers	117	Minnesota	98	1-0	Target Center, Minneapolis	ABC 3:30 EDT/2:30CT	Recap
2	April 22	L.A. Lakers	91	Minnesota	119	1–1	Target Center, Minneapolis	TNT 9:30 EDT/8:30CT	Recap
3	April 24	Minnesota	114	L.A. Lakers	110	1–2	Staples Center, Los Angeles	TNT 11:00 EDT/8:00PT	Recap
4	April 27	Minnesota	97	L.A. Lakers	102	2–2	Staples Center, Los Angeles	ABC 3:00 EDT/12:00PT	Recap
5	April 29	L.A. Lakers	120	Minnesota	90	3-2	Target Center, Minneapolis	TNT 9:30 EDT/8:30CT	Recap
6	May 1	Minnesota	85	L.A. Lakers	101	4-2	Staples Center, Los Angeles	TNT 11:00 EDT/8:00PT	Recap
L.A. Lakers wins series 4–2

Conference Semifinals

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (5) Los Angeles Lakers

Last Playoff Meeting: 2002 Western Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles won 4-1)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (LAL-SAS)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	May 5	L.A. Lakers	82	San Antonio	87	0–1	SBC Center, San Antonio	TNT 9:30 EDT/8:30CT	Recap
2	May 7	L.A. Lakers	95	San Antonio	114	0–2	SBC Center, San Antonio	TNT 9:30 EDT/8:30CT	Recap
3	May 9	San Antonio	95	L.A. Lakers	110	1–2	Staples Center, Los Angeles	TNT 10:30 EDT/7:30PT	Recap
4	May 11	San Antonio	95	L.A. Lakers	99	2–2	Staples Center, Los Angeles	ABC 3:30 EDT/12:30PT	Recap
5	May 13	L.A. Lakers	94	San Antonio	96	2–3	SBC Center, San Antonio	TNT 9:30 EDT/8:30CT	Recap
6	May 15	San Antonio	110	L.A. Lakers	82	2–4	Staples Center, Los Angeles	ABC 8:00 EDT/6:00PT	Recap
San Antonio wins series 4–2

• In Game 5, the Lakers nearly overcame a 25-point deficit, but Robert Horry's potential game-winning 3 went in and out.

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

Last Playoff Meeting: 2002 Western Conference Semifinals (Sacramento won 4-1)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (SAC-DAL)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	May 6	Sacramento	124	Dallas	113	1-0	American Airlines Center, Dallas	ESPN 9:30 EDT/8:30CT	Recap
2	May 8	Sacramento	110	Dallas	132	1–1	American Airlines Center, Dallas	ESPN 9:30 EDT/8:30CT	Recap
3**	May 10	Dallas	141	Sacramento	137	1–2	ARCO Arena, Sacramento	ESPN 9:30 EDT/6:30PT	Recap
4	May 11	Dallas	83	Sacramento	99	2–2	ARCO Arena, Sacramento	TNT 10:30 EDT/7:30PT	Recap
5	May 13	Sacramento	93	Dallas	112	2–3	American Airlines Center, Dallas	TNT 9:30 EDT/8:30CT	Recap
6	May 15	Dallas	109	Sacramento	115	3–3	ARCO Arena, Sacramento	TNT 10:30 EDT/7:30PT	Recap
7	May 17	Sacramento	99	Dallas	112	3–4	American Airlines Center, Dallas	TNT 8:30 EDT/7:30CT	Recap
Dallas wins series 4–3

**Required double-overtime.

Conference Finals

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Dallas Mavericks

Last Playoff Meeting: 2001 Western Conference Semifinals (San Antonio won 4-1)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (DAL-SAS)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	May 19	Dallas	113	San Antonio	110	1-0	SBC Center, San Antonio	TNT 9:00 EDT/8:00CT	Recap
2	May 21	Dallas	106	San Antonio	119	1–1	SBC Center, San Antonio	TNT 8:30 EDT/7:30CT	Recap
3	May 23	San Antonio	96	Dallas	83	1–2	American Airlines Center, Dallas	TNT 9:00 EDT/8:00CT	Recap
4	May 25	San Antonio	102	Dallas	95	1–3	American Airlines Center, Dallas	TNT 9:00 EDT/8:00CT	Recap
5	May 27	Dallas	103	San Antonio	91	2–3	SBC Center, San Antonio	TNT 9:00 EDT/8:00CT	Recap
6	May 29	San Antonio	90	Dallas	78	2–4	American Airlines Center, Dallas	TNT 9:00 EDT/8:00CT	Recap
San Antonio wins Western Conference Championship series 4–2

Eastern Conference

Champion: New Jersey Nets

First Round

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Orlando Magic

Last Playoff Meeting: 1996 Eastern Conference First Round (Orlando won 3-0)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (ORL-DET)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	April 20	Orlando	99	Detroit	94	1-0	The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills	ESPN 12:30et	Recap
2	April 23	Orlando	77	Detroit	89	1-1	The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills	NBA TV 8:00et	Recap
3	April 25	Detroit	80	Orlando	89	2-1	TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando	ESPN 8:00et	Recap
4	April 27	Detroit	92	Orlando	100	3-1	TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando	ESPN 5:30et	Recap
5	April 30	Orlando	67	Detroit	98	3-2	The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills	NBA TV 7:30et	Recap
6	May 2	Detroit	103	Orlando	88	3–3	TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando	NBA TV 7:30et	Recap
7	May 4	Orlando	93	Detroit	108	3–4	The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills	ESPN 12:30et	Recap
Detroit wins series 4–3

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

Last Playoff Meeting: 1986 Eastern Conference First Round (Milwaukee won 3-0)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (MIL-NJN)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	April 19	Milwaukee	96	New Jersey	109	0–1	Continental Airlines Arena, New Jersey	ESPN 12:30et	Recap
2	April 22	Milwaukee	88	New Jersey	85	1–1	Continental Airlines Arena, New Jersey	TNT 7:00et	Recap
3	April 24	New Jersey	103	Milwaukee	101	1–2	Bradley Center, Milwaukee	TNT 8:30et/7:30ct	Recap
4*	April 26	New Jersey	114	Milwaukee	119	2–2	Bradley Center, Milwaukee	TNT 5:00et/4:00ct	Recap
5	April 29	Milwaukee	82	New Jersey	89	2–3	Continental Airlines Arena, New Jersey	TNT 7:00et	Recap
6	May 1	New Jersey	113	Milwaukee	101	2–4	Bradley Center, Milwaukee	TNT 6:00et/5:00ct	Recap
New Jersey wins series 4–2

*Required overtime.

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

Last Playoff Meeting: 1992 Eastern Conference First Round (Boston won 3-0)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (BOS-IND)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	April 19	Boston	103	Indiana	100	1-0	Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis	ESPN 3:00et/2:00ct	Recap
2	April 21	Boston	77	Indiana	89	1–1	Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis	NBATV 8:30et/7:30ct	Recap
3	April 24	Indiana	83	Boston	101	2-1	FleetCenter, Boston	TNT 6:00et	Recap
4	April 27	Indiana	92	Boston	102	3-1	FleetCenter, Boston	ESPN2 12:00et	Recap
5*	April 29	Boston	88	Indiana	93	3-2	Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis	NBATV 8:00et/7:00ct	Recap
6	May 1	Indiana	90	Boston	110	4-2	FleetCenter, Boston	TBS 8:00et	Recap
Boston wins series 4–2

*Required overtime.

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

Last Playoff Meeting: 2000 Eastern Conference First Round (Philadelphia won 3-1; Hornets were in Charlotte at the time)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (NOH-PHI)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	April 20	New Orleans	90	Philadelphia	98	0–1	First Union Center, Philadelphia	TNT 8:00et	Recap
2	April 23	New Orleans	85	Philadelphia	90	0–2	First Union Center, Philadelphia	TNT 7:00et	Recap
3	April 26	Philadelphia	85	New Orleans	99	1–2	New Orleans Arena, New Orleans	TNT 7:30et/6:30ct	Recap
4	April 28	Philadelphia	96	New Orleans	87	1–3	New Orleans Arena, New Orleans	TNT 7:30et/6:30ct	Recap
5	April 30	New Orleans	93	Philadelphia	91	2–3	First Union Center, Philadelphia	TNT 6:00et	Recap
6	May 2	Philadelphia	107	New Orleans	103	2–4	New Orleans Arena, New Orleans	ESPN 8:30et/7:30ct	Recap
Philadelphia wins series 4–2

Conference Semifinals

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (4) Philadelphia 76ers

Last Playoff Meeting: 1955 NBA Finals (Syracuse Nationals, the predecessor to the 76ers, won 4-3 over the Pistons, at the time located in Fort Wayne, Indiana)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (PHI-DET)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	May 6	Philadelphia	87	Detroit	98	0–1	The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills	ESPN 7:30et	Recap
2*	May 8	Philadelphia	97	Detroit	104	0–2	The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills	ESPN 7:00et	Recap
3	May 10	Detroit	83	Philadelphia	93	1–2	First Union Center, Philadelphia	ESPN 8:00et	Recap
4	May 11	Detroit	82	Philadelphia	95	2–2	First Union Center, Philadelphia	ESPN 7:30et	Recap
5	May 14	Philadelphia	77	Detroit	78	2–3	The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills	ESPN 8:00et	Recap
6*	May 16	Detroit	93	Philadelphia	89	2–4	First Union Center, Philadelphia	ESPN 8:00et	Recap
Detroit wins series 4–2

*Required overtime.

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

Last Playoff Meeting: 2002 Eastern Conference Finals (New Jersey won 4-2)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (BOS-NJN)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	May 5	Boston	93	New Jersey	97	0–1	Continental Airlines Arena, New Jersey	TNT 7:00et	Recap
2	May 7	Boston	95	New Jersey	104	0–2	Continental Airlines Arena, New Jersey	TNT 7:00et	Recap
3	May 9	New Jersey	94	Boston	76	0–3	FleetCenter, Boston	TNT 8:00et	Recap
4**	May 12	New Jersey	110	Boston	101	0–4	FleetCenter, Boston	TNT 8:00et	Recap
New Jersey wins series 4–0

Conference Finals

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (2) New Jersey Nets

Last Playoff Meeting: 1985 Eastern Conference First Round (Detroit won 3-0)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (NJN-DET)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	May 18	New Jersey	76	Detroit	74	1-0	The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills	ABC 1:00et	Recap
2	May 20	New Jersey	88	Detroit	86	2-0	The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills	ESPN 8:00et	Recap
3	May 22	Detroit	85	New Jersey	97	3-0	Continental Airlines Arena, New Jersey	ABC 8:00et	Recap
4	May 24	Detroit	82	New Jersey	102	4-0	Continental Airlines Arena, New Jersey	ESPN 8:00et	Recap
New Jersey wins Eastern Conference Championship series 4–0

Jason Kidd hit the game-winning jumper with 1.4 seconds left in Game 1.

NBA Finals

Main article: 2003 NBA Finals

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

Last Playoff Meeting: 1976 ABA Semifinals (Nets won 4-3; they were based in Uniondale, New York)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (NJN-SAS)	Venue	TV Time	Recap
1	June 4	New Jersey	89	San Antonio	101	0–1	SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas	ABC 8:00et/7:00ct	Recap
2	June 6	New Jersey	87	San Antonio	85	1–1	SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas	ABC 8:00et/7:00ct	Recap
3	June 8	San Antonio	84	New Jersey	79	1–2	Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey	ABC 8:00et/7:00ct	Recap
4	June 11	San Antonio	76	New Jersey	77	2–2	Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey	ABC 8:00et/7:00ct	Recap
5	June 13	San Antonio	93	New Jersey	83	2–3	Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey	ABC 8:00et/7:00ct	Recap
6	June 15	New Jersey	77	San Antonio	88	2–4	SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas	ABC 8:00et/7:00ct	Recap
San Antonio wins NBA Championship series 4–2

Game 6 is David Robinson's final NBA game.

External links

• NBA.com's section for the 2003 NBA Playoffs