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| Dates | June 4–15 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MVP | Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Spurs Tim Duncan (2020) Manu Ginóbili (2022) Tony Parker (2023) David Robinson (2009) Nets Jason Kidd (2018) Dikembe Mutombo (2015) Coaches: Gregg Popovich (2023) Officials: Dick Bavetta (2015) Danny Crawford (2025) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | Nets defeatedPistons, 4–0 | |||||||||
| Western finals | Spurs defeatedMavericks, 4–2 | |||||||||
The2003 NBA Finals was thechampionship series of theNational Basketball Association's (NBA)2002–03 season, and the culmination of theseason's playoffs. TheWestern Conference championSan Antonio Spurs played theEastern Conference championNew Jersey Nets for the title, with the Spurs holdinghome court advantage. The series was played under abest-of-seven format. The Spurs defeated the Nets to win the series 4–2 for their second championship. Spurs forwardTim Duncan was named theMost Valuable Player of the championship series. The series was broadcast on U.S. television onABC, withBrad Nessler,Bill Walton andTom Tolbert announcing.
The 2003 Finals documentary was narrated by Rodd Houston, who later narrated three other NBA Finals series.
The 2002–03 season had already started as a memorable one for the San Antonio Spurs, as it was the team's first season in their new arena, the SBC Center (now theFrost Bank Center). However, as this season was one of beginnings, it was also one of endings. During the season, Spurs starDavid Robinson announced that it was his last season. The NBA Finals also marked the end ofSteve Kerr's career as well—he was on the Spurs, having already won three titles with theChicago Bulls.
Over the last few seasons, injuries had slowed down Robinson's productivity to the point where he missed 18 games in his final season while averaging only 8.5 points per game. Nevertheless, Robinson retired holding Spurs franchise records in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. The Spurs had a very successful season, finishing 60–22, tying for the best record in the NBA that year.
The playoffs started off shaky for the Spurs as they lost game 1 of the first-round series against thePhoenix Suns in overtime.[1] However, the Spurs bounced back to take the series in six games.[2] The second round put the Spurs face-to-face with the three-time defending championLos Angeles Lakers. After splitting the first four games, the Spurs eked out a win in game 5, benefitting from a rare, last-second in-and-out miss from the Lakers' clutch-shooterRobert Horry (who helped the Spurs win a title two years later). The Spurs eventually disposed of the Lakers in game 6, ending the Lakers' championship run.[3] In the conference finals, the Spurs faced their in-state nemesis, theDallas Mavericks. The Spurs started off slow again, losing game 1 by three points, but took control of the series from there, taking the next three straight. After losing game 5 at home 103–91, the Spurs came from 15 points down in the fourth quarter in game 6, as Steve Kerr buried four three-pointers in a row to take the series in six games with a 90–78 win[4] in Dallas, advancing to their second NBA Finals in franchise history.
In the meantime theNew Jersey Nets, who lost to the Lakers in the finals the previous year, were out to prove that they were serious title contenders, despite the lack of competition in the Eastern Conference. The Nets finished the regular season 49–33, good enough to win theAtlantic Division and clinch the number 2 seed in the East. After splitting the first four games with theMilwaukee Bucks in the first round, the Nets took control, winning the series in six games. From then on, the Nets had no trouble making a return to the NBA Finals, sweeping theBoston Celtics and theDetroit Pistons to win their second straight Eastern Conference championship. With their 49–33 record, the 2003 Nets were the last team with under 50 wins to reach the NBA Finals in a fully-played season until the2022-23 Miami Heat, who went 44–38 in the regular season.[5]
Both teams split the two meetings, each won by the home team:
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| Head coach Assistant(s) Legend
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| Head coach Assistant(s) Legend
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| Game | Date | Home team | Result | Road team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | June 4 | San Antonio Spurs | 101–89 (1–0) | New Jersey Nets |
| Game 2 | June 6 | San Antonio Spurs | 85–87 (1–1) | New Jersey Nets |
| Game 3 | June 8 | New Jersey Nets | 79–84 (1–2) | San Antonio Spurs |
| Game 4 | June 11 | New Jersey Nets | 77–76 (2–2) | San Antonio Spurs |
| Game 5 | June 13 | New Jersey Nets | 83–93 (2–3) | San Antonio Spurs |
| Game 6 | June 15 | San Antonio Spurs | 88–77 (4–2) | New Jersey Nets |
The Finals were played using a 2–3–2 site format, where the first two and last two games are held at the team withhome court advantage. The NBA, after experimenting in the early years, restored this original format for theFinals in 1985. So far, the other playoff series are still running on a 2–2–1–1–1 site format.
Game 4 atContinental Airlines Arena was a sellout.[6]
This was the last Finals' series to be played on a Wednesday–Friday–Sunday rotation, which was used starting in 1991 whenNBC began carrying the NBA. Starting with the2004 NBA Finals, all games were played on Thursday–Sunday–Tuesday format until2016, when it was changed to allow for two days off each time teams traveled.
June 4 8:30 pm(7:30 pmCDT) |
| New Jersey Nets 89,San Antonio Spurs101 | ||
| 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 | ||
ABC |
June 6 8:30 pm(7:30 pmCDT) |
| New Jersey Nets87, San Antonio Spurs 85 | ||
| Scoring by quarter:19–18,22–17,25–21, 21–29 | ||
| Pts: Jason Kidd 30 Rebs: Kidd,Harris 7 each Asts: Kenyon Martin 4 | Pts:Tony Parker 21 Rebs: Tim Duncan 12 Asts: Tony Parker 5 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
ABC |
June 8 8:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs84, 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 | ||
ABC |
June 11 8:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 76,New Jersey Nets77 | ||
| Scoring by quarter:18–16, 16–29,23–11, 19–21 | ||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 23 Rebs: Tim Duncan 17 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 Referees: Mike Callahan,Bernie Fryer,Eddie Rush |
ABC |
June 13 8:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs93, 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 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe Crawford, Bennett Salvatore |
ABC |
June 15 8:30 pm(7:30 pmCDT) |
| New Jersey Nets 77,San Antonio Spurs88 | ||
| 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 NBA Finals, 4–2 | ||
SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas Referees: Dan Crawford, Bob Delaney, Ron Garretson |
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Full game broadcast by ABC onYouTube |
While the series received the usual hype of any Finals, it was not heavily anticipated due to the absence of the Lakers, who had won the previous three finals. The Spurs did have a star inTim Duncan, but at the time he was criticized as being boring compared to flashier players such asKobe Bryant andShaquille O'Neal.[7]
The series largely centered on the half-court offense and defense of each team, with only one team breaking 100 points in the series. The Nets constantly double-teamed Duncan, often allowing him to find open teammates.
Nets point guardJason Kidd, second to Duncan in MVP voting during the 2003 season,[8] was in the last year of his contract with the team, leading to speculation that the Spurs, a team that could afford to sign him, would pursue him in the free agency following the 2003 Finals despite already having future All-StarTony Parker on the roster. The underlying story of whether or not Kidd would be in a Spurs uniform the following season continued into the off-season. Kidd visited San Antonio and spoke with team officials, but ultimately re-signed with the Nets.[9]
Perhaps the lasting memory of the series is David Robinson retiring as a champion.[10] In the clinching game 6, Robinson had 13 points and 17 rebounds to complement Duncan on the inside. In that game, the Spurs trailed at one point 72–63 before going on a 19–0 run to put the game away and take the series.Stephen Jackson's three-pointer during the run held the lead permanently. The Spurs' win denied New Jersey from having both NBA andNational Hockey League (NHL) titles in the same year as NHL'sNew Jersey Devils won the2003 Stanley Cup Final.[11]
Duncan became the eighth player in NBA history to win the Finals MVP award a second time.[12] He joined the list ofWillis Reed,Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,Magic Johnson,Larry Bird,Michael Jordan,Hakeem Olajuwon andShaquille O'Neal. In the series-clinching game, Duncan came two blocks shy of aquadruple double in an NBA Finals game, an extremely rare feat, finishing with 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 blocks. Robinson recorded the last quadruple double in NBA history with the Spurs.[13] Duncan and Robinson grabbed 37 rebounds between them, more than the total rebounds of the entire Nets team combined (35).[14]
Steve Kerr joinedDennis Johnson,Bill Walton,Dennis Rodman,Ron Harper andRobert Horry as the only players to win at least two championships with two franchises.[15] Kerr won three with the Chicago Bulls (1996–1998) and another with the Spurs in 1999. Robert Horry won two with the Houston Rockets (1994, 1995) and three with the LA Lakers (2000–2002), and later went on to win two more with the Spurs in 2005 and 2007.
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Bowen | 6 | 6 | 28.5 | .233 | .286 | 1.000 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 3.3 |
| Speedy Claxton | 6 | 0 | 12.5 | .560 | .000 | .750 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 6.2 |
| Tim Duncan | 6 | 6 | 43.8 | .495 | .000 | .685 | 17.0 | 5.3 | 1.0 | 5.3 | 24.2 |
| Danny Ferry | 3 | 0 | 1.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Manu Ginóbili | 6 | 0 | 28.7 | .348 | .214 | .810 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 8.7 |
| Stephen Jackson | 6 | 6 | 35.5 | .377 | .357 | .500 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 10.3 |
| Steve Kerr | 4 | 0 | 5.0 | .750 | 1.000 | .500 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Tony Parker | 6 | 6 | 35.3 | .386 | .429 | .609 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 14.0 |
| David Robinson | 6 | 6 | 26.8 | .611 | .000 | .700 | 7.3 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 10.8 |
| Malik Rose | 6 | 0 | 21.2 | .442 | .000 | 1.000 | 3.8 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 7.7 |
| Steve Smith | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Kevin Willis | 5 | 0 | 4.4 | .333 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.6 |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Collins | 6 | 6 | 25.2 | .333 | .000 | .800 | 4.7 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 3.7 |
| Lucious Harris | 6 | 0 | 20.8 | .306 | .333 | .789 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 6.5 |
| Richard Jefferson | 6 | 6 | 38.2 | .417 | .000 | .792 | 6.5 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 13.2 |
| Anthony Johnson | 5 | 0 | 5.6 | .556 | .500 | .000 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 2.2 |
| Jason Kidd | 6 | 6 | 44.2 | .364 | .270 | .833 | 6.2 | 7.8 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 19.7 |
| Kerry Kittles | 6 | 6 | 31.3 | .377 | .304 | .800 | 4.2 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 10.8 |
| Kenyon Martin | 6 | 6 | 37.5 | .343 | .000 | .667 | 10.0 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 14.7 |
| Dikembe Mutombo | 6 | 0 | 13.7 | .500 | .000 | 1.000 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 2.3 |
| Rodney Rogers | 6 | 0 | 12.3 | .323 | .375 | .833 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.7 |
| Brian Scalabrine | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Tamar Slay | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Aaron Williams | 5 | 0 | 14.2 | .423 | .000 | .750 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 5.6 |
The 2003 NBA Finals was the first to be aired onABC (includingWABC-TV in the New York metropolitan area andKSAT-TV in San Antonio), taking over after a 12-year run onNBC. As part ofESPN’s new media deal with the NBA, ABC's telecasts were produced by ESPN. Until2007, it was the lowest-rated finals in NBA history.
This was also the only year to date that ABC broadcast both the NBA and the Stanley Cup finals that involved teams playing in the same arena during each series. During ABC's broadcast of game 3, Brad Nessler stated that ABC was in a unique situation getting ready for both that game and game 7 of theStanley Cup Final between the Devils and theMighty Ducks of Anaheim the following night.[16][17]Gary Thorne, ESPN/ABC's lead NHL voice, mentioned this the following night and thanked Nessler for promotingABC's broadcast of game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.[18]
This was the only NBA Finals worked by Nessler and Tolbert, while this was Walton's last Finals assignment. All three were demoted from ABC's lead role after the Finals. Though Nessler remained the lead voice for ESPN's NBA broadcasts for another season, his position at ABC was relegated to a backup role after ABC convincedAl Michaels ofMonday Night Football fame to take over the lead position. Michaels was later joined by recently deposedOrlando Magic coachDoc Rivers on ABC's lead team.
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The Nets had an inconsistent start to the2003–04 NBA season, and with a 22–20 record early in the season they fired head coach Byron Scott.Lawrence Frank took over and led the Nets to anotherAtlantic Division title by winning 47 games, highlighted by a 13–0 start, the best start for a rookie head coach in sports history. Despite that, however, the Nets lost to theeventual NBA championDetroit Pistons in seven games of the conference semifinals. As of the2024–25 season[update], the 2003 Finals remain the Nets' most recent Finals appearance and is their last in New Jersey. The franchise moved toBrooklyn,New York prior to the2012–13 season. The Nets have also not made the conference finals since 2003, having lost five times in the semifinals, with the last being in 2021.
Jason Kidd remained with the Nets until he was traded inFebruary 2008 to the team he was originally drafted to, theDallas Mavericks. Kidd, along with teammateDirk Nowitzki, led the Mavericks to the NBA title in2011.Kenyon Martin was sent to theDenver Nuggets after the 2003–04 season, whileRichard Jefferson eventually joined the Spurs in the2009–10 season, after a one-year stint with theMilwaukee Bucks. He later won a championship with theCleveland Cavaliers in 2016.
Despite the departures of Robinson, Jackson and Kerr, the Spurs still managed to win 57 games, aided by Tim Duncan's strong play. However, they were ousted in six games by theLos Angeles Lakers, highlighted byDerek Fisher's game-winner with 0.4 seconds left in game 5 of the conference semifinals. In the years following Robinson's retirement, Duncan led the Spurs to three more NBA titles in2005,2007 and2014. Steve Kerr would later lead an NBA dynasty as a head coach, winning NBA championships in2015,2017,2018, and2022 with theGolden State Warriors.
But the Spurs, behind the leadership of backup point guard Speedy Claxton, silenced the sellout crowd of 19,280...
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