venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given. Game 1 Los Angeles's Staples Center sold out for the inaugural game of the 2002 NBA Finals, with nearly 19,000 on hand. The Nets trotted out a lineup of Jason Kidd, Kerry Kittles, Kenyon Martin, Keith Van Horn, and Todd MacCulloch to hold up against the two-time defending and heavily favored champions. The Lakers brought out Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Shaquille O'Neal, Robert Horry, and Kobe Bryant, who drew the assignment of guarding Kidd. New Jersey head coach Byron Scott, a member of the Showtime Lakers, received a standing ovation. Taking advantage of a late arrival to the arena by New Jersey, L.A. dominated the first 17 minutes of play with a 42–19 score by the 6:41 mark in the second quarter. From that point on, the Nets went on a 17–6 run to close the lead to a respectable 12. They had no answer for O'Neal, however, who had bullied MacCulloch into 16 points and 6 rebounds by half-time. The Nets outscored the Lakers in the third but stood steadfast as Bryant scored 11 of his 22 in the third. New Jersey battled back, coming as close as three several times in the final quarter. Desperate to take the lead, they utilized the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy midway in the fourth. It backfired, as O'Neal was 5–8 from the free throw line and had 16 points and 9 rebounds in the period alone. New Jersey was doomed by their late start and poor shooting. The Nets, who shot 45% from the field and 74% on free throws were 39% and 57% respectively. Kidd finished with a triple-double, the 26th in Finals history and the first since Charles Barkley's in the 1993 series. Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Player statistics Los Angeles Lakers |- | align="left" | || 4 || 4 || 43.8 || .514 || .545 || .806 || 5.8 || 5.3 || 1.5 || 0.8 || 26.8 |- | align="left" | || 4 || 4 || 33.0 || .515 || .667 || .643 || 3.5 || 3.8 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 12.8 |- | align="left" | || 4 || 4 || 36.0 || .522 || .455 || .833 || 6.3 || 3.5 || 1.5 || 0.5 || 9.8 |- | align="left" | || 4 || 0 || 18.0 || .435 || .600 || 1.000