Every 2002-03 NBA playoff series, three ways: the season race carried on into the postseason, who beat their seeding, and the bracket.
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The same race these clubs ran all season, carried on through the postseason on one scale and on real dates.
Where each club finished the season against how far it went, ranked on record rather than seed.
Who played whom, round by round, which no line chart can say.
San Antonio Spurs won the 2002-03 title from a regular season record of 60-22. 16 teams reached the playoffs and the bracket ran 4 rounds. Every series below is taken from NBA.com; nothing on this page is estimated.
| Round | Won by | Result | Opponent | Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Dallas Mavericks | 4-3 in games | Portland Trail Blazers | April 19 to May 4, 2003 |
| First round | San Antonio Spurs | 4-2 in games | Phoenix Suns | April 19 to May 1, 2003 |
| First round | Sacramento Kings | 4-1 in games | Utah Jazz | April 19 to April 30, 2003 |
| First round | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-2 in games | Minnesota Timberwolves | April 20 to May 1, 2003 |
| First round | Detroit Pistons | 4-3 in games | Orlando Magic | April 20 to May 4, 2003 |
| First round | New Jersey Nets | 4-2 in games | Milwaukee Bucks | April 19 to May 1, 2003 |
| First round | Boston Celtics | 4-2 in games | Indiana Pacers | April 19 to May 1, 2003 |
| First round | Philadelphia 76ers | 4-2 in games | New Orleans Hornets | April 20 to May 2, 2003 |
| Conf. semifinals | Dallas Mavericks | 4-3 in games | Sacramento Kings | May 6 to May 17, 2003 |
| Conf. semifinals | San Antonio Spurs | 4-2 in games | Los Angeles Lakers | May 5 to May 15, 2003 |
| Conf. semifinals | Detroit Pistons | 4-2 in games | Philadelphia 76ers | May 6 to May 16, 2003 |
| Conf. semifinals | New Jersey Nets | 4-0 in games | Boston Celtics | May 5 to May 12, 2003 |
| Conf. finals | San Antonio Spurs | 4-2 in games | Dallas Mavericks | May 19 to May 29, 2003 |
| Conf. finals | New Jersey Nets | 4-0 in games | Detroit Pistons | May 18 to May 24, 2003 |
| The Finals | San Antonio Spurs | 4-2 in games | New Jersey Nets | June 4 to June 15, 2003 |
The left column ranks this field by regular season record, not by seed number: seeding rules differ by era, so this site uses records everywhere instead. The right column groups clubs by the round they went out in, which is not the same as the number of rounds they won, because a bye carries a club further without it winning anything. The figure beside a name is places moved between the two columns, and part of it is only where a club sat inside its band. Nothing here is a prediction. The data notes carry the whole method.