Short answers, pulled from the story.
The 2001, 02 season marked the final year of best-of-5 first-round series in the National Basketball Association. This structural change would take effect starting with the following postseason, expanding all opening rounds to a best-of-7 format beginning in 2003.
Disgraced referee Tim Donaghy alleged that two officials fixed the outcome to ensure a seventh game during the Western Conference Finals. Donaghy claimed NBA executives wanted to maximize ticket sales and television ratings by extending the series.
The 2002 playoffs marked the return of the Boston Celtics to the postseason for the first time since 1995. They defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in five games to advance to the conference semifinals.
Shaquille O'Neal earned his third consecutive Finals Most Valuable Player award with dominant performances throughout the series. He scored 36 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in Game 1, followed by 40 points and 12 rebounds in Game 2.
Game 5 of the Lakers versus Spurs series represented the final playoff contest held in what is known as a multipurpose stadium, specifically the Alamodome. This event occurred before network changes affected how the league distributed its content across American television networks.