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2001 NFL season
2001 NFL season: the 82nd NFL season, disrupted by 9/11 with Week 2 postponed and the Super Bowl moved to Feb. 3, 2002; ended with the Patriots upsetting the 14-2 Rams 20-17 in Super Bowl XXXVI, Tom Brady's first title.
2001 Seattle Mariners season
2001 Seattle Mariners season: AL West team that went 116-46 (.716), tying the 1906 Cubs' MLB wins record and beating the 1998 Yankees' AL mark of 114; Ichiro Suzuki won AL MVP and Rookie of the Year; lost the ALCS 4-1 to the Yankees.
2001 World Series
The 2001 World Series was won by the Arizona Diamondbacks, who beat the three-time defending champion New York Yankees four games to three on Luis Gonzalez's Game 7 single.
2001–02 NBA season
2001–02 NBA season: Lakers won a third straight title, sweeping New Jersey 4-0 after a Game 7 overtime win over Sacramento; Jordan returned with Washington; zone defense was legalized.
2001–02 NFL playoffs
2001–02 NFL playoffs: postseason after the 2001 season, delayed a week by 9/11, first prime-time early-round games, ending with the Patriots upsetting the Rams 20–17 in Super Bowl XXXVI.
2002 FIBA World Championship
2002 FIBA World Championship, held in Indianapolis Aug 29-Sep 8, 2002; Yugoslavia beat Argentina 84-77 OT for a second straight title, Nowitzki MVP, and Team USA with NBA players lost three games and finished sixth.
2002 NBA draft
The 2002 NBA draft was the NBA's annual player selection, held in June 2002. Yao Ming went first overall to Houston, the first international player without U.S. college experience taken No. 1.
2002 NBA Finals
2002 NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets 4-0 (June 5-12, 2002) for a third straight title; Shaquille O'Neal won a record third consecutive Finals MVP at 36.3 points per game.
2002 NFL season
2002 NFL season: first 32-team season with the Houston Texans' debut and eight-division realignment. Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII; Rich Gannon was AP MVP.
2002 Oakland Athletics season
2002 Oakland Athletics season: the "Moneyball" A's, managed by Art Howe under GM Billy Beane, went 103-59, won the AL West, set the AL record with a 20-game winning streak (Aug 13-Sept 4), then lost the ALDS 3-2 to Minnesota.
2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season: Jon Gruden's first year as head coach; 12-4, NFC South champions, first Super Bowl title (XXXVII, 48-21 over Oakland) behind the NFL's number one defense.
2002 World Series
2002 World Series: Anaheim Angels beat San Francisco Giants 4-3 for the Angels' only title, in the first all-Wild Card Series, capped by the Game 6 comeback from a 5-0 deficit and a 4-1 Game 7 win.
2002–03 NBA season
2002-03 NBA season: San Antonio Spurs won the title, beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the Finals. Tim Duncan won MVP and Finals MVP; first round expanded to best-of-seven; New Orleans Hornets debuted.
2002–03 NFL playoffs
2002–03 NFL playoffs: 12-team, four-round postseason for the 2002 season, first under the eight-division format. Tampa Bay beat Oakland 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII, the 'Gruden Bowl', at Qualcomm Stadium.
2003 NBA draft
2003 NBA draft, held June 26, 2003 in New York; Cleveland won the lottery (22.50% odds) and drafted LeBron James No. 1, ahead of Darko Milicic, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade; one of the greatest classes ever.
2003 NBA Finals
2003 NBA Finals: San Antonio Spurs beat New Jersey Nets 4-2 for their second title; Tim Duncan Finals MVP (24.2/17.0/5.3/5.3), near quadruple-double in Game 6; David Robinson retired.
2003 New England Patriots season
2003 New England Patriots season: NFL team year under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady; 14-2 regular season, +17 turnover differential, wins over Titans and Colts in playoffs, and 32-29 Super Bowl XXXVIII victory over the Panthers.
2003 NFL season
The 2003 NFL season, the league's 84th, ran September 4 to December 28, 2003; the 14-2 New England Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers 32-29 in Super Bowl XXXVIII, with Manning and McNair sharing MVP.
2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup, fifth men's Rugby World Cup, held in Australia October 10 to November 22, 2003 with 20 teams; England beat Australia 20-17 after extra time on Jonny Wilkinson's drop goal, becoming the only northern hemisphere champion.
2003 World Series
2003 World Series: the NL Wild Card Florida Marlins upset the AL champion New York Yankees 4-2, winning their second title when 23-year-old Josh Beckett pitched a five-hit shutout in Game 6 and earned MVP honors.
2003–04 Detroit Pistons season
2003-04 Detroit Pistons season: the NBA campaign in which Detroit went 54-28, beat the favored Shaq-and-Kobe Lakers 4-1 in the 2004 Finals, and won its third title behind Ben Wallace's defense and Finals MVP Chauncey Billups.
2003–04 Los Angeles Lakers season
2003–04 Los Angeles Lakers season: the 'first superteam' with O'Neal, Bryant, Malone, and Payton under Phil Jackson; 56–26, lost the 2004 NBA Finals 4–1 to Detroit, ending the Shaq–Kobe dynasty.
2003–04 NBA season
2003–04 NBA season, the league's 58th with 29 teams; Detroit Pistons (54-28) beat the Lakers 4-1 for the title, Chauncey Billups Finals MVP, Kevin Garnett MVP, LeBron James Rookie of the Year, scoring at a shot-clock-era low.
2004 American League Championship Series
2004 American League Championship Series: Boston Red Sox beat New York Yankees 4-3, October 12-21, 2004, becoming the first MLB team to win a postseason series after trailing 3-0; Ortiz was MVP; Boston then won the World Series.
2004 Boston Red Sox season
2004 Boston Red Sox season: 98-64 AL wild card team under Terry Francona that beat the Yankees 4-3 in the ALCS after trailing 0-3, then swept the Cardinals 4-0 for Boston's first World Series title since 1918.
2004 NBA draft
2004 NBA draft, held June 24, 2004 in New York; Orlando won the lottery at 25% and drafted Dwight Howard first overall over Emeka Okafor. 59 picks, 5 All-Stars, record eight high schoolers in round one, Bobcats expansion year.
2004 NBA Finals
The 2004 NBA Finals was won by the Detroit Pistons, who upset the favored Los Angeles Lakers four games to one for their third title.
2004 New England Patriots season
2004 New England Patriots season: NFL team's 14-2 championship year under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, ending with a 24-21 win over Philadelphia in Super Bowl XXXIX, the franchise's third title in four seasons.
2004 NFL season
2004 NFL season: 85th NFL regular season; Patriots beat Eagles 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX (Feb 6, 2005, Jacksonville) for a third title in four years; Steelers went 15-1; record 732 TD passes.
2004 NHL entry draft
2004 NHL Entry Draft, the 42nd NHL draft held June 26-27, 2004 in Raleigh, NC; 291 picks, Alex Ovechkin first and Evgeni Malkin second, the last NHL event before the 2004-05 lockout.