,,
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
(NBA)
M:
Jasmina Kovaevi
:
IV-5
, 2016.
Content
1.Introduction............................................................................................4
2.The Very First Basketball Game..........................................................4
3.History.....................................................................................................5
4.Teams......................................................................................................7
4.1.League Championships............................................................10
5.Regular Season...................................................................................10
5.1.NBA All-Star Break...................................................................10
5.1.1.All-Star Game...............................................................11
5.1.2.Rookie Challenge.........................................................11
5.1.3.Skills Challenge...........................................................11
5.1.4.Three Point Contest.....................................................11
5.1.5.Slam Dunk Contest......................................................11
5.2.Post-Regular Season Awards..................................................12
6.Playoffs.....................................................................................................13
6.1.NBA Finals..................................................................................14
7.NBA Draft.................................................................................................14
7.1.NBA Draft Lottery......................................................................15
7.2.The Greatest NBA Drafts..........................................................15
7.2.1.NBA Draft 1984............................................................15
7.2.2.NBA Draft 1996............................................................16
7.2.3.NBA Draft 2003............................................................17
8.NBA All-Time Scoring List.....................................................................18
9.NBA All-Time Rebounds List.................................................................19
10.NBA All-Time Assists List....................................................................20
11.NBA All-Time Steals List......................................................................21
12.NBA All-Time Blocks List.....................................................................22
13.The Greatest of All Time-MICHAEL JORDAN.......................................23
2
14.Conclusion...............................................................................................24
Bibliography.................................................................................................25
1. Introduction
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the
pre-eminent mens professional basketball league in North
America, and is widely considered to be the premier
mens professional basketball league in the world. It has 30
teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada), and is an
active member of USA Basketball (USAB), which is
recognized by FIBA (also known as the International
Basketball Federation) as the national governing body for
basketball in the United States. The NBA is one of the
four major North American professional sports leagues. The
four major North American professional sports leagues are Major League
Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football
League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). The NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL
are commonly referred to as the Big 4. NBA players are the worlds best paid
sportsmen, by average annual salary per player.
The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball
Association of America (BAA). The league adopted the name National Basketball
Association on August 3, 1949, after merging with its rival National Baseball League
(NBL).
2. The Very First Basketball Game
Surprisingly, unlike most sports whose origins are
somewhat obscure, often being the combination of other
sports and developed gradually through time, basketball has
a very precise and fully known origin. Even the date of the
very first game is known, December 21, 1891.
It was all started by Dr. James Naismith, the son of
two Scottish immigrants to Canada. By 1891, Dr. Naismith
was teaching physical education in Springfield, MA at the
Dr James Naismith- the
YMCA International Training School, which today is
creator of basketball
game
Springfield College. While there, he was asked by the
director of physical education, Dr. Luther Gulick, to come up with a new game students
could play indoors during the winter that would help keep track and field runners in
shape and would be relatively safe to play particularly that it would have a small
amount of physical contact so that the players wouldnt get injured in this game.
3. History
The NBA began life as the Basketball Association of America in 1946 and played
under that name for 3 years before, in 1949, merging with the National Basketball
League and changing names to the NBA. The BAA started out with 11 teams in 1946
but lost four of them before the start of the next season. Despite the loss of four teams
the BAA was having a lot of success against its rival the NBL and was able to entice
four of the NBLs franchises to join the BAA in 1948.
When the two leagues merged in 1949 it brought the total number of teams to 16
but the new league would quickly start losing teams. After just six years the number of
teams had dropped to just 8. Financial troubles plagued the league from the start and
this was especially true for the NBL teams that joined during the merger due to them
being in smaller seasons. The owner of the Fort Wayne Pistons, a former NBL team,
named Frank Zollner was key in keeping the NBA financially afloat during this time.
The NBA continued with 8 teams from 1955 until 1961 when the Chicago
Packers joined the league. The Packers, now the Washington Wizards, are not
considered to be the first expansion team, that distriction goes to the Chicago Bulls
because the Bulls, who joined in 1966, had an actual expansion draft. From 1966 until
2004 the league saw an expansion boom with a total of 21 teams joining the league.
The NBA has always been a league that was dominated by what some historians
have called teams of the era. The early decades of the NBA were dominated the
Minneapolis Lakers and their star George Mikan. From 1948 until 1954 the Lakers won
5 NBA championships. From 1957 until 1969 the Boston
Celtics won 11 championships in 13 seasons and the 1980s was
dominated by the Lakers and Celtics who combined to win 8 of the 10
titles during that decade. The 1990s saw the rise of Michael
Jordans Chicago Bulls; who would capture 6 titles during
the decade. The 2000s saw the Lakers again being
dominate winning 5 titles during the decade. Only the 1970s
and 2010s, as of today, did not see a franchise win at
least 4 NBA titles.
The 1980s saw the league and the game of basketball grow
tremendously and a lot of that had to do with the
rivalry of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. The two
have become the definition of what a rivalry is
supposed to be and their teams would dominate
the decade. Because of this rivalry a lot of interest
grew in the America about the NBA and the first
major TV deals started to be signed as well as
another wave of expansion.
The 1990s saw the age of Jordan. No
person in team sports perhaps has had such an
impact that extended outside of the game. Jordan
became the NBA and perhaps even bigger than
the league. Had it not been for a two year
retirement Jordan may have won 8 maybe 10 NBA
titles.
The post Jordan NBA seen an increase in
international players joining the NBA. The 2000s
were truly an international league as players from
every corner of the globe started joining the NBA
and many of them, such as Dirk Nowitzki, started
to find success in the league.
Now half way through the 2010s there are a
lot of possibilities as to what direction the NBA
could go. How big of a legacy will Lebron James have? What new locations will the NBA
be in during the next 5 years? And what new legends have yet to set foot on an NBA
court? Only time will tell
4. Teams
The NBA originated in 1946 with 11 teams, and through a sequence of team
expansions, reductions, and relocations currently consists of 30 teams. The United
States is home to 29 teams and one is located in Canada.
The current league organization divides thirty teams into two conferences: the
Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each conference has three divisions.
Eastern conference is divided into Atlantic, Central and Southeast division. Western
conference is divided into Southwest, Northwest and Pacific division. Each division has
5 teams.
Eastern Conference
1. Atlantic Division
Brooklyn Nets
Boston Celtics
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors
2. Central Division
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks
3. Southeast Division
Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Hornets
Miami Heat
Orlando Magic
Washington Wizards
Western Conference
1. Southwest Division
San Antonio Spurs
Houston Rockets
Memphis Grizzlies
Dallas Mavericks
New Orleans Pelicans
2. Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Oklahoma City Thunder
Portland Trailblazers
Utah Jazz
3. Pacific Division
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings
4.1 League Championships
1. Boston Celtics (17)
2. Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (16)
3. Chicago Bulls (6)
4. San Antonio Spurs (5)
5. Philadelphia/San Francisco/Golden State Warriors (4)
6. Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (3)
7. Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons (3)
8. Miami Heat (3)
9. New York Knicks (2)
10. Houston Rockets (2)
5. Regular Season
The NBA regular season begins in the last week of October.
During the regular season, each team plays 82 games, 41 each home and away. A
team faces opponents in its own division four times a year (16 games). Each team plays
six of the teams from the other two divisions in its conference four times (24 games),
and the remaining four teams three times (12 games). Finally, each team plays all the
teams in the other conference twice apiece (30 games). This asymmetrical structure
means the strength of schedule will vary between teams (but not as significantly as the
NFL or MLB).
The NBA is one of only two of the four major professional sports leagues in the United
States and Canada in which teams play every other team during the regular season (the
other being the National Hockey League). Each team hosts and visits every other team
at least once every season. From 2005 to 2008, the NBA had the distinction of being the
only one of the four major leagues in which all teams play every other team.
The NBA is also the only league that regularly schedules games on Christmas Day.
In February, the regular season pauses to celebrate the annual NBA All-Star Break.
5.1 NBA All-Star Break
NBA All-Star Break includes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
All-Star Game
Rookie Challenge (Rising Stars Challenge)
Skills Challenge
Three Point Contest
Slam Dunk Contest
10
5.1.1 All-Star Game
Fans vote throughout the United States, Canada, and on the
Internet, and the top vote-getters at each position in each
conference are given a starting spot on their conference's All-Star
team. Coaches vote to choose the remaining 14 All-Stars. Then,
Eastern conference players face the Western conference players in
the All-Star game. The player with the best performance during the
game is rewarded with a Game MVP award.
5.1.2 Rookie Challenge
The top rookies and second-year players in the NBA play in a 5-on-5 basketball game,
with the current format pitting U.S. players against those from the rest of the world.
5.1.3 Skills Challenge
Players compete to finish an obstacle course consisting of shooting, passing, and
dribbling in the fastest time.
5.1.4 Three Point Contest
Players compete to score the most
amount of three-point field goals in a
given time.
5.1.5 Slam Dunk Contest
Players compete to dunk the ball in the
most entertaining way according to the
judges.
11
Shortly after the All-Star break is the trade deadline, which is set to fall on the 16th
Thursday of the season (usually in February) at 3pm Eastern Time. After this date,
teams are not allowed to exchange players with each other for the remainder of the
season, although they may still sign and release players. Major trades are often
completed right before the trading deadline, making that day a hectic time for general
managers.
Around the middle of April, the regular season ends. It is during this time that voting
begins for individual awards, as well as the selection of the honorary, league-wide, postseason teams.
5.2 Post-Regular Season Awards
1. The Sixth Man of the Year Award is given to the best player coming off the bench
(must have more games coming off the bench than actual games started).
2. The Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the most outstanding first-year player.
3. The Most Improved Player Award is awarded to the player who is deemed to have
shown the most improvement from the previous season.
4. The Defensive Player of the Year Award is awarded to the league's best defender.
5. The Coach of the Year Award is awarded to the coach that has made the most
positive difference to a team.
6. The Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is given to the player deemed the most
valuable for (his team) that season.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar
has the most MVP
trophies (6)
7. Executive of the Year Award- Additionally, Sporting News awards an unofficial (but
widely recognized) award to the general manager who is adjudged to have performed
the best job for the benefit of his franchise.
The post-season teams are The All-NBA Team, The All-Defensive Team, and The AllRookie Team; each consists of five players. There are three All-NBA teams, consisting
of the top players at each position, with first-team status being the most desirable.
There are two All-Defensive teams, consisting of the top defenders at each position.
12
There are also two All-Rookie teams, consisting of the top first-year players regardless
of position.
6. Playoffs
NBA Playoffs begin in late April, with eight teams in each conference competing for the
Championship. The three division winners, along with the team with the next best record
from the conference are given the top four seeds. The next four teams in terms of
record are given the lower four seeds.
Having a higher seed offers several advantages. Since the first seed begins the playoffs
playing against the eighth seed, the second seed plays the seventh seed, the third seed
plays the sixth seed, and the fourth seed plays the fifth seed, having a higher seed
means a team faces a weaker team in the first round. The team in each series with the
better record has home court advantage, including the First Round. This means that, for
example, if the team who receives the 6 seed has a better record than the team with the
3 seed (by virtue of a divisional championship), the 6 seed would have home court
advantage, even though the other team has a higher seed. Therefore, the team with the
best regular season record in the league is guaranteed home court advantage in every
series it plays. For example, in 2006, the Denver Nuggets won 44 games and captured
the Northwest Division and the #3 seed. Their opponent was the #6 seed Los Angeles
Clippers, who won 47 games and finished second in the Pacific Division. Although
Denver won its much weaker division, the Clippers had home-court advantage and won
the series in 5.
The playoffs follow a tournament format. Each team plays an opponent in a best-ofseven series, with the first team to win four games advancing into the next round, while
the other team is eliminated from the playoffs. In the next round, the successful team
plays against another advancing team of the same conference. All but one team in each
conference are eliminated from the playoffs. Since the NBA does not re-seed teams, the
playoff bracket in each conference uses a traditional design, with the winner of the
series matching the 1st and 8th seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching
the 4th and 5th seeded teams, and the winner of the series matching the 2nd and 7th
seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the 3rd and 6th seeded teams.
13
In every round, the best-of-7 series follows a 22111 home-court pattern, meaning
that one team will have home court in games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while the other plays at
home in games 3, 4, and 6.
6.1 NBA Finals
The final playoff round, a best-of-seven series between the victors of both
conferences, is known as the NBA Finals, and is held annually in June. The victor in the
NBA Finals wins the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Each player and major
contributor including coaches and the general manager on the winning team receive a
championship ring. In addition, the league awards the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most
Valuable Player Award to the best performing player of the series.
Larry OBrien
Championship
Trophy
Bill Russell a NBA player with the
most championship rings in NBA
history.
11 rings in 13 seasons
7. NBA Draft
The NBA draft is an annual event dating back to 1950 in which the thirty teams from the
National Basketball Association (NBA) can draft players who are eligible and wish to join
the league. These are typically college basketball players, but international players are
also eligible to be drafted.
The draft usually takes place at the end of June, during the NBA off-season.
NBA Draft consists of two rounds. This is much shorter than the entry drafts of the other
major professional sports leagues, all of which run at least seven rounds.
14
Sixty players are selected in each draft.
15
7.1 NBA Draft Lottery
The NBA draft lottery is an annual event held by the NBA to determine the draft order.
The teams who missed the playoffs in the previous season participate in a lottery
process to determine the draft order. The lottery winner gets the first selection in the
draft. In the current rules, 14 non-playoff teams participate in the draft lottery. The lottery
is weighted so that the team with the worst record has the best chance of obtaining
higher draft picks. The lottery process determines the first three picks of the draft. The
rest of the first-round order of picks is in reverse order of the remaining teams' win-loss
record. The lottery does not determine the draft order in the second round of the draft.
7.2 The Greatest NBA Drafts
Some of the most noted NBA draft years are 1984, 1996, and 2003. Each of those is
often referred to as one of, if not the, best NBA draft ever.
7.2.1 NBA Draft 1984
Hakeem Olajuwon was
selected first overall by
the Houston Rockets.
Michael Jordan was
selected third overall
by the Chicago Bulls.
Charles Barkley was
selected fifth overall by
the Philadelphia 76ers.
16
7.2.2 NBA Draft 1996
Allen Iverson, the 1st
pick of the Philadelphia
76ers
Peja Stojakovi, the
14th pick of the
Sacramento Kings
Ray Allen, the 5th
pick of the Minnesota
Timberwolves (traded
to Milwaukee Bucks)
Kobe Bryant, the
13th pick of the
Charlotte Hornets
(traded to L.A. Lakers)
Steve Nash, the 15th
pick of the Phoenix Suns
17
7.2.3 NBA Draft 2003
LeBron James was one of
the most anticipated first
overall draft picks in the
history of the sport. He is the
second high school draftee
to be a first overall pick, the
first being Kwame Brown in
2001, and was followed by
Dwight Howard in 2004.
Carmelo Anthony, the
3rd pick of the Denver
Nuggets
18
19
Dwyane Wade,
the 5th pick of the
Miami Heat
Chris Bosh, the 4th pick of
the Toronto Raptors
8. NBA All-Time Scoring List
Points Leaders
RK
PLAYER
PTS
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
38,387
Karl Malone
36,928
Kobe Bryant
33,643
Michael Jordan
32,292
Wilt Chamberlain
31,419
DIRK NOWITZKI
29,491
Shaquille O'Neal
28,596
Moses Malone
27,409
Elvin Hayes
27,313
10
Hakeem Olajuwon
26,946
11
LEBRON JAMES
26,833
12
Oscar Robertson
26,710
13
Dominique Wilkins
26,668
14
TIM DUNCAN
26,496
15
John Havlicek
26,395
16
PAUL PIERCE
26,316
17
KEVIN GARNETT
26,071
20
18
Alex English
25,613
19
Reggie Miller
25,279
20
Jerry West
25,192
21
Patrick Ewing
24,815
22
RAY ALLEN
24,505
23
Allen Iverson
24,368
24
VINCE CARTER
23,969
25
Charles Barkley
23,757
*ACTIVE PLAYERS (CAPS LOCK)
21
9. NBA All-Time Rebounds List
Rebounds Leaders
RK
PLAYER
REB
Wilt Chamberlain
23,924
Bill Russell
21,620
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
17,440
Elvin Hayes
16,279
Moses Malone
16,212
TIM DUNCAN
15,091
Karl Malone
14,968
Robert Parish
14,715
KEVIN GARNETT
14,662
10
Nate Thurmond
14,464
11
Walt Bellamy
14,241
12
Wes Unseld
13,769
13
Hakeem Olajuwon
13,748
14
Shaquille O'Neal
13,099
15
Buck Williams
13,017
16
Jerry Lucas
12,942
17
Bob Pettit
12,849
18
Charles Barkley
12,546
19
Dikembe Mutombo
12,359
20
Paul Silas
12,357
21
Charles Oakley
12,205
22
Dennis Rodman
11,954
23
Kevin Willis
11,901
24
Patrick Ewing
11,607
25
Elgin Baylor
11,463
*ACTIVE PLAYERS (CAPS LOCK)
22
10. NBA All-Time Assists List
Assists Leaders
RK
PLAYER
AST
John Stockton
15,806
Jason Kidd
12,091
Steve Nash
10,335
Mark Jackson
10,334
Magic Johnson
10,141
Oscar Robertson
9,887
Isiah Thomas
9,061
Gary Payton
8,966
ANDRE MILLER
8,524
10
Rod Strickland
7,987
11
CHRIS PAUL
7,688
12
Maurice Cheeks
7,392
13
Lenny Wilkens
7,211
14
Terry Porter
7,160
15
Tim Hardaway
7,095
16
Bob Cousy
6,955
17
Guy Rodgers
6,917
18
LEBRON JAMES
6,815
19
Muggsy Bogues
6,726
20
Kevin Johnson
6,711
21
Derek Harper
6,577
22
Nate Archibald
6,476
23
Stephon Marbury
6,471
24
DERON WILLIAMS
6,459
25
John Lucas
6,454
*ACTIVE PLAYERS (CAPS LOCK)
John Stockton- NBA All-time
assists and steals leader
23
11. NBA All-Time Steals List
Steals Leaders
RK
PLAYER
STL
John Stockton
3,265
Jason Kidd
2,684
Michael Jordan
2,514
Gary Payton
2,445
Maurice Cheeks
2,310
Scottie Pippen
2,307
Clyde Drexler
2,207
Hakeem Olajuwon
2,162
Alvin Robertson
2,112
10
Karl Malone
2,085
11
Mookie Blaylock
2,075
12
Allen Iverson
1,983
13
Derek Harper
1,957
14
Kobe Bryant
1,944
15
Isiah Thomas
1,861
16
KEVIN GARNETT
1,859
17
CHRIS PAUL
1,793
18
Shawn Marion
1,759
19
PAUL PIERCE
1,748
20
Magic Johnson
1,724
21
Ron Harper
1,716
22
METTA WORLD PEACE
1,711
23
Fat Lever
1,666
24
LEBRON JAMES
1,657
25
Charles Barkley
1,648
*ACTIVE PLAYERS (CAPS LOCK)
24
12. NBA All-Time Blocks List
Blocks Leaders
RK
PLAYER
BLK
Hakeem Olajuwon
3,830
Dikembe Mutombo
3,289
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3,189
Mark Eaton
3,064
TIM DUNCAN
3,020
David Robinson
2,954
Patrick Ewing
2,894
Shaquille O'Neal
2,732
Tree Rollins
2,542
10
Robert Parish
2,361
11
Alonzo Mourning
2,356
12
Marcus Camby
2,331
13
Ben Wallace
2,137
14
Shawn Bradley
2,119
15
Manute Bol
2,086
16
George Johnson
2,082
17
KEVIN GARNETT
2,037
18
Larry Nance
2,027
19
Theo Ratliff
1,968
20
ELTON BRAND
1,828
21
DWIGHT HOWARD
1,824
22
JERMAINE O'NEAL
1,820
23
PAU GASOL
1,777
24
Elvin Hayes
1,771
25
Artis Gilmore
1,747
*ACTIVE PLAYERS (CAPS LOCK)
25
13. The Greatest of All Time- MICHAEL JORDAN
A dominant scorer who was just as great on the defensive end, Jordans status as the
games greatest player remains entirely secure. His name is all over the record books
and his career scoring average of 30.1 points per game is the best of all-time, edging
out Wilt Chamberlains average by just 0.05 points per game. Only Jordan and Hakeem
Olajuwon have ever won an NBA MVP Award, an NBA Finals MVP and a Defensive
Player of the Year Award, and Jordans wins in those categories add up to 12 when
combined.
While his NBA achievements are all phenomenal, none stands out more than his perfect
record in championship series, as the Bulls legend won six championships in each of
his six trips to the NBA Finals. Along with Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson, Jordan and
the Bulls were the most dominant team of the 1990s, with the 72-win 1995-96 team
being an obvious choice for the
best of all-time.
2 Gold Medals in the Olympics
NBA Rookie of the Year
11 All-NBA Team selections (10
as a First-Teamer)
10 Scoring Titles
9 NBA All-Defensive First Team
selections
6 NBA Championships
6 NBA Finals MVP Awards
5 NBA MVP Awards
1 Defensive Player of the Year Award
NBA's all-time leading playoff scorer with
5,762 points
Chicago Bulls all-time leader in scoring
(29,277 points), assists (5,012) and steals
(2,306)
26
14. Conclusion
NBA is the most dominant league that one sport has ever seen. When watching NBA
players and comparing them with European players, its like they are from another
galaxy. At the Olympic Games or at the FIBA World Basketball Cup, there is no doubt
about who will get the gold.
Through history, we have been witnesses of incredible achievements and moments in
the NBA. We were watching so many young players writing the history and becoming
the legends of basketball. Maybe someday someone, even greater than the greatest of
all time- Michael Jordan, will appear and create art on the court.
Till then, sit down in front of your TV screen, on your favorite armchair and enjoy the
game.
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8. David Halberstam (1981), The Breaks of the Game, Ballantine Books.
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