The NBA is a professional basketball league consisting of 30 franchises. Teams compete against each other on a regular season basis, as well as in playoffs. Each year, there are playoffs and a play-in tournament. There are three main phases of the NBA season: the regular season, the playoffs, and the play-in. The playoffs are the most prestigious in the basketball world and are played over a seventy-four-game season.
Despite the popularity of the NBA, NFL attendance is decreasing. Increasing attention to concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and the negative reaction to players kneeling during the national anthem have all eroded fan attendance. In contrast, the NBA is growing in popularity, with more than a billion dollars in revenue in 2018-2019. While the NFL has been under fire in recent years for its response to the #MeToo movement, the NBA is on the upswing.
NBA television broadcasts have a long history, beginning with a contract with the DuMont Television Network in season eight of 1953-54. This was the first national television broadcast of the NBA. After that, NBC acquired the rights to televise NBA games and continued to air them until the April 7, 1962 season. Today, the NBA has agreements with ABC, TNT, and ESPN for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
The league’s biggest rivals are the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Chicago Bulls. In addition to these three teams, the NBA has several teams with championship records. During the golden age, the Boston Celtics won 11 titles in a row. In the 1960s, the NBA had only eight to fourteen teams. The league was predominantly white, and owners were reluctant to sign black players. This practice continued through the 1990s when teams began hiring African Americans to compete for titles.
The regular season in the NBA is a long one, extending from mid-October to early April. Teams play 82 games to advance to the postseason. In this time period, only the top six teams are guaranteed a playoff spot. The remaining seven teams, however, play a mini-tournament to advance to the postseason. To qualify, teams must win at least one game and two games to advance. In addition to the regular season, the NBA postseason is a unique time for athletes and fans alike.
The NBA has faced some major challenges since the pandemic started last March. Arena availability is one of these challenges. The NBA has had to adjust its schedule to accommodate this change. For the 2017-18 season, the NBA added an extra week to the schedule, making it 176 days long. The 2017-18 season also saw the elimination of a fourth-of-five-night game. In addition to this, the Covid-19 restrictions reduced the 82-game schedule by ten games.
Every year, the NBA holds its All-Star Game. The winners of the game are announced in June. The Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy is given to the winner of the championship game. The finals is also known as the NBA’s championship series, where major contributors are awarded rings. The MVP award is given to the player who puts in the best performance during the game. However, the NBA playoffs are an important time for sports fans.