nba is an American professional basketball league for men. It is one of the world’s best-known sports, and is widely considered to be the premier basketball competition. There are 30 teams that compete across two conferences, the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference. The NBA regular season runs from mid-October to early April, with 82 games played each year. Teams must earn a good record in the regular season to make the playoffs, where they compete for a chance to win the NBA Finals.
The nba is known for its high-scoring games and exciting play styles, as well as for the many superstar players who have played in the league over the years. The most successful franchises have won multiple titles, with the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics holding the top spots with 17 and 16 championship wins each, respectively. The league is also well-known for its global outreach programs, including the NBA Basketball School and Basketball Without Borders.
There are four types of NBA plays: the 2-on-2, 1-on-1, 3-on-3 and 5-on-4. Each of these has its own set of rules, but they all require excellent ball handling skills and quick decisions. The NBA has a shot clock of 24 seconds, which means that there are only a few seconds between each shot.
During the regular season, teams are required to have at least 10 active players on their roster. The number of active players can be adjusted throughout the season, as some players may become injured or have to sit out due to personal reasons. The NBA also has a trade deadline that takes place around the middle of February each year, which is often the most hectic time for general managers.
After the regular season, the playoffs begin with a first-round play-in tournament. The top eight teams from each conference then advance to the next round, where they are seeded based on their regular season winning percentage. If teams tie, standard NBA tiebreakers are used. Traditionally, the highest-seeded team in each conference has home-court advantage through all rounds of the playoffs.
In the past, the first-round matchups of each conference were determined by the top six teams based on their regular season records. However, starting in 2021, the top six seeds were determined using a combination of head-to-head matchups, win/loss records and divisional standing. The remaining seeds were determined by the NBA playoff seeding committee.
The NBA playoffs are a single-elimination tournament, which begins with the lowest-seeded team playing the eighth seed and ending with the top seed facing off against the bottom seed. The winners of each series then move on to the next round. The Eastern and Western Conference champions then meet in the Finals, which is a best-of-seven series. The winner of the Finals is awarded the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The All-Star Game is also held during the playoffs, and a variety of other awards are presented throughout the postseason. The most notable are the NBA All-Star Game MVP, Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.