The National Basketball Association was formed in 1923 as a non-professional basketball league. The National Basketball Association has been playing the game since then and has grown into one of the most popular sports in the US. The National Basketball Association consists of 30 clubs and is one of four major professional sports leagues in North America. It is also the second largest professional athletic league in the world, following only the World Professional Basketball League. As it is owned by the National Basketball League, all matches are played at neutral grounds.
There are three different conferences in the NBA and they are referred to as the Eastern, Western and Central conferences. The Western Conference includes the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets. The Central Conference consists of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Portland Trailblazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The fact that there are only three teams in each conference gives it extra importance because it is possible that one team will miss out on the playoffs. A team missing out on the playoffs is termed as a non-playoff team and is not allowed to play in the next season’s NBA competition.
The three conferences have a champion each season and the playoffs are played between the two conferences. There are 12 teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference and eight teams in the Western Conference. There is an interesting system which decides which team will be playing in the NBA Finals. This system divides the teams into six groups of six and the teams with the best records against each other earn a spot in the finals. Two teams from the Eastern Conference face the Western Conference’s top team and the two teams from the Central Division face the Western Conference’s bottom team.
There are many teams which have never been to the NBA finals but have a chance of reaching the play-in tournament if they win their matches. Two teams which are playing their second games in this year’s series are the Utah Jazz and the Chicago Bulls. The Toronto Blue Jackets are another team to keep an eye on. They too are in a very tough group having to go through the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers. There are many teams which have a lot to play for and are fighting for top spot in this year’s finals.
NBA coaches have a very difficult job. They have to manage teams filled with young athletes who are highly spirited. Every game involves close competition between the players and the coach. In this kind of a situation it becomes very difficult for young coaches to control the team and get the desired results. The good thing is that NBA coaches do not have to worry about all these things when they take up their jobs.
NBA coaches have a very difficult task even when compared to players themselves. The players are only concerned about winning and scoring goals. But the coaches on the other hand have to manage the different aspects of the team in order to give it the best possible chance of winning. With 30 teams to manage, every team is as good as any other. But having the experience of working with all 30 NBA teams can definitely help young basketball coaches in their future endeavors.