During the 1950s, the NBA was a relatively small league consisting of eight teams. During the next four years, they were able to grow to fourteen. In 1968, the Chicago Bulls joined the league. During the 1970s and 1980s, the NBA saw a renaissance as well. In 1990, the Chicago Bulls won their first championship. The Los Angeles Lakers also won their first title in the 1980s.
The NBL, on the other hand, was a nine-year-old league that had been playing in small Midwestern towns. In 1949, the BAA merged with the NBL, becoming the National Basketball Association. The NBA is the product of the merger. The NBL was forced to compete against the new league in a three-year trial. The result was a league that was much more successful than the competition.
The NBA began as a footnote to the other major American basketball leagues. However, with the addition of the Chicago Bulls in 1968, the league quickly expanded. There are now 29 franchises in the United States, with one in Canada. The Golden State Warriors are defending champions.
The NBA is now the most popular sport in the United States. The average age of a NBA player is 33, while the average NBA coach is 45. The league is also a financial success. In the early days, there was a lot of controversy surrounding point shaving. The shortest time for a team to get from the top of the arc to the bottom of the rim is 24 seconds. This rule discourages stalling.
Another notable occurrence was the territorial pick. This rule allowed a team to pick a product from a particular region, such as the Denver Nuggets from Denver or the Boston Celtics from Boston. In theory, this would boost attendance. Unfortunately, it was taken advantage of by some of the best teams in the league. In fact, only two of the ten players picked in the NBA draft were able to play for more than ten seasons in the league.
Among the biggest stars of the decade were Artis Gilmore, Moses Malone, Marvin Barnes, Elvin Hayes and Dave Cowens. The Magic-Bird rivalry was a huge draw to the arenas. The Boston Celtics won eleven of thirteen titles from 1956 to 1957, and the Lakers won the championship in the 1980s.
The NBA is known for its large arenas and armories. The average NBA team plays 82 games during the regular season. The playoffs, on the other hand, feature two games against each opponent. The regular season will begin in October and end in April. The playoffs will feature one home game and one road game in each conference. During the playoffs, the winning team claims the title of World Champion.
There are two ways to get into the league. The first is by having an expansion draft. The other is through a lottery. The lottery is held after the regular season. In the lottery, teams are chosen in reverse order of their regular season finish. The first, second and third picks are determined by a three-ball lottery. The remaining picks are selected sequentially in order of lowest to highest finish. The odds of winning the lottery are quite high, especially if the team has the least amount of wins.