The National Basketball Association (NBA) is an American professional basketball league. The NBA is renowned for its world-class competition, high-scoring games, and celebrity athletes. Its regular season runs from October to April, with teams playing 82 games. The knockout playoffs culminate in the championship game, which is played at the end of the season.
The NBA’s salary cap restricts the amount that teams can pay their players. This helps to maintain competitive balance in the league, and prevents the richest teams from buying all of the best players. The NBA also has a draft system where teams select young talent through which they can build their rosters.
Each team can have a maximum of 15 players, 12 of whom can be active during any given game. The length of a game is 24 minutes, divided into four quarters and an overtime period. Each quarter lasts 12 minutes, and there is a 24-second shot clock. The first team to score a basket wins the period, and the first team to win three periods in a game advances to the next round of the playoffs.
During the NBA playoffs, top eight teams from each conference play one another in a best-of-seven series to determine the championship. Having a higher seed can offer several advantages, including home-court advantage in the first round. A team’s record during the regular season is also a factor in its playoff seeding, as the highest-ranked teams typically receive the first-round bye in the playoffs.
Throughout the regular season, each team plays every other team twice — once at home and once on the road — for a total of 30 games. Additionally, each team plays teams in its own division four times, and the five other teams in its own conference two times.
In addition to the standard 15-man regular-season roster limit, each NBA team can carry up to three players on two-way contracts. These players are eligible to play with the team on which they have their two-way contract, but can spend most of their time in the G League. Two-way contracts do not count against the 15-man regular-season roster limit or the 21-man offseason roster limit.
NBA rosters feature a mix of veterans and promising young talent. Some teams have a deep bench of shooters while others rely on a defensive-minded core of role players. Regardless of the strategy, all teams are trying to find a formula that will lead them to success in the playoffs.
The NBA’s Summer League showcases a wide array of talented prospects who are eyeing a future in the league. Zach Harper and Shams Charania catch up on the latest headlines, including rumors surrounding Lauri Markkanen’s availability and Golden State’s willingness to include Brandin Podziemski in trade talks.