Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. Its rich history has been defined by game-changing plays, storied rivalries and individual and team dynasties. Players and fans alike love to relive key moments in NBA history and admire the excellence of past stars, coaches and teams that shaped the game.
The nba was founded in 1946 and now has 30 teams across the United States and Canada. The game’s rules were updated several times over the years to make the game more exciting and competitive. In 1979, the NBA introduced the three-point arc and the 24-second shot clock to speed up the pace of play.
In addition, the NBA has also been at the forefront of social responsibility. The league is committed to supporting youth-serving organizations that focus on education, community development and health-related issues. NBA Cares is the league’s platform for its engagement in these areas.
After the regular season, the top eight teams in each conference automatically qualify for the playoffs. The top two seeds play each other in the first round and the remaining teams face off in best-of-seven series. In the event that two or more teams finish with identical record in a particular conference, standard tiebreakers are used to determine the final seeding order.
Since the beginning of this postseason, the NBA has seen a slew of injuries to some of its marquee superstars. Some teams have pinned the issue on the new In-Season Tournament, which added high-intensity games in November and early December. But others have pointed to the league’s schedule as a potential culprit. Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti and Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman have been among the top team decision-makers to suggest that a compressed, hyper-intense schedule has contributed to a higher rate of player injury.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo has been sidelined by a calf injury. He was slated to lead Greece in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament next month, but his status is now up in the air. The team says he will be reevaluated in the coming days and hopes he can return for the playoffs. If not, the team will likely send him to a specialized rehab facility in Los Angeles. They’ll need him to avoid a repeat of last year’s playoff debacle, when they lost four straight games against the Golden State Warriors in the second round.