The NBA is the main organisational hub of the world of basketball in North America. It allows teams to coordinate, collaborate, agree rules, hire/trade players and more. While it is not perfect, it does a good job of keeping the league organised and running smoothly.
There are 30 NBA teams in the USA and one in Canada. They compete in a regular season and a playoff system to decide who will win the championship. During the regular season, each team plays two games against each of the other 29 teams in their conference. There are also six other games that teams may choose to play, called non-conference games.
In 2023-2024 there will be a regular season with a total of 82 games. The first half of the season begins in October and the second half starts in April. The All-Star Game takes place in February between the first and second halves of the season.
The NBA has a very rich and diverse history that includes many great players, teams, and moments. These include the Los Angeles Lakers winning eight straight titles in the early 1990s, the introduction of the three point shot, and the NBA’s first ever all-black team. The league has also expanded internationally, bringing its brands and players to new markets around the world.
Each NBA season, teams compete in a series of games to see which can finish with the best record in their conference. The top four teams in each conference then make the playoffs, where they compete to win the NBA title. Each year, a draft is held where teams can choose the best talent available.
There are a number of ways that NBA teams can acquire players, including through trades with other teams and signing Free Agents. The most common way, however, is through the NBA Draft. In the spring, a lottery (composed of ping-pong balls drawn randomly in an audited event) determines the first three picks. The remaining 14 teams then choose in reverse order of their regular season finishing position. Teams may move up and down the draft order through trades.
In basketball, a player must not touch an opponent’s hand or arm while he is carrying the ball or holding it, nor can they obstruct another teammate by blocking their view of the basket. This is known as the “cylinder principle” and was designed to reduce roughness in the game between tall offensive players and smaller defenders. In addition, it prevents defenders from using overt deception to gain an advantage by grabbing for the ball or falling to the ground after making contact with the ball-carrier.
NBA officials use the video review system to determine if a player has committed a foul. The system takes into account several factors, such as the location of the foul, whether or not there was contact with an opposing player, and whether the foul occurred within a reasonable time after an uncalled foul. The system has come under criticism in the past for incorrectly overturning calls, but it has been generally well received by players and coaches.