Basketball is one of America’s most popular sports, a competition played by 30 teams in dozens of cities and watched by millions of fans. The National Basketball Association, or NBA, is the organisation that facilitates the competition, and while it has its critics, it provides a valuable service for all involved. It organises training camps, arranges games, agrees on rules, and helps teams hire and trade players. It also makes sure that all competing teams are playing fair and ethically.
The NBA has its roots in the African-American community, and it was a major factor in opening up professional basketball to black players. It was only in the 1960s that players like Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, Chuck Cooper, and Early Lloyd were able to sign contracts with NBA teams. Their success set the stage for other black athletes to follow suit, and the NBA became a more diverse and inclusive organisation as a result.
There are two conferences in the NBA, and each conference has three divisions. This means that each team plays a total of 82 regular season games, and they play against teams in their own division four times a year, and the other two divisions three or four times each. This makes for a relatively even schedule, but it also means that each team plays some very tough teams at some point in the season.
Each year, the top eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs. They are then seeded based on their regular season records, and standard tiebreakers apply to break ties. Each round of the playoffs is a best-of-seven series, and the first team to win four games wins the entire series.
Once the season has concluded, the All-Star Game takes place. This is a fun event that gives the public the chance to watch some of the league’s greatest stars, and it’s a great way for the NBA to promote its brand. There is a short pause in the season at this time, and there are other events that take place such as the Three-Point contest and the Skills course.
After the All-Star break, there is a trading deadline on the 16th Thursday of the season (usually in February). This is the point at which teams can no longer trade players, although they can still release and sign new ones. It is a busy time for general managers, and it’s not uncommon to see some big deals completed just before the deadline.
The season concludes with the NBA Finals, which are a best-of-seven series between the two top seeds in each conference. The winners are awarded the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Other awards are given out during the season, including the Coach of the Year award and the Most Valuable Player award. Throughout the course of the year, there are many other special events and celebrations, but these are the most significant to the majority of fans.