The NBA has a rich tradition of game-changing plays, storied rivalries and personal and team dynasties. But more than that, it’s an organization that seeks to connect disparate people in commonality around a love of a game and a desire to see the very best players in the world compete against one another.
The NBA is a professional basketball league with 30 teams in two conferences, East and West, that split into three divisions each. Each team plays 82 regular season games and must win at least half of its home games to qualify for the playoffs.
Each game is divided into four quarters, each lasting 12 minutes. If there is no winner by the end of the fourth quarter, the game enters overtime, which lasts five minutes. Each team has five players on the court at any time, typically consisting of two guards, two forwards and a center. Throughout the game, teams can substitute players into and out of play during stoppages in action.
Points are scored when a player makes a basket or shoots a free throw. The goal of a team is to score more points than its opponent by the end of the game.
A 24-second shot clock was introduced to the NBA in 1954 in an effort to liven up play and eliminate long stretches of stagnant possession, which were resulting in low-scoring and boring games. The clock resets after certain stoppages in play and the team that fails to take a shot within that time period loses possession of the ball.
Overt deception, known as flopping, is penalized at all levels of the game. The principle behind the rule is that a player cannot extend his limbs or bend in a way that puts an opponent at a disadvantage. This rule is based on the idea that a defender cannot grab for or touch the hand of a ball-carrier while the player has the basketball.
There are many different ways to get into the NBA, including playing college basketball, competing internationally or joining a professional club team. Many young NBA players come to the U.S. to play college basketball before turning pro, and international players often join the league after playing for a professional club in their native country.
Each year, the top eight teams in each conference advance to the playoffs. Each team is seeded based on its performance during the regular season and the team that finishes highest in its own division earns the first-round bye. After the first round, the top two teams from each conference play each other in a best-of-seven series. The first team to win four games advances into the next round. The other team is eliminated from the playoffs. Each series is played at the team’s home arena.