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Sports InsiderA Short History of the NBA
September 29th 2006 06:20
Note: This is also another re-post of an earlier NBALOUD piece but is pertinent for a background understanding of the league that is so widely written about on this page.
The World Cup and exams are seriously putting a dent on my sleep
NBA Logo. (Image from Wikipedia)
Anyhow, this doesn’t prevent me from being conscious of the fact that I am a basketball tragic at heart. Basketball is my lover, teacher, mother as Homer Simpson once uttered in a Halloween episode, or words to that effect.
This writer is mindful of the fact that the majority of people around this area of the cyberworld aren’t as familiar with the game of NBA basketball so as an exercise of public service, an introduction into the history of the game would suffice.
A Short, but Nowhere Near, Comprehensive, History of the NBA.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) was founded in New York on June 6 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The adaptation of the NBA moniker came into effect in 1949 when the BAA merged with the rival National Basketball League.
Bob Cousy helped the Celtics win 11 titles in the 60s. (Image from Wikipedia)
Although, the NBA is synonymous with African-American culture and players from black backgrounds are prominent within the league. In the early years the owners of the franchises had an unwritten rule not to sign coloured players into their teams. This stipulation was subsequently dropped in 1950 when a number of teams signed their first African-American players into the league: Chuck Cooper with the Boston Celtics, Nat Clifton with the New York Knicks, and Earl Lloyd with the Washington Capitols. However, a little known fact is that the first minority to sign with an NBA franchise at all wasn’t African-American – Wataru Misaka a Japanese-American in the 1947-1948 season broke the colour barrier to be the first minority to play in the NBA with the Knicks.
The foundation years of the league saw its first dynasty with the Minneapolis
Dr. J rocking the 'fro and the rim. (Image from Wikipedia)
From the mid-50s onwards the Boston Celtics would establish itself as one of the most storied franchises in the league when a young rookie by the name of Bill Russell was drafted in 1956. Russell, along with Bob Cousy and a host of other Hall of Fame players would see Boston win 11 championships in the next 13 years, including eight in a row. Take that Michael Jordan and his 3-peats!
The 60s saw the NBA take a hold in the consciousness of the American public, but a new threat emerged in 1967 with the establishment of the American Basketball Association (ABA). Consequently a bidding war for star players broke out between the two competing leagues. The NBA signed up perhaps the best player at the time in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but the ABA had the most influential player of the era – Julius Erving, or Dr. J.
The ABA was the funky, rebel cousin to the NBA – it had multi-coloured balls and a wild style of play in comparison to the league. Most importantly it had Dr. J who would create a basketball style revolution with his gravity defying moves and delicious dunks! The man was a God!
Australia's first NBA player Luc Longley. Believe it or not, he played a big part in the Bulls second 3-peat. (Image from Wikipedia)
One of the innovations that was integrated into the NBA from the ABA was the 3-point line in 1979, which would prove to be a seminal year for the league with the emergence of two rooked by the name of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Bird went to the Boston Celtics, while Johnson was picked by the Los Angeles Lakers. One went east, the other went west. One was black, the other was white. One was flashy, the other was workmanlike. What cannot be denied is the impact both had on the popularity of the NBA in the 80s when their respective teams dominated that decade.
The 1980s also witnessed the emergence of a player by the name of Michael Jordan. Not much needs to be said about this particular individual and his impression on the game of basketball. Just refer to the previous post for your answers to these questions.
In the 90s the NBA epitomised the essence of ‘cool’, not only in Australia, but on a global scale. The 1992 Olympics in Barcelona saw the original ‘Dream Team’ emerge that boasted the likes of Jordan, Bird and Johnson that lay witness to the greatest collective basketball talent ever on one team. The global expansion in the 90s laid the foundations for the international flavour of the NBA in the current day with players such as Yao Ming from China, and Dirk Nowitzki from Germany having a major impact on the game. Hell, Australia even has a significant contributor in the league with Andrew Bogut who was the top pick in the draft for the 2005-2006 season.
The Makeup of the NBA
There are 30 teams in the league and they are split by geography on a macro and micro level. The macro is of course the coastal split of east and west. On the micro level, teams are split into divisions within the groupings based on a shared geographical space, such as the Midwest. Teams in the different conferences play each other twice a year, and teams in the same conference play each other four times a year. Franchises that share the same division play each other five times a year.
An NBA season lasts for 82 games, with the playoffs being a best of seven scenario, or the first team to win four games. Playoff basketball is between conference rivals that are ranked from first to eighth place. The ensuing championship series are between teams from the east and west. Some readers may have noticed in this site the emphasis between the east and west coast and now you know why. Well, you would if I did a proper job of explaining how the NBA works.
EASTERN CONFERENCE TEAMS
Atlantic Division: Boston Celtics, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors.
Central Division: Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks.
Southeast Division: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards.
WESTERN CONFERENCE TEAMS
Northwest Division: Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle Supersonics, Utah Jazz.
Southwest Division: Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, San Antonio Spurs.
Pacific Division: Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings.
There you go dear reader. Hope that this entry has somewhat enlightened the uninitiated. If anyone out there still has any questions, drop this writer a line and he will be more than happy to demonstrate via stick figure drawings and finger puppets to further illustrate certain points of confusion.
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