Introduction
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30
teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). It is one of the major professional sports leagues in the
United States and Canada and is considered the premier professional basketball league in the world.[3]
The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).[1]
It changed its name to the National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949, after merging with the
competing National Basketball League (NBL).[4] In 1976, the NBA and the American Basketball Association
(ABA) merged, adding four franchises to the NBA. The NBA's regular season runs from October to April, with
each team playing 82 games. The league's playoff tournament extends into June. As of 2020, NBA players are
the world's best paid athletes by average annual salary per player.[5][6][7]
The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB),[8] which is recognized by the FIBA (International
Basketball Federation) as the national governing body for basketball in the United States. The league's
several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices in Midtown
Manhattan, while its NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus,
New Jersey. In North America, the NBA is the third wealthiest professional sport league after the National
Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) by revenue, and among the top four in the world.[9]
The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers are tied for the most NBA championships with 17 each. The
reigning league champions are the Denver Nuggets, who defeated the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals.
PlayOffs
The NBA playoffs begin in April after the conclusion of the regular season and play-in tournament with the
top eight teams in each conference, regardless of divisional alignment, competing for the league's
championship title, the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Seeds are awarded in strict order of regular
season record (with a tiebreaker system used as needed).
Having a higher seed offers several advantages. Since the first seed begins the playoffs playing against the
eighth seed, the second seed plays the seventh seed, the third seed plays the sixth seed, and the fourth
seed plays the fifth seed, having a higher seed typically means a team faces a weaker opponent in the first
round. The team in each series with the better record has home-court advantage, including the First Round.
The league began using its current format, with the top eight teams in each conference advancing regardless
of divisional alignment, in the 2015–16 season. Previously, the top three seeds went to the division
winners.[108]
The playoffs follow a tournament format. Each team plays an opponent in a best-of-seven series, with the
first team to win four games advancing into the next round, while the other team is eliminated from the
playoffs. In the next round, the successful team plays against another advancing team of the same
conference. All but one team in each conference are eliminated from the playoffs. Since the NBA does not
re-seed teams, the playoff bracket in each conference uses a traditional design, with the winner of the
series matching the first- and eighth-seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the fourth- and
fifth-seeded teams, and the winner of the series matching the second- and seventh-seeded teams playing the
winner of the series matching the third- and sixth-seeded teams. In every round, the best-of-7 series
follows a 2–2–1–1–1 home-court pattern, meaning that one team will have home court in games 1, 2, 5, and 7,
while the other plays at home in games 3, 4, and 6. From 1985 to 2013, the NBA Finals followed a 2–3–2
pattern, meaning that one team had home court in games 1, 2, 6, and 7, while the other played at home in
games 3, 4, and 5.[109]
The final playoff round, a best-of-seven series between the victors of both conferences, is known as the NBA
Finals and is held annually in June (sometimes, the series will start in late May). The winner of the NBA
Finals receives the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Each player and major contributor—including coaches
and the general manager—on the winning team receive a championship ring. In addition, the league awards the
Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award to the best performing player of the series.
National Basketball Association. (the US organization responsible for professional
basketball)
© 2024 NBA-Project by Fabio Silveira