In 1946 a group of individuals came together to take their favourite sports to the global stage. The result is the National Basketball Association (NBA) as we know it today.
It started as the Basketball Association of America (BAA) before merging with its biggest rival, the National Basketball League (NBL), in 1949 to form the National Basketball Association, which serves as the professional basketball league in North America.
NBA Team Setup And Schedule
The NBA comprises 30 franchises, 29 from America and one from Canada (Toronto Raptors), divided into two western and eastern conferences.
The regular season runs from October to April, with each team playing 82 matches and going head to head for a chance to compete for the Larry O'Brien trophy in the NBA finals. It is undeniably one of the most exciting, exhilarating, and energy-draining sports globally.
The western and eastern conference has 15 teams each, and eight teams with the best record from each conference make the playoffs.
The Playoffs
The playoffs begin immediately after the regular season ends in April. The top eight teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs. 16 teams compete fiercely for the Larry O'Brien trophy and seek to register their names as the titleholder – The playoffs is one to look forward to.
In the playoffs, opening-round teams are paired against each other based on their positions in the regular season. The leading team in the Western conference plays against the 8th position in the Eastern conference, the 2nd plays in the Western conference competes against the 7th in the Eastern conference and so on.
Even though leading teams are at an advantage in the playoffs, there are usually a string of surprises from underdogs, and that's the beauty of the NBA finals.
Through the best-of-seven system; the first team to win four games emerge as the NBA title champion.
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