National basketball Association

the US-American national basketball Association (NBA) is world-wide the basketball most popular with distance strongest and - professional league.

history

as officialGründungsdatum of the NBA applies the 6. June 1946. In this year the birth of the predecessor league struck basketball Association OF America (BAA) in New York. Driving Kraft for the establishment of the federation were the owners and operators of sport arenas, those their money mainly also Ice hockey, particularly in the NHL, earned and this way an extent of utilization for their resounding and an additional searched. First president of the league and a BAA chairman therefore also Maurice Podoloff, the president at that time of the NHL became, after which to today those MVP Trophy is designated. However the BAA still stood at the beginning under a bad star. It white to their establishment, contrary to most other professional leagues of the time at that time, a solid financing up, it lacked her however good players. Making more difficult it was added thatalready after the first year four crews from the league withdrew themselves. Therefore became at the 3. August 1949 national the basketball League (NBL) transferred, after already 1948 three teams from the NBL into the BAA changed, and the league finally to national basketball Association renamed.Until today therefore the BAA champions are led from 1947 to 1949 also as NBA champions.

At first the NBA a shade existence apart from the college league NCAA fristete. This turned out however 1951 by a country-wide bribery scandal, that so-called. POINT shaving, in disrepute, whereby the NBA at popularitywon. Numerous ones of college star played now for the NBA, among other things Joe Fulks and Jim polling pool of broadcasting corporations. 1950 were opened the league also for colored ones and for Earl Lloyd entered as a first black NBA player history, although Chuck Cooper was gedraftet still before it, howeverits first play one day later than Lloyd began.

Beginning of the 1950er dominated above all a team the league: the Minneapolis Lakers. Their most important player was the 2.08 m large centers George Mikan, the first superstar of the NBA. Although it relatively slowly and, could it no defense under the basket was ponderous stop. Since by its oppressive dominance the league happening threatened to become one-sided, one changes the rules.1952 one extended the zone under the basket to force around the centers to more movement and the play upto shift the wings. The consequence was however that it was thrown less and it came by it to more frequent Foul play, in order to arrive into ball possession and to prevent so a playing of the play clock down by the opponent. With some plays 1953 the arbitrators over 100 Fouls whistled.The NBA ran again the spectators of it, and one decided to change the basketball play fundamentally.

To 23. April 1954 became after an idea of the owner of team Danny Biasone the so-called throw clock (close.: SHOT clock) imported. According to the appropriate rule, the 24-Sekunden-Regel, must a teamin 24 seconds at least once on the basket threw. This happens not, changes the ball possession. This rule was a milestone for the development of the basketball and gradually also of the NCAA and the FIBA was taken over.

The 1960er is considered today as thoseYears of the Celtics dynasty, since the crew the bad clay/tone Celtics won altogether eleven championships between 1957 and 1969, of it eight one behind the other. Although most players from the Celtics Meistermannschaften today members the basketball resound to OF Fame are, one connects mainly two names with the Celtics dynasty;that of the coach, talk Auerbach, as well as that of the leader and most important player, Bill Russell.

After the end of the Celtics supremacy a kind began “dark epoch” the NBA. The play level dropped, the interest of spectator diminished. On the one hand because itself the NCAA 20 years afterthe bribery scandal slowly again recovered, on the other hand because 1967 a competition league were created named American basketball Association (ABA). This began gradually players from the NBA abzuwerben, among other things Rick Barry, at that time one the Topstars. Likewise it permitted players also without finalCollege training the participation in the play enterprise, and in such a way was given 1974 with Moses Malone to the first Highschool - player a professional contract.

Center of the 1970er came the ABA however into financial difficulties, which to 17. June 1976 to the assumption by the NBA led. However only four becamethe nine ABA teams taken up to the NBA: the Rockets, Pacers, trace and Nets. Likewise some ABA novelties were transferred to the NBA set of rules, for example the three point line or the Slam fancy Contest.

The 1980er is today as the years of the Lakers Celtics rivalry well-known. The main participants were called Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, which already faced each other 1979 in the final game around the college championship. Bird led the Celtics to three championships, Magic even won with the Lakers five. Three times they faced each other even directly in the final around the championship. The era ended abruptly,as Magic Johnson to 7. November 1991 after the diagnosis “HEAVE positively " withdrew. One year later terminated Larry Bird its career.

The stage was free for a new star, and Michael Jordan became the new superstar. Jordan won with Chicago Bulls between 1991 and , and the NBA in the whole world made 1998 six championships popular by its spectacular play way. Of Jordan resignation to 13. January 1999 left a vacuum, which no player of the NBA could fill. The popularity of the league dropped particularly in the USA again.In addition it came that the salaries of most players grew in the immeasurable, which the owners of team did not want to pay now any longer. The negotiations over a new collective agreement (Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA) failed, and so it came to the player strike (so-called. Lockout).

The Lockout Season 98/99marks the transition from the Jordan era to the today's NBA. Since Shaquille O'Neal was considered to the season 99/2000 as central figure of the NBA, and even if he never reached of Jordan popularity, he was to him in puncto dominance equally if not even superior. Likewise an important figure inthis time was the recent supertalent Kobe Bryant, which played together with O'Neal with the Lakers. O'Neals and Bryants Lakers won 2000 to 2002 three championships in consequence, 2003 were subject them scarcely to the later champion San Antonio trace. 2004 was subject the favored Lakersthe east master Detroit Pistons, whereupon the crew broke apart. To the season 2004/05 the balances of power did not apply as balanced like for a long time any longer. At the end again the San Antonio became generally accepted trace and won against Detroit Pistons the championship.

The NBA hasunder the direction of David star to a flourishing business enterprise develops. The league, originally with eleven teams started, of those today only the Celtics, break and the Warriors thereby are, extended until 2004 on 30 teams. To 50. Birthday thatLeague 1996 was created a woman Mrs., the Women's national basketball Association (WNBA). Likewise star the popularization of basketball in the world, whereby in the last years ever more foreign players changed into the NBA, succeeded so for instance the Chinese centers Yao Ming,the French Guard Tony Parker or the peppering citizen Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks.

team

the NBA is into two Conferences divided, which are division arranged again into three each.

In a regular season each team plays three to four times ever four times against the four crews from the own division (16 plays), for each against the ten crews from the othersDivision the own Conference (36 plays) and ever twice against the fifteen crews from the other Conference (30 plays). Each team denies thus before Play offs 82 plays.

On the basis the table Play offs, in that similarly as in the tennis the crews of a Conference are determinedin a K. - o. - System to be set (first against respecting, which second against the sieved one etc.). The winners of a division are set thereby at one to three. A series of maximally seven plays is played (close.best OF seven). Thus the team wins thoseRound, which could book four victories as the first. In the Play off rounds becomes the east and/or. West master gekürt. These two begin then finally in the so-called final series against each other, which likewise seven after the mode best OF are played.

famous players

• Kareem Abdul Jabbar
• Rick Barry
• Elgin Baylor
• Larry Bird
• Kobe Bryant
• Wilt Chamberlain
• Tim Duncan
• Magic Johnson
• Michael Jordan
• George Mikan
• Hakeem Olajuwon
• Shaquille O'Neal
• OSCAR Robertson
• Bill Russell
• Jerry west

German NBA players

• Uwe Blab (Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio trace)
• Shawn Bradley (Dallas Mavericks)
• Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks)
• Detlef Schrempf (Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, Seattle SuperSonics, haven country Trailblazers)
• Christian Welp (Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio trace, golden State Warriors)

a set

of honors assigns individual honors the NBA to individual players after each season. The oldest is the Nomierung to the universe NBA team, a selection of the best ten (since 1988/89: the best 15) players of the NBA. This selection is in two (since 88/89: three) Teams partitioned and one selects since the first NBL season 1946/47 by sports journalists.

To the season 1955/56 one led an honor forthe most valuable player (close.:Most Valuable Player, briefly MVP). The Trophäe due to it is designated after Maurice Podoloff, the first league president. Until 1980 the MVP was selected by the NBA professionals, which led to the fact that unpopular players such as Rick Barry the honor neverwon, although they would have earned it. Since also the MVP honor is assigned to the season 80/81 by a jury from sports journalists.

Still before the introduction of the MVP an honor became to the best beginner of the league, the so-called. Rookie OF the Year assign. For the season1952/53 give it this title, whose Trophäe is designated after Eddie God-dear, an initial member of the NBA and owner of team of the Warriors.

With the NBA Finals 1969 an honor for the best player of the final series was assigned, to the so-called for the first time. Finals MVP. Jerry west was in that year the first and only player, who won the honor, although he came from the loser crew. Until today it is unwritten law that the Finals MVP can come only from the winner crew. Around also the best defenders of the league to appreciate 1968/69 those becameChoice to the all defensive team imported. Exactly as at the universe NBA team thereby the ten best defenders are arranged to two teams each.

In the season 1982/83 again equivalent two innovations were added. On the one hand additionally to the all defensive team also defensive Player OF was selected a the Year, on the other handan honor for the most valuable bank player, the Sixth one was created Award. In addition since 1985/86 the player is distinguished, who improved in the comparison to the previous play time at most (Most Improved Player Award briefly: MIP).

See also: NBA Most Valuable PlayerAward

NBA champion

literature

• Mike Carlson and Jens Plassmann: NBA basketball. Star & Stories, Reinbek with Hamburg 1994. ISBN 3-499-19435-X
• Terry Pluto: Tall of valley. The Glory Years OF the NBA, Lincoln (Nebraska) 1992. ISBN 0671742795 (English)

Web on the left of

• NBAHomepage (on German)
• NBA homepage (on English)