NBA Alaska

While the National Football League and NASCAR racing are increasingly popular sports in the United States, there is no bigger professional league worldwide than the National Basketball Association. The National Basketball Association, or NBA, has had franchises in Toronto and Vancouver, plays preseason games in Latin America and Europe, and has increased the amount of foreign players on rosters every year over the last decade. With increasing appeal among young basketball players across the world, the NBA has created a worldwide sports empire.

However, the NBA has not forgotten its roots in the United States. The league’s commissioner, David Stern, has mused that the NBA may expand to include more international teams. However, the fact that all but one of the league’s teams remains in the continental United States shows how strong the league is in America. As well, the NBA has worked with minor league and college basketball to develop a smooth process for young basketball players with great potential get the attention they need to have successful careers. The NBA also does a lot of work in the thirty-two host cities of its franchises, building a strong relation with the community that makes it possible for the league and individual teams exist.

While names like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan have become synonymous with a golden age in NBA basketball, there is a new generation of superstars that kids are beginning to idolize. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James arguably are the best players in the league, though Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki can be thrown in that mix. The fact that each generation of NBA fans has a select group of superstars to watch and celebrate shows how reliable the league is as a source of sports entertainment.

For those uninitiated to the NBA game who have watched high school and college basketball, there are a few important basics to the NBA version of basketball. The NBA game features four 12 minute quarters, unlike the two halves time keeping of the high school and college game. In this way, NBA coaches have to manage their personnel more efficiently and compartmentalize their game plan. As well, the quarters system in the NBA means that there are more television and end of period time outs for players to rest up. With such high competition to win in the NBA, players need every break they can get.

One of the most important distinctions between the NBA and other leagues is the 24 second shot clock. On each possession, a player must get the ball to contact the rim within 24 seconds in order to reset the clock. The NBA implemented this clock three decades ago in order to ensure that the game moved along at a quick pace. The shot clock requires that offenses get into their sets quickly, pass the ball a few times, and then get a shot off before the clock expires. In this way, the NBA requires teams to stay active and moving on each positions, regardless of score.

Finally, the implementation of the three point shot in the NBA in the 1980s changed the game in a very fundamental way. Every league and level now has the three point shot, but in no league did the ability to get three points on a possession make more of an impact. As teams got used to the three point line as part of the balance of the basketball court, NBA general managers signed three point specialists like Mark Price, Steve Kerr, and Sam Perkins to hit clutch three point shots in tight games. As well, the ability to pull up on the fast break and shoot the three created a new weapon for NBA offenses.

The National Basketball Association is divided into two conferences and six divisions in total. The Eastern and Western Conferences are divided in geographical areas, with the lone exception of the New Orleans Hornets playing in the Western Conference. The Hornets, formerly the Charlotte Hornets, were added to the Western Conference to balance the NBA when the Charlotte Bobcats entered the league in the Eastern Conference. Nonetheless, the geographic balance of the NBA’s conferences has been a model for the NFL to make a similar change in their division system.

Within the Eastern Conference, the three divisions are the Atlantic, Southeast, and Central, with five teams playing within each division. The geographic division of the conferences is reflected well in the Eastern Conference divisions, though the Southeast Division features the Washington Wizards among teams like the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat. However, the Central Division includes the traditionally Midwestern teams like the Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers. As well, the Atlantic Division features NBA powerhouses like the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.

The Western Conference also features three divisions, including the five teams in the Southwest, Northwest, and Pacific divisions. While the New Orleans Hornets would not normally fit into the traditional American West, the 2005-2006 NBA season saw the Hornets move to Oklahoma City during the recovery from Hurricane Katrina. However, the rest of the Western Conference teams are fit nicely into regional divisions. The Northwest Division features the Seattle Supersonics and the Portland Trailblazers, while the Pacific Division features the Sacramento Kings, the Golden State Warriors, and the Los Angeles Clippers.