Vuoi accedere alla verisone italiana? Clicca sulla bandiera.
Vuoi accedere alla verisone italiana? Clicca sulla bandiera.
The BAA was founded in New York City June 6, 1946 as the Basketball Association of America by the owners of the largest arenas in the US sports, such as Madison Square Garden in New York. Before the BAA were already present in the United States other professional leagues, such as the American Basketball League (ABL) and the National Basketball League (NBL), but the BAA was the first to try to have teams in larger cities and arenas in the country. During his first years of life, the quality of the game BAA was not significantly higher than that of rival leagues or independent teams like the Harlem Globetrotters. On 1 November 1946, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers, in what is considered the NBA as the first game played in the league history, and Ossie Schectman he scored the first basket. In 1948 the finalists of the ABL, the Baltimore Bullets entered the BAA and won the title in 1948, followed by samples of the NBL in 1948 the Minneapolis Lakers, who won the title of 1949 BAA. August 3, 1949, the BAA agreed to merge with the NBL, adopting since then the name National Basketball Association, and bringing the number of teams to 17, located in small and large cities. In 1950, the deductibles were reduced to 11, with a downsizing process that continued until 1954, when the league had settled on the format to 8 teams, which he held until the 1960/61 season; all those historical franchises are still in the NBA: This is the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons, who play in the same city at the time, and the Golden State Warriors (already in Philadelphia and San Francisco), Lakers Los Angeles (already in Minneapolis), the Atlanta Hawks (formerly Tri Cities, Milwaukee and St. Louis), the Philadelphia 76ers (former Syracuse Nationals) and Sacramento Kings (already in Kansas City and Kansas City - Omaha, and before that in Rochester and Cincinnati Royals like). Peculiarities of the US professional sport is in fact to have teams that are not strictly related to the cities where they play, and they move to other locations if the local public response is unsatisfactory, or even if they have the opportunity to position themselves actually more large, that advertising markets and therefore have greater potential.
In the United States after World War II, which ruled unchallenged racial segregation, the NBA is placed at the forefront of change when, in 1950, his debut the first African-American players: Chuck Cooper with the Boston Celtics, Nat "Sweetwater "Clifton with the New York Knicks, and Earl Lloyd with the Washington Capitols. In season 1947-48 the Japanese-American Wataru Misaka was the first non-Caucasian to take the field for the alloy, albeit for only 3 games, with the New York Knicks, but it was only with the arrival of African Americans who broke racial barrier; more than half a century later, the NBA opened the 2014/15 season with a record 101 foreign players from 37 different countries, and with an absolute majority of African Americans in the US. In the 50's the Minneapolis Lakers, led by center George Mikan, won five championships and became the first dynasty league. In 1954, for faster and more spectacular the game, penalized by infinite duration actions and games with very low scores, was introduced the 24-second rule for a field goal to pull [1]. In 1956 the center Bill Russell came to the Boston Celtics, coached by Red Auerbach and strong players like Bob Cousy and Sam Jones caliber, and became its leader, guiding them to eleven titles in thirteen seasons. The center Wilt Chamberlain entered the league in 1959 and was the dominant star for the next decade, setting the record for points (100 in 1962) and rebounds (55) in one game still unbeaten. One between Russell and Chamberlain constituted one of the greatest individual rivalry in the history of the American and world professional sport.
Through this period, the NBA continued to strengthen with the shift of the Minneapolis Lakers in Los Angeles, the Philadelphia Warriors to San Francisco, and the Syracuse Nationals in Philadelphia, as well as with the addition of the first expansion team. In 1967, the league faced a new external threat with the formation of the American Basketball Association. The two leagues came into serious competition. The NBA pulled her to him the biggest star of that college, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (formerly known as Lew Alcindor), who along with Oscar Robertson led the Milwaukee Bucks to the title in his second year in the league, and that later played with the Los Angeles Lakers won five NBA titles. However, the leading scorer in the NBA, Rick Barry went to play in ABA, as happened to four other veterans referees - Norm Drucker, Earl Strom, John Vanak, and Joe Gushue.
The American Basketball Association continued to engage in a number of great talents and stars, including Julius Erving. The NBA is expanded very much during this period, with the goal of reaching the markets of big cities. After the 1976 season, the two leagues reached a settlement which consisted in the passage of four exemptions of the ABA, the New York Nets (now then New Jersey Nets), the Denver Nuggets, the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs, the NBA, leading the total number of teams in the league at that time to 22. In addition, the league introduced the innovative ABA rule of the three-point line, from 1979. That same year, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson rookie came respectively to the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, beginning a period of significant growth for the alloy and for the game of basketball itself, not to mention the new growing interest for fans against the NBA, USA and in the world. Bird led the Celtics to three titles, and Johnson the Lakers to five titles.
The eighties were the NBA a decade of great expansion beyond the US borders. Its symbol players, like Bird, Johnson and Erving, are known now all over the world. The teams that competed for the titles in recent years were mostly the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, who gave birth to one of the most heated and historic rivalries in the history of NBA and basketball. But another historical turning point for the alloy can be considered the NBA Draft in 1984, when with the third overall pick of the Chicago Bulls chose the guard Michael Jordan, who by the end of the eighties and most of the nineties, revolutionized the game and the very idea of a sports star, becoming a symbol of man league and one of the best players of all time. The entry in the league of the Dallas Mavericks in 1980, the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets in 1988, the Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves in 1989, brought the number of teams to 27.
In addition, the alloy increased globalization in the nineties. The Dream Team of the Olympic basketball tournament of the Olympic Games of Barcelona 1992, the first with professional NBA players, included star Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. A growing number of NBA players also began to arrive from other countries. Initially, some of these players, such as the 1994 MVP Hakeem Olajuwon of Nigeria, first played in the NCAA to grow cestisticamente. The decade began with the second consecutive triumph of the Bad Boys, or the Detroit Pistons. From 1991 to 1993, the league will be dominated by the formidable Chicago Bulls of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Thanks to Jordan's retirement in 1993 (back in 1995), the Houston Rockets win for two years in a row the title: the first in 1994 and second in 1995. The return of MJ gives new lifeblood to the Bulls that rivincono for three years in a row the NBA title (second three-peat in the space of eight years). These titles are more fought the previous ones, as the Bulls face the Seattle SuperSonics in 1996 and within two years the powerful John Stockton of the Utah Jazz and the "postman" Karl Malone. In 1999, the season of the NBA lockout, the sprouting San Antonio Spurs led the "twin towers" David Robinson and Tim Duncan. First title of the story for the Texans. In 1995, the number of teams reached 29, with the NBA's expansion into Canada, were born the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies. In 1996, the NBA created a professional league for women, the Women's National Basketball Association. In 1998, the NBA owners began a lockout that ended after 192 days on 18 January 1999. As a result of this lockout the 1998-1999 season was shortened from 82 games to 50.
More and more of the best international players continues today to get to play in the NBA such as the Rookie of the Year in 2002 and MVP of the 2006 World Pau Gasol of Spain, the first choice of the 2002 NBA Draft Yao Ming of China, the EuroBasket 2005 and MVP of the NBA MVP of the 2002 World Cup in 2007, Dirk Nowitzki of Germany, and the MVP of the 2004 Athens Olympics Emanuel Ginobili of Argentina. Since 2000, only two teams have stood out from the other dividing six titles until 2007: The Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant, champions in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010 and the San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan, in 2003, 2005 and 2007 . the relief Los Angeles begins the new millennium right away with the NBA title, after beating the Indiana Pacers 4-2 led by Shaquille O'Neal. The following year, the Lakers, are reconfirmed by beating the Philadelphia 76ers Allen Iverson 4-1, and the following year completed the Three-peat against the New Jersey Nets, led by Jason Kidd, 4-0. For all three years O'Neal was elected MVP of the Finals. The following years were dominated by the San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan, Emanuel Ginobili and Tony Parker, who win first title in 2003 by beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2, then in 2005 against the Detroit Pistons, and finally in 2007 against Cleveland Cavaliers of a young LeBron James beaten 4-0. In 2007 Tony Parker becomes the first non-American to win the title of MVP of the Finals. To date, the NBA is broadcast in 212 countries in 42 languages. In 2001 he was created a minor league, the National Basketball Development League, now called the NBA Development League (D-League), likely to give the players grow. In 2004, the NBA reaches the number of 30 franchises, with the birth of the Charlotte Bobcats, and continues to evolve as one of the most important and best organized professional sports leagues in the world. In 2006 it takes place a very important fact for the European basketball. The first overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft is in fact Andrea Bargnani, Italian basketball player chosen by the Toronto Raptors. Bargnani was the first European player selected with the No. 1 in the draft. In 2007, the Boston Celtics, with various exchanges engage the guard Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett strong winger who join the existing Paul Pierce to form the new "Big Three" with which the Celtics are shown at the top of the league by winning the title in 2008 against rivals the Los Angeles Lakers during the regular season in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, get the Spaniard Pau Gasol. For seasons 2009 and 2010 the title is a matter of the Lakers, led the MVP Kobe Bryant wins first final against the Orlando Magic Dwight Howard and in 2010 in revenge against the Celtics.
In the summer of 2010, nicknamed "the summer of free agent" takes the long-awaited "decision". The most coveted free agent LeBron James, ESPN live on the issuer, if you declare for the 2010-2011 season will be the Cleveland Cavaliers or go to another team in search of better luck. His choice is the Miami Heat where it reaches Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh neoacquisto leaving the Toronto Raptors in the "hands" of Andrea Bargnani. The season for the Heat struggling to take off and the stars are the Chicago Bulls with their star Derrick Rose will be appointed, after this season, MVP of the regular season. However the Heat reach the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks surprising strong from having eliminated the defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. In a rematch of the Finals in 2006 (won by the Heat) are the Mavericks, who win their first NBA title as well. In July 2011 triggered the second lockout in NBA history since the league and the players association have not reached an agreement on the renewal of the collective agreement, which aims to save as required by 30 owners. During this period many NBA players, especially Europeans, they decide to leave America and return to play in the old continent, especially in the turkish league. Deron Williams, player of the New Jersey Nets, decides to play in Turkey with Beşiktaş until the lockout will not end; Danilo Gallinari returns instead to his former team in Italy, Olimpia Milano, with the same formula. Other players of the first order which Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett have repeatedly stated that it intends to play in Europe if the season does not play regularly. The 2011-2012 season has finally kicked off on December 25 with a reduced number of matches to play. However to recover some of the lost days was introduced back-to-back-to-back mechanism which provides that teams can also play consecutively for three days in a row. LeBron James manages to win for the third time the recognition of MVP. Playoffs in 2012 the Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the final: after the Thunder victory in race-1, the Heat centrate 4 consecutive wins. The title goes well in Miami and LeBron James (elected Finals MVP) won his first NBA championship. The following year the Heat manage to win 27 races in a row, making it the second franchise with the longest streak in history. The relief Miami comes first in regular season (66-16), and the NBA playoffs than before the Milwaukee Bucks (4-0), then the orphans Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose, and in the final of conferece the Indiana Pacers Paul George and it reaches the finals against the San Antonio Spurs. This LeBron James is the revenge of the title in 2007, when he was still in Cleveland, where the Cavs were asphalted 4-0. Miami and San Antonio give way to a hard-fought series leading up to Game 7, where LeBron James, author of a great performance (37 points and 12 rebounds), manages to offer the third NBA title in franchise of Florida, the second consecutive . James also be elected MVP of the Finals. 2014 sees the arrival on top of the regular season, the San Antonio Spurs to the west with a record of 62 wins and 20 defeats while in the East the Indiana Pacers can win first place with a 56-26 record. The MVP award is given to Kevin Durant who with the Oklahoma City Thunder won the Northwest Division. In the playoffs there are no huge surprises: the Pacers in the East and the the Heat manage to get into the conference, and Miami finale manages to win 4-2 despite opponents have home advantage; west instead they reach the final of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, who manage to overcome Durant's Thunder 4-2. In the final they arrive so the same teams the year before, but this time the San Antonio Spurs win without problems a series that only lasts 5 games; the MVP of the finals is Kawhi Leonard. In 2015 they win their fourth NBA title the Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry who defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James in 6 games. Worth noting that this season the Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant recorded the worst record in franchise history, namely 21 victories and 61 defeats.