NBA Tickets

National Basketball Association - NBA Tickets

In 1946, the very first professional basketball game was played at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, between the New York Knickerbockers and the Toronto Huskies. At that time, the league was known as the Basketball Association of America, or BAA, which hosted most of its games in large arenas in key cities in the United States and Canada. In 1949, the BAA and NBL reached an agreement to merge the two primary basketball organizations, which resulted in the formation of the National Basketball Association. By 1950, the first non-white player, Wataru Misaka, a Japanese American, became a member of the New York Knicks. Once this happened, the NBA integrated African Americans into the league, giving rise to legendary players, such as Earl Lloyd, who was the first African American to play in a game. As the NBA, the league was responsible for 17 teams; however, the league consolidated to 11 teams by 1950 and only eight teams by 1954.

The original eight teams from the BAA/NBL merger still exist in modern NBA times; while the locations may have changed, the team names were kept. These teams include the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings.

Today, the NBA consists of 30 teams, most of which are in major cities throughout the United States; however, only one, the Toronto Raptors, is located in Canada. The Vancouver Grizzlies were once part of the Canadian side of the NBA, but the team relocated to Memphis, Tennessee , in 2001. Los Angeles is the only city that hosts two NBA teams: Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. Both teams are positioned in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Of the states that host NBA teams, California ranks first with four franchises: Kings, Warriors, Clippers and Lakers. Texas ranks second with three teams: Mavericks, Spurs and Rockets. Florida also hosts multiple teams: Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.

During the regular season, each NBA team plays 82 games, but only eight teams can qualify for the playoffs. Seeded one through eight, each teams plays its opponent in a best-of-seven series; this means that the winner of four games advances to the next round. After the second round, four teams advance to the Conference Finals; afterward, the two teams represent the Eastern and Western Conferences in the NBA Finals for a best-of-seven series to see who is crowned the champion.