NBA Season Will Begin on December 25!

  The 2011–12 NBA season, the 66th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), will officially begin with the signing of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the owners of all 30 NBA teams and the NBA's players. The previous CBA, which was ratified in 2005, expired at 12:01 AM EDT on July 1, 2011, resulting in a lockout.

  The lockout ended on November 26 when a tentative deal was reached. The season will officially begin once the players, formerly represented by the National Basketball Players Association, and the NBA owners ratify the deal. It will be shortened from the normal 82 games to 66, because of the two months of inactivity. The season will begin on December 25, 2011 and end on May 1, 2012.


Source: Wikipedia.org

1969 was a transitional season in the NBA

The 1969 NBA Season was a transitional period in the league. The league had been dominated for years by the likes of the Boston Celtics, led by Bill Russell. Russell had at this point and the league was ready to move on with new stars taking the lead. The Celtics had won the previous two championships, but with the loss of Russell they were certainly at a disadvantage in the 1969-70 season.   The league was ready for a new team to step up and take the lead. The New York Knicks appeared to be up to the challenge in that season. The Knicks were led by Willis Reed. Reed was the league MVP that season and led the Knicks to the best record in the National Basketball Association.   The Knicks bested the Milwaukee Bucks by winning 60 games on the season while only losing 22 games. The Milwaukee Bucks were second in the league in victories at 56. While the Bucks were not the top team in the league, they were certainly a dangerous one. The Bucks were led by former UCLA star Lew Alcindor.   Lew Alcindor is better known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to most people. Alcindor was a rookie on a Bucks team that was only 2 years old, but they certainly made a lot of improvement over the previous season in which they won 27 games. Abdul-Jabbar was 2nd in the league in scoring, 3 in rebounds and 7th in the league in field goal percentage on the season. The Baltimore Bullets were the 3rd best team in the league, winning 50 games. This meant that the Eastern Division had the top three teams in the NBA within their division. The last team in the playoff picture for the season would be the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers finished with a record of 42-40 on the season.   The non-playoff teams in the Eastern Division were the Cincinnati Royals, Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. The Royals managed to win 36 games. The Celtics saw a large downfall with the departure of Bill Russell and were only able to reel in 34 victories on the season. The Pistons were the worst team in the conference with 31 victories. The Western Division was won by the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks led the Western Division with a 48-34 record. The next best team in the West was the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers were led by the top scorer in the NBA, Jerry West. The Lakers had been the losers to the Celtics many times in previous years and saw the absence of Russell from the Celtics as a chance for them to jump to the top of the league.   The Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls were the last two playoff teams, making the playoffs with sub .500 records of 39-43. The Seattle SuperSonics, San Francisco Warriors and San Diego Rockets were the three teams in the conference that did not make the playoffs.  The Lakers did indeed make it to the finals again, but once again they fell short of the NBA Championship. The Knicks would take the Championship with a 4-3 series victory in the Finals. AUTHOR:- Tatum Oneill writes reviews on various sporting events including the various online sportsbook. In this piece of write up the author wrote about National Basketball Association games. The author takes the readers opinion on how to do NBA Betting online.  Related Articles - online sportsbook, college basketball betting, bet on basketball,

NBA China

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Oytun_Basaran]Oytun Basaran

 There's a global fight going on between businesses, organizations, and even sports bodies over the new playing field that is China. In the realm of sports, the stakes are higher than ever as profits back home are declining and China is proving to be a dream new untapped market filled with enthusiastic sports lovers.

 The NBA over the past 20 years has slowly been laying the groundwork for entrance and eventually expansion into China. When David Stern first came to China, he was standing outside of the Chinese CCTV headquarters basically paying the Chinese to display recorded version of their basketball games.

 These past 2 years, things have really picked up and the NBA is already fast taking over the lives of the all-elusive 18-35 middle class.

 Announcement of NBA China entity, opening 12 NBA caliber stadiums in China, NBA branded reality TV shows on Chinese TV, plans to open 2000 NBA branded retail shops, and more have already taken place. Partnerships with global and local enterprises are speeding up the NBA's domination over its competitors.

 With the NBA struggling mightily back home on it's home soil - this kind of boost is exactly what was needed. THere has been speculation going around that the NBA could be headed for another lockout in the 2011 season with player wages spiralling out of control in light of the current world financial weather downturn.

 What's in store for the future of the NBA in the Middle Kingdom? NBA's ambitious plans could well mean securing the last untapped market in the world as well as the prize of most popular sport in the world. Nike and Adidas have already seen their sales increase many fold and the NBA is bound to see similar success.

 China is claimed to have over 300 million basketball fans - basketball in Shanghai, basketball in Beijing, is as loved as basketball in New York. But how will the NBA make it all work. Currently there are more questions than are answers - so it is most certainly an area that will be exciting to cover. [http://www.nbainchina.com]NBA China

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?NBA-China&id=2223927] NBA China

How To Get an NBA Players Autograph

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jeff_Binstock]Jeff Binstock

 NBA players are some of the most admired people in our society. As basketball fans, we tune in nightly to see these incredible athletes do what they do best. Getting an autograph from your favorite NBA player can be an incredibly exciting experience. Many kids (and adults as well) would love nothing more than to own a unique piece of autographed memorabilia signed by their favorite player. For example, I am a huge Kobe Bryant fan and have been since his debut. I have had the pleasure of owning quite a few Kobe Bryant autographs, and these pieces will be passed down to my children when the time is right.

 When trying to obtain an autograph from your favorite NBA player, there are a few different approaches you can take. The first, and most favored approach is to acquire the autograph in person. Obviously, this is the most exciting way to get the signature, as you not only get to meet the player, but you know that the autograph cannot be fake. When trying to obtain the autograph in person, the best thing to do is to either try and get to the game early or stay late after the game, in order to catch the player either arriving or leaving the stadium. It is important to make sure that you have the item you want signed ready to go, as well as having a pen or sharpie handy for the athlete to use. It is always important to be respectful when asking for a signature!

 Another way of obtaining an autograph is to mail the item to the athlete. This often works best will small items such as basketball cards. I have had some success mailing the item to the stadium where the athlete plays. You can also try to see if the player has a fan club or personal website. Often, there is information there of where you can send an item to be signed. When sending things through the mail, it is best to send a self addressed stamped envelope for the item to be returned easily to you.

 Finally, the easiest way to acquire an autograph is to buy one either online or at memorabilia shops or shows. Although this can get expensive, you don't have to go through the trouble of trying to get the item signed in person or through the mail. Often, these items come with a certificate of authenticity so you know that the signature is real. I would highly discourage buying any piece of memorabilia that doesn't come with a certificate of authenticity.

 The information above should help you when trying to get an autograph from your favorite NBA player. As always, use personal judgment as to which method works best for you.

Want to check out some cool autographed memorabilia? Check out Kobe Bryant Autographs: http://kobeautographs.com

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Get-an-NBA-Players-Autograph&id=4974399] How To Get an NBA Players Autograph

History of NBA Finals Dynasties

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andy_McCarthy]Andy McCarthy

The first dynasty to emerge within the NBA following the 1949 merger of the BAA and NBL was that of the Minneapolis Lakers, who won five NBA championship titles in six years spanning 1948-1954, led by center George Mikan, now a legend within the sport.

The next dynasty to emerge within the NBA, during the years spanning 1957-1969, were the Boston Celtics, competing in twelve Finals series during that period and winning eleven NBA championship titles within those thirteen years alone - with eight of them as consecutive wins from 1959-1966. Leading the team to its legendary victories were coach Red Auerbach and players Bill Russell and John Havlicek.

In years absent of NBA dynasties and rivalries upon which fans can direct their fervor and support, NBA Finals fail to draw nearly as much attention as in pique years. In the 1970's, eight different teams succeeded in winning NBA championship titles, and fan fervor waned temporarily. It grew heated once again, however, as a rivalry surfaced during the 1980's between the Lakers (led by Magic Johnson) and the Celtics (led by Larry Bird), both leading players having entered the league the year before, carrying over their widely-viewed college basketball rivalry from their respective teams, Michigan State University and Indiana State University. Magic Johnson made an even bigger name for himself when playing in his first NBA Finals in 1980, the conclusion of his first season in the professional league, and leading his team to victory after having to play every position on the court during game six after an injury that took star player Kareem Abdul Jabbar out of the game, scoring 42 points contributing to his teams win during his first championship. Throughout the decade either one or both of the rivaling teams competed in the Finals - the Lakers won the title five times (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988) and the Celtics won the titles three times (1981, 1984, and 1986). In 1984, the Celtics and the Lakers contested one another in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1969, and the match-up drew the largest NBA game television audience in the history of the championship. The Celtics emerged as the victors in a close competing, winning four games to three. During the 1985 NBA Finals, during the first game of the playoffs - remembered as the "Memorial Day Massacre" - the Celtics set the still-standing record of 148 points as the highest point total by a team in the NBA Finals. However, the Lakers won the championship title that year in six games, the Celtics losing the sixth and final game on their home court for the first and only time in their playoff history.

At the conclusion of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry of the 1980's, emerged the Chicago Bulls dynasty, spanning 1991-1998, winning six championships during that eight year period, led by Phil Jackson as coach and by legendary player Michael Jordan, along with notables Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. (The only two losses had been suffered during the two years, 1994 and 1995, when Michael Jordan temporarily left the team and the sport to pursue a baseball career instead. During the years he had played for the Bulls in the play-offs, he had been honored as the recipient of the Finals MVP   rel=nofollow [http://www.visualawards.com]sports award after each game.) He returned and began again leading the team to victory in the 1996 play-offs, and continued until the end of the 1998-1999 season. At the start of the 1999 basketball season, however, Phil Jackson retired from his position as coach, and the majority of the teams' strongest players left as well, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen included, effectively ending the team's dynasty and strong performance record. Since that team's dynasty, the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs have dominated the NBA Finals, winning more titles than any other team combined during the period since 1999. Each year from 1999-2010, the NBA Finals have featured either or both of the Los Angeles Lakers (led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal) or the San Antonio Spurs (led by Tim Duncan). In 2008, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers contested the championship title for the eleventh time in the history of the playoffs - the first time since 1987 - with the Celtics emerging victorious in six games, marking their record-setting 17th NBA Championship. In 2010, they met on the court for the playoffs once again, this time with the Lakers emerging victorious, inching upon the Celtics' most titles record, with this marking their 16th NBA Championship win.

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Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?History-of-NBA-Finals-Dynasties&id=6339517] History of NBA Finals Dynasties