1.
Canton, Ohio
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Canton is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1805 alongside the Middle and West Branches of Nimishillen Creek, however, its status in that regard began to decline during the late 20th century, as shifts in the manufacturing industry led to the relocation or repositioning of many factories. After this decline, the industry diversified into the service economy, including retailing, education, finance. Canton is located approximately 24 miles south of Akron, and 60 miles south of Cleveland, Canton lies on the outskirts of the greater northeast Ohio metropolitan area anchored by Cleveland, and is also a short distance away from the periphery of the greater Pittsburgh area. The city lies on the edge of Ohios extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and Wayne counties to the citys west and southwest. Canton is located along Interstate 77, U. S. Route 62, and the historic Lincoln Highway, the present-day U. S. Route 30, and is also the terminus of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Canton is the largest incorporated area in the Canton-Massillon, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, as of the 2010 Census, the population was 404,422. Cantons city population declined 9. 7%, down to 73,007 residents, despite this decline, the 2010 figure actually moved Canton from ninth to eighth place among Ohio cities. Nearby Youngstown in Mahoning County, once more populous than Canton. Canton is chiefly notable for two reasons, the first is football, especially the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the formation in 1920 of what became the National Football League. The second is William McKinley, who conducted from his home in Canton the famed front porch campaign which won him the presidency of the United States in the 1896 election, the McKinley National Memorial and the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum commemorate his life and presidency. Canton was chosen as the site of the First Ladies National Historic Site largely in honor of his wife, Canton is currently experiencing an urban renaissance, anchored by its growing and thriving arts district centrally located in the downtown area. Several historic buildings have been rehabilitated and converted into upscale lofts, Canton was founded in 1805, incorporated as a village in 1822, and re-incorporated as a city in 1838. Bezaleel Wells, the surveyor who divided the land of the town, named it after Canton, the name was a memorial to a trader named John ODonnell, whom Wells admired. ODonnell had named his Maryland plantation after the Chinese city, as he had been the first person to transport goods from there to Baltimore, Canton was the adopted home of President William McKinley. Born in Niles, McKinley first practiced law in Canton around 1867, the city was his home during his successful campaign for Ohio governor, the site of his front-porch presidential campaign of 1896 and the campaign of 1900. Canton is now the site of the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, Cantons street layout forms the basis for the system of addresses in Stark County. Canton proper is divided into quadrants by Tuscarawas Street and Market Avenue
2.
Canton McKinley High School
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Canton McKinley Senior High School is a public high school in Canton, Stark County, Ohio, and part of the Canton City School District. It is one of the oldest high schools in Ohio, and was one of Ohios largest. The original McKinley building on Market Avenue North was opened on March 27,1918, the students of Central High School and North High School were moved to the new building. The school was named for President William McKInley and his sister, Anna McKinley, when it opened, it was the only high school in Canton. By 1943, it was one of four schools, as enrollment in the city schools dictated Lehman High School, Lincoln High School. As the city of Cantons population declined, so did city school enrollment, in the spring of 1976, the Canton City Schools closed all four high schools in the city. Lehman and Lincoln reverted to high schools, and Timken Senior High School. McKinley Senior opened in a new building on the site of Fawcett Stadium, McKinley High Schools enrollment peaked in the 1935 –1936 school year with 4,000 students attending. Canton McKinley competes in the Federal League, one of the oldest athletic conferences in Ohio, McKinley is also second in Ohio in win total. Prior to the start of the current playoff format in Ohio high school football, since the playoff format began, McKinley has won three State Titles, in 1981,1997, and 1998. They have been State Runner-Up three times in 1977,1985, and 2004, mcKinley-Massillon is the 13th most played rivalry in the nation, with 126 meetings between the schools. The rivalry is tied for the nations 14th oldest, dating back to 1894 and was profiled in the November 14,1994 issue of Sports Illustrated. McKinley plays at Fawcett Stadium, which seats over 22,500 fans, famous former coaches include Don Nehlen and Ben Schwartzwalder, Eric Snow McKinley is #1 in Ohio in wins all-time. They have won three State Championships in 1983–84, 2004–05, and 2005–2006 and they have been State Runners-Up eight times, and hold Ohio records for most appearances in the Championship game, Final Four appearances, and Sweet Sixteen appearances. McKinley has had players move on to the NBA, including Nick Weatherspoon, Phil Hubbard, Gary Grant, Eric Snow, Michael Hawkins. On February 25,2015, Canton City Schools approved the merger of McKinley High School and Timken High School, giving Canton a single high school for the first time since 1937. Freshmen of the schools will attend the Freshmen Academy located at the current Timken High School. The remaining high school retain the McKinley name, mascot
3.
Michigan State Spartans men's basketball
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The Michigan State Spartans mens basketball team represents Michigan State University and competes in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I College basketball. Their home games are played at the Breslin Student Events Center, Tom Izzo has been the head coach since 1995. The Spartans have won two NCAA championships and 13 Big Ten Conference Championships and their two National Championships came in the 1979 NCAA Tournament and the 2000 NCAA Tournament. The 1979 National Championship Game was the most watched basketball game in history. The 1979 National Championship team was coached by Jud Heathcote and included tournament MVP Magic Johnson, Greg Kelser, the Spartans defeated the previously unbeaten Indiana State Sycamores, led by future Hall of Famer Larry Bird. The 2000 National Championship team defeated the Florida Gators in the final, the team was coached by Tom Izzo and led by players Morris Peterson, Charlie Bell, Jason Richardson and tournament MVP Mateen Cleaves. Michigan State has the eighth most all-time Final Four appearances with nine, the program is also ninth all-time in NCAA tournament winning percentage. The first established coach for Michigan Agricultural College, Charles Bemies was also the first athletic director in history, while also coaching the football, baseball. His two-year stint as head coach ended in 1901. Michigan Agricultural College’s second basketball coach was George Denman. Denman is the basketball coach to go undefeated during his tenure. His team still holds the record for largest margin of victory with a 102–3 defeat of Alma College in 1902, mAC’s first full-time athletic director and one of the Spartans’ most successful coaches, Chester Brewer led the football, basketball, and baseball squads to winning records. He holds the highest winning percentage of any Spartan basketball coach with at least four seasons at.736 and his team also defeated Michigan in the schools’ first meeting in 1909. George Gauthier was the first alumnus to lead a Michigan State basketball squad and he compiled a career record of 41–38 over four seasons. Gauthier left after 29 games in 1919–20, posting a 15–14 record, lyman Frimodig coached the final seven games of the season, going 6–1. He would also serve as coach for the next two seasons. He is third in victories with 231. Van Alstyne coached MSU’s first All-American, Roger Grove, in 1930. ”His 47–45 loss to Kentucky in 1948 set the record for the largest crowd in Jenison Field House history, in one season under Alton Kircher, the Spartans finished 4–18. Following the conclusion of the 1950 season, the Spartans would join the Big Ten Conference, Pete Newell was hired from San Francisco following a successful four years with the Dons where he went 70–37 and won the 1949 NIT
4.
1995 NBA draft
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The 1995 NBA draft took place on June 28,1995, at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It marked the first NBA draft to be held outside the United States and was the first draft for the two Canadian expansion teams, Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies. Kevin Garnett, who was fifth in this draft, is notable for being the first player in two decades to be selected straight out of high school. Garnett would go on to gather fifteen All Star selections, eight All-NBA selections, one NBA MVP award, rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse also had successful careers, being four-time and two-time All-Stars respectively. Wallace won an NBA championship in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons, while Stackhouse scored the most total points in the league in 2000, the other remaining top selections had relatively productive careers, but were considered to have never reached their full potential. Joe Smith put up solid, but unspectacular numbers throughout his career and is considered a disappointment for a first overall selection. He was also involved in a salary cap scandal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Antonio McDyess was a one-time All-Star, but serious and continuing knee injuries decreased much of his effectiveness in the prime of his career. Damon Stoudamire was the 1995–96 NBA Rookie of the Year and had a solid career although he was arrested, suspended and fined several times for marijuana possession and this draft was also notable for two of the biggest busts in NBA history, Ed OBannon and Shawn Respert. OBannon had received accolades for leading the UCLA Bruins to the NCAA Championship. Respert played only four seasons in the NBA, while secretly hiding that he was suffering from stomach cancer, the following players went undrafted in the 1995 NBA Draft but later played in the NBA. The following trades involving drafted players were made on the day of the draft, a The Los Angeles Clippers traded Randy Woods and the draft rights of Antonio McDyess to the Denver Nuggets for Rodney Rogers and the draft rights to Brent Barry
5.
Milwaukee Bucks
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The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball franchise based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 as a team. The team is valued at $675 million according to Forbes. The Bucks have won one title, two conference titles, and 13 division titles. On January 22,1968, the NBA awarded a franchise to Milwaukee Professional Sports and Services, Inc. a group headed by Wesley Pavalon, a fan contest was held to name the new team, with over 40,000 fans participating. One fan, R. D. Trebilcox, was awarded a new car for his part in reasoning why the Bucks was a nickname, saying that bucks were spirited, good jumpers, fast. In October, the Bucks played their first NBA regular-season game against the Chicago Bulls before a Milwaukee Arena crowd of 8,467, as is typical with expansion teams, the Bucks first season was a struggle. Their first victory came in their game as the Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons 134–118. The Bucks record that earned them a coin flip against their expansion cousins. It was a conclusion that the first pick in the draft would be Lew Alcindor of UCLA. The Bucks won the flip, but had to win a bidding war with the upstart American Basketball Association to secure him. Despite the Bucks stroke of fortune in landing Alcindor, no one expected what happened in 1969–70 and they finished with a 56–26 record – a nearly exact reversal of the previous year and good enough for the second-best record in the league, behind the New York Knicks. The 29-game improvement was the best in league history – a record which would stand for 10 years until the Boston Celtics jumped from 29 wins in 1978–79 to 61 in 1979–80. The Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in five games in the Eastern semifinals, Alcindor was a runaway selection for NBA Rookie of the Year. The following season, the Bucks got a gift when they acquired Oscar Robertson, known as the Big O. Subsequently, in only their season, the Bucks finished 66–16 – the second-most wins in NBA history at the time. During the regular season, the Bucks recorded a then-NBA record 20-game win streak and they then steamrolled through the playoffs with a dominating 12–2 record, winning the NBA Championship on April 30,1971, by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in four games
6.
Point guard
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The point guard, also called the one or point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position, point guards are expected to run the teams offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right players at the right time. A point guard, like other player positions in basketball, specializes in certain skills, a point guards primary job is to facilitate scoring opportunities for his/her team, or sometimes for themselves. Lee Rose has described a point guard as a coach on the floor and this involves setting up plays on the court, getting the ball to the teammate in the best position to score, and controlling the tempo of the game. A point guard should know when and how to instigate a fast break, point guards are expected to be vocal floor leaders. A point guard needs always to have in mind the times on the clock and the game clock, the score. Among the taller players who have enjoyed success at the position is Magic Johnson, other point guards who have been named NBA MVP include Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Derrick Rose and two-time winners Stephen Curry and Steve Nash. In the NBA, point guards are usually about 65 or shorter, having above-average size is considered advantageous, although size is secondary to situational awareness, speed, quickness, and ball handling skills. Shorter players tend to be better dribblers since they are closer to the floor, after an opponent scores, it is typically the point guard who brings the ball down court to begin an offensive play. Passing skills, ball handling, and court vision are crucial, speed is important, a speedy point guard is better able to create separation and space off the dribble, giving him/herself room to work. Point guards are often valued more for their assist totals than for their scoring, another major evaluation factor is Assist-to-Turnover ratio, which reflects the decision-making skills of the player. Still, a point guard should also have a reasonably effective jump shot. The point guard is positioned on the perimeter of the play and this is a necessity because of the point guards many leadership obligations. Many times, the point guard is referred to by announcers as a coach on the floor or a floor general, in the past, this was particularly true, as several point guards such as Lenny Wilkens served their teams as player-coaches. This is not so common anymore, as most coaches are now solely specialized in coaching and are non-players, former Suns head coach Mike DAntoni had often allowed Steve Nash to freelance when leading the Suns offense, even letting him call his own plays at times. Even point guards who are not given this much freedom, however, are extensions of their coach on the floor. John Stockton is widely considered to be the point guard. He also used the pick and roll maneuvre with Karl Malone, along with leadership and a general basketball acumen, ball-handling is a skill of great importance to a point guard
7.
Seattle SuperSonics
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The Seattle SuperSonics, commonly known as the Sonics, were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington. The SuperSonics played in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Pacific. After the 2007–08 season ended, the relocated to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Sam Schulman owned the team from its 1967 inception until 1983 and it was then owned by Barry Ackerley, and then Basketball Club of Seattle, headed by Starbucks chairman, president and CEO Howard Schultz. The sale was approved by the NBA Board of Governors on October 24,2006, home games were played at KeyArena, originally known as Seattle Center Coliseum, for 33 of the franchises 41 seasons in Seattle. In 1978, the moved to the Kingdome, which was shared with the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball. They returned to the Coliseum full-time in 1985, moving temporarily to the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington, the SuperSonics won the NBA championship in 1979. Overall, the franchise won three Western Conference titles,1978,1979, and 1996, the franchise also won six divisional titles, the most recent being in 2005, with five in the Pacific Division and one in the Northwest Division. The SuperSonics franchise history, however, would be shared with the Thunder, on December 20,1966, Los Angeles businessmen Sam Schulman and Eugene V. Klein and a group of minority partners were awarded an NBA franchise for the city of Seattle. Schulman would serve as the partner and head of team operations. He named the SuperSonics after Boeings recently awarded contract for the SST project, the SuperSonics were Seattles first major league sports franchise. Beginning play in October 1967, the SuperSonics were coached by Al Bianchi and featured All-Star guard Walt Hazzard and NBA All-Rookie Team members Bob Rule and Al Tucker. The expansion team stumbled out of the gates with a 144–116 loss in their first game, Hazzard was traded to the Atlanta Hawks before the start of the next season for Lenny Wilkens. Wilkens brought a strong game to the SuperSonics, averaging 22.4 points per game,8.2 assists per game. Rule, meanwhile, improved on his rookie statistics with 24.0 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game, the SuperSonics, however, only won 30 games and Bianchi was replaced by Wilkens as player/coach during the offseason. Wilkens and Rule both represented Seattle in the 1970 NBA All-Star Game, and Wilkens led the NBA in assists during the 1969–70 season, Schulman also threatened to move his soon-to-be ABA team to Los Angeles to compete directly with the Lakers. The Oscar Robertson suit delayed the merger, and the SuperSonics remained in Seattle, early in the 1970–71 season, however, Rule tore his Achilles tendon and was lost for the rest of the year. The following season, the SuperSonics went on to record their first winning season at 47–35, for the 1972–73 season, Wilkens was dealt to Cleveland in a highly unpopular trade, and without his leadership the SuperSonics fell to a 26–56 record
8.
Philadelphia 76ers
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The Philadelphia 76ers are an American professional basketball team based in Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 and originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA and they have won three NBA championships, with their first coming as the Syracuse Nationals in 1955. The second title came in the 1966–67 season, a team which was led by Chamberlain, the third title came in the 1982–83 season, won by a team led by Erving and Malone. The 76ers have only been back to the NBA Finals once since then, in 2001, while in the NBL with teams largely consisting of small Midwestern towns, the Nationals put together a 21–23 record, finishing in 4th place. In the playoffs, the Nats would be beaten by the fellow upstate neighbor Rochester Royals in 4 games, in their second season, 1947–48, the Nationals would struggle, finishing in 5th place with a 24–36 record. Despite their struggles, the Nats would make the playoffs, getting swept by the Anderson Duffey Packers in 3 straight games, several teams began to leave the NBL for the BAA as the foundation for an absorption was laid. The Nationals recipe for success began by recruiting Leo Ferris, in the playoffs the Nationals would make quick work of the Hammond Calumet Buccaneers, winning the series in 2 straight games. However, in the semifinals the Nats would fall to the Anderson Duffey Packers for the second season in 4 games. In 1949, the Nationals were one of seven NBL teams that were absorbed by the Basketball Association of America to form the NBA, the Nationals were an instant success in the NBA, winning the Eastern Division in the 1949–1950 season, with a league best record of 51–13. In the playoffs the Nationals continued to play basketball, beating the Philadelphia Warriors in 2 straight. Moving on to the Eastern Finals, the Nationals battled the New York Knickerbockers, in the NBA Finals, the Nationals faced fellow NBL alums the Minneapolis Lakers. In Game 1 of the Finals the Nats lost just their home game of the season 68–66. The Nats did not recover, as they fell behind 3 games to 1 before falling in 6 games, despite several teams leaving the NBA for the National Professional Basketball League before the 1950–1951 season, the Nationals decided to stay put. In their second NBA season the Nationals played mediocre basketball all season, however, in the playoffs the Nats played their best basketball of the season as they stunned the 1st place Philadelphia Warriors in 2 straight, taking Game 1 on the road in overtime 91–89. In the Eastern Finals the Nationals were beaten by the New York Knickerbockers in a hard-fought 5-game series, in the playoffs the Nats knocked off the Philadelphia Warriors again in a 3-game series. However, in the Eastern Finals the Nats fell to the New York Knickerbockers again, the Nationals would finish in 2nd place in a hard fought 3-way battle for first place in the Eastern Division for the 1952–1953 season, with a record of 47–24. In the playoffs the Nationals would face the Boston Celtics dropping Game 1 at home 87–81, the Nationals acquired Alex Groza, and Ralph Beard as the Indianapolis Olympians folded leaving the NBA with just 9 teams for the 1953–1954 season
9.
Cleveland Cavaliers
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The Cleveland Cavaliers, also known as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavs compete in the National Basketball Association as a member of the leagues Eastern Conference Central Division, the team began play in 1970. Many past and present top NBA players, including LeBron James, Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, the franchise has won five Central Division championships, three Eastern Conference championships, one NBA championship, and have reached the playoffs 20 times in their 46-year history. The 2016 NBA Finals victory over the Golden State Warriors marked the first time in Finals history a team had come back to win the series after trailing three games to one, the Cavaliers began play in 1970 as an expansion team. Their 46-year history has been marked by stretches of strong play and periods of poor play. In the 1970s, under the ownership of Nick Mileti, the team won its first division title in 1976 and they won Game 7, 87–85, on a shot by Snyder with four seconds to go. Injuries, particularly an ankle injury to Chones, led to this teams demise, as the Cavaliers would lose the Eastern Conference Finals to the Boston Celtics, 4–2. It is widely believed among both Cavaliers fans and players that the Miracle team would have won the 1976 NBA Championship had Chones stayed healthy, the remainder of the 1970s were marked by early playoff losses and eventually Fitchs resignation. The early 1980s were marked by Ted Stepiens ownership, Stepien also oversaw the hiring and firing of a succession of coaches and was involved in making a number of poor trade and free agent signing decisions. The ensuing chaos had an effect on both the Cavaliers on-court performance and lack of local support, losing over 50 games in three straight years. The 1981–82 and 1982–83 combined to lose 24 straight games, which at the time was the NBAs all-time longest losing streak, george and Gordon Gund purchased the Cavaliers from Stepien in 1983. The team was in a transition as they went through nine head coaches from 1980 to 1986, during the 1986 offseason, the Cavaliers acquired Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, Ron Harper and Larry Nance. The Cavaliers entered into a period of decline from the mid-1990s through the early 2000s, the team appeared in the playoffs the next two years, but could not get past the first round. In the 1997 off-season, the team added Shawn Kemp and Wesley Person, as well as a class that included Derek Anderson, Cedric Henderson, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas. This team lost in the first round of the playoffs in 1998, in the early 2000s, the team added Andre Miller, Lamond Murray, Chris Mihm and Carlos Boozer, but could not make it to the playoffs. The 2002–03 season saw the Cavaliers finish 17–65, tied for the worst record in the NBA, the Cavaliers luck changed as they landed the number 1 pick in the 2003 NBA draft. With it, the team selected heralded forward and future NBA MVP LeBron James, in 2005, the team would be sold to businessman Dan Gilbert. That year, the team also hired head coach Mike Brown, over the next few years, the Cavaliers built a team around James and Žydrūnas Ilgauskas by adding players including Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, and Anderson Varajao
10.
SMU Mustangs men's basketball
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The SMU Mustangs mens basketball team is the basketball team that represents Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, United States. The schools team competes in the American Athletic Conference. They are currently coached by Tim Jankovich, after the resignation of Larry Brown, in 100 years of basketball, SMUs record is 1319–1190. SMU has reached one Final Four, has made 12 NCAA Tournament Appearances, won 15 Conference Championships, had 11 All-Americans, on September 30,2015, the NCAA, following investigation into NCAA violations banned SMU from postseason play in 2016 including the American Athletic Conference Tournament. Larry Brown was suspended for nine games in the 2016 season, the school also received sanctions in the form of reduced scholarships. SMU responded in the 2015–16 season by finishing 25–5 making it 3 straight seasons the Mustangs have won 25-games. SMU has since rebounded in the 2016-17 season by winning their conference title in 3 years, setting a school record for single season wins. 1916 was the season of SMU basketball where it went 12-2. SMU joined the Southwest Conference in the 1918-19 season, SMU won its first two conference titles in 1935 and 1937. Doc Hayes took over as SMUs head coach in 1947, by 1955 Hayes had SMU in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history advancing to the Sweet Sixteen and had won their first conference title in almost 20 years. SMU during the Doc Hayes era won 8 SWC championships and reached the NCAA tournament 6 times including Final Four, Doc Hayes retired after the 1967 season with a final record of 298–191 at SMU. Following Doc Hayes, SMU basketball fell down into a period of mediocrity with some sprinkled success highlighted by SMU greats Jon Koncak, Ira Terrell, Bliss and star big man Jon Koncak led SMU to 3 NCAA tournament appearances and an NIT appearance. The Dave Bliss era was highlighted by his final season where SMU went 28-7 winning the SWC regular season and tournament championships and making it to the Second round of the NCAA Tournament. SMU would win the SWC Championship and reach the NCAA tournament one time in the 1993 season under John Shumate, however. This period was the age for SMU basketball. From 1994-2012 SMU had just 7 winning seasons and did not win any titles or reach the NCAA tournament. Only reaching the NIT and CIT one time each, the reemergence of SMU basketball occurred when Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown took over the Mustangs in the 2012 season coinciding with the 48-million dollar renovation of Moody Coliseum. By his second season he had SMU at 27-10 and runners up in the NIT, in his third season, led by Nic Moore, SMU won its first conference title in 22 years and returned to the NCAA tournament losing a controversial game to UCLA on a goaltending call
11.
Florida Atlantic Owls men's basketball
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The Florida Atlantic Owls basketball team represents Florida Atlantic University, an NCAA Division I college basketball team, that competes in Conference USA. Florida Atlantic University basketball began play in the 1988–89 season, the Owls competed as an NCAA Division II independent until the 1993–94 season, when they moved up to Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference. After spending 11 seasons in the Atlantic Sun, the Owls moved to the Sun Belt Conference, the Owls moved to Conference USA July,2013. Florida Atlantic University played its first-ever intercollegiate basketball contest on November 18,1988, against fellow local NCAA Division II school, the Owls won the game 111–62. Even though the newly formed college squad hung 111 points in their first game, they would finish the inaugural season 9–19, which included a 12-game losing streak in the middle of the year. Head coach, Lonnie Williams, was known to be a program-builder, Williams would only last one year at UC Davis, posting an 11-16 record. Replacing Williams was Penn State assistant coach, Tim Loomis, Loomis started his coaching career with a 21–7 record, and followed that up with back-to-back 15–13 seasons. The three consecutive winning seasons is a feat no other Owls coach has ever matched. Along with the seasons, Loomis was able to schedule games against neighbor and powerhouse. Though Miami would beat the Owls soundly in the appearances, the ability to schedule games against them was seen as the Owls basketball programs growth. Loomis would lose the core of that team after the Owls fourth season. In fact, Loomis team beat NC State on the road in 1993–94 to become the first Atlantic Sun team to beat an ACC team at the time. The 1993–94 season would mark the beginning of the Owls competition in the NCAA Division I, the Owls joined the Atlantic Sun Conference later, mostly due to the fact that the Owls baseball team was exceeding expectations so early in its development. In 1994–95, the team improved to 9–19 while in Loomis last year, due to NCAAs rule, the Owls were not eligible to be full members of the Atlantic Sun for four years, and officially began competition on the Division I level in the 1993–94 season. In Billermans four seasons, the Owls had two 20+ loss seasons and only one winning season, for the 1999–00 season, FAU hired decorated UNLV All-American forward/center and NBA first-round draft pick, Sidney Green. In his first season, Greens Owls went 2–28, with a 25-game losing streak in the middle of the season. In each of his first and second seasons, the Owls would win their opening game in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. During the 2001–02 season, Green would lead the Owls to his winning season, as FAU finished 19–12
12.
NBA All-Defensive Second Team
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The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of two five-man lineups, a first and a team, comprising a total of 10 roster spots. Voting is conducted by a panel of 123 writers and broadcasters, prior to the 2013–14 NBA season, voting was performed by the NBA head coaches, who were restricted from voting for players on their own team. The players each receive two points for each first team vote and one point for second team vote. The top five players with the highest point total make the first team, in the case of a tie at the fifth position of either team, the roster is expanded. If the first team consists of six due to a tie. Ties have occurred several times, most recently in 2013 when Tyson Chandler, tim Duncan holds the record for the most total selections to the All-Defensive Team with 15. Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant follow with twelve total honors each, michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Garnett, and Bryant share the record for most NBA All-Defensive first team selections with nine. Scottie Pippen, Bobby Jones, and Duncan made the first team eight times each, walt Frazier and Dennis Rodman made the All-Defensive first team seven times. Ten players born outside the jurisdiction of the United States, plus two players born in U. S. S, on four occasions, the Defensive Player of the Year winner was not voted to the All-Defensive first team in the same year. Player of the Year winners Alvin Robertson in 1986, Dikembe Mutombo, Tyson Chandler, the following table only lists players with at least four First Team selections. National Basketball Association portal General Specific
13.
NBA Sportsmanship Award
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It is directly analogous to the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award, which has been awarded by the NBAs sister league, the WNBA, with neither award demanding excellence of play. Every year, each of the 30 NBA teams nominates one of its players to compete for this award, from these nominees, one player from each NBA division are selected by a panel as the divisional Sportsmanship Award winners. Grant Hill has won the three times, the most in NBA history. Jason Kidd and Mike Conley are the other two players to have won it multiple times, each having done so twice. National Basketball Association portal General Specific
14.
J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award
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The award is named in honor of James Walter Kennedy, the second commissioner of the NBA. The winner is selected by the Pro Basketball Writers Association, the PBWA represents writers for newspapers, magazines and internet services who cover the NBA on a regular basis. Members of the PBWA nominate players for the award, and then a vote is taken by approximately 150 PBWA members, the person with the highest point total wins the award. The award is given to a person who made a substantial charitable contribution. For instance, Kevin Garnett received the award in 2006 after donating $1.2 million toward the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, since its inception, the award has been given to 34 different people. Only one season had joint winners—Michael Cooper and Rory Sparrow in the 1985–86 season, mutombo is also the only player to win the award twice. Frank Layden and Joe OToole were the only non-players to win the award, Layden, the 1983–84 award recipient, was the head coach for the Utah Jazz, while OToole, the 1994–95 award recipient, was the athletic trainer for the Atlanta Hawks. National Basketball Association portal General Specific
15.
Basketball
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Basketball is a non-contact team sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of five players each. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high that is mounted to a backboard at each end of the court. The game was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, a team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket being defended by the opposition team during regular play. A field goal scores three points for the team if the player shoots from behind the three-point line. A team can also score via free throws, which are worth one point, the team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time is mandated when the score is tied at the end of regulation. The ball can be advanced on the court by passing it to a teammate and it is a violation to lift, or drag, ones pivot foot without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling. The game has many techniques for displaying skill—ball-handling, shooting, passing, dribbling, dunking, shot-blocking. The point guard directs the on court action of the team, implementing the coachs game plan, Basketball is one of the worlds most popular and widely viewed sports. Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the Euroleague, the FIBA Basketball World Cup attracts the top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for teams, like EuroBasket. The FIBA Womens Basketball World Cup features the top womens basketball teams from continental championships. The main North American league is the WNBA, whereas the EuroLeague Women has been dominated by teams from the Russian Womens Basketball Premier League, in early December 1891, Canadian Dr. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied, after rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot elevated track. Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball and these laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable. Eventually a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith, dribbling was not part of the original game except for the bounce pass to teammates. Passing the ball was the means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the shape of early balls. Dribbling only became a part of the game around the 1950s
16.
Michigan State University
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Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. MSU was founded in 1855 and served as a model for land-grant universities later created under the Morrill Act of 1862, the university was founded as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, one of the countrys first institutions of higher education to teach scientific agriculture. After the introduction of the Morrill Act, the college became coeducational, today, MSU is one of the largest universities in the United States and has approximately 540,000 living alumni worldwide. MSU pioneered the studies of packaging, hospitality business, supply chain management, Michigan State frequently ranks among the top 30 public universities in the United States and the top 100 research universities in the world. U. S. MSU is a member of the Association of American Universities, the universitys campus houses the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, the W. J. The Michigan State Spartans compete in the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference, Michigan State Spartans football won the Rose Bowl Game in 1954,1956,1988 and 2014, and a total of six national championships. Spartans mens basketball won the NCAA National Championship in 1979 and 2000, Spartans ice hockey won NCAA national titles in 1966,1986 and 2007. Classes began on May 13,1857, with three buildings, five faculty members, and 63 male students, the first president, Joseph R. Williams, designed a curriculum that required more scientific study than practically any undergraduate institution of the era. It balanced science, liberal arts, and practical training, the curriculum excluded Latin and Greek studies, since most applicants did not study any classical languages in their rural high schools. However, it did three hours of daily manual labor, which kept costs down for both the students and the College. Despite Williams innovations and his defense of education for the masses and they forced him to resign in 1859 and reduced the curriculum to a two-year vocational program. In 1860, Williams became acting lieutenant governor and helped pass the Reorganization Act of 1861 and this gave the college a four-year curriculum and the power to grant masters degrees. Under the act, a newly created body, known as the State Board of Agriculture, the college changed its name to State Agricultural College, and its first class graduated in the same year. As the Civil War had begun, there was no time for a graduation ceremony. The first alumni enlisted to the Union Army, Williams died, and the following year, Abraham Lincoln signed the First Morrill Act of 1862 to support similar colleges, making the Michigan school a national model. Shortly thereafter, on March 18,1863, the designated the college its land-grant institution making Michigan State University one of the nations first land-grant college. The college first admitted women in 1870, although at that time there were no female residence halls, the few women who enrolled boarded with faculty families or made the arduous stagecoach trek from Lansing. From the early days, female students took the same scientific agriculture courses as male students
17.
1995 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
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The 1995 NCAA Division I Mens Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of mens NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16,1995, and ended with the game on April 3 at the Kingdome in Seattle. A total of 63 games were played, UCLAs Ed OBannon was named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player. March 16 and 18 Baltimore Arena, Baltimore Jon M, *Named Most Outstanding Player March 19,1995 – A final shot in the second round at The Boise State Pavilion is one of the most memorable moments in NCAA history. UCLAs Tyus Edney dashed the length of the 94-foot court in just over 4 seconds to make a layup that gave the Bruins a 75-74 win over Missouri, which sustained UCLAs run to a national title that year. April 3,1995 – Ed OBannon scored 30 points and grabbed 17 rebounds and is named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player as the Bruins win the championship 89–78 over Arkansas. Cameron Dollar played 36 minutes and contributed eight assists and four steals while filling in for an injured Edney, the Bruins enjoyed the biggest lead 34–26 in the first half, but led only by a point at halftime 40–39. To date, this is the last NCAA mens basketball tournament in which no team seeded lower than #6 reached the Sweet Sixteen, once again, CBS served as broadcasters on television for the tournament. Studio, Pat OBrien First Round, Regional, Final Four, Jim Nantz First Round & all of Second Round, and Clark Kellogg
18.
Weber State University
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Weber State University is a public university in Ogden, Utah, United States. It is a coeducational, publicly supported university offering professional, liberal arts and technical certificates, as well as associates, Weber State University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Programs throughout the university are accredited as well, the school was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy, later changing names to Weber Academy, Weber Normal College, and Weber College. Weber College became a college in 1933, and in 1962 became Weber State College. It gained university status in 1991, when it was renamed to its current name of Weber State University, Weber State University was founded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Weber Stake Academy in 1889. Weber comes from the name of the county where the university is located, Weber County was named after John Henry Weber, an early fur trader. The university opened for students on January 7,1889 with 98 students enrolled for classes, the first principal of Weber Stake Academy was Louis F. Moench. He served from 1889–1892 and again from 1894–1902, in the latter year, Moench was succeeded as principal by David O. McKay who served in that position until 1908. From 1914–1917, James L. Barker was the principal of the Weber Stake Academy, in 1931, the Utah Legislature passed a law providing for the acquisition of Weber College and Snow College from the LDS Church. In 1933, Weber College became a junior college. In 1954 the college moved from its location in Ogden to a spacious. The school became Weber State College in 1962, and in 1964 became a four-year college, on January 1,1991, Weber State was upgraded to university status. Weber State University has developed into a major state undergraduate institution serving northern Utah and areas beyond, including American, Weber State University sits along the east bench of the Wasatch Mountains in Ogden, Utah. The Dee Events Center is located about 1 mile south from campus, there is an additional campus located in Davis County, Utah, and two centers located in Morgan, Utah and Roy, Utah. In addition to its locations, Weber State University has been a pioneer in the development of online education for the Utah System of Higher Education. Weber States Ogden campus covers more than 500 acres, houses 63 buildings, the Davis campus has two buildings, which host more than 300 classes per semester. Weber State also has centers in Roy, Farmington, Kaysville, Clearfield and Morgan, Utah, Weber State Universitys colors are purple and white and their nickname is the Wildcats. Weber State University teams participate in NCAA Division I in the Big Sky Conference, the Weber State University football team plays at Stewart Stadium
19.
Larry Brown (basketball)
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Lawrence Harvey Larry Brown is an American basketball coach, who was most recently head mens basketball coach at Southern Methodist University. He is the coach in basketball history to win both an NCAA national championship and an NBA title. He also won an ABA championship as a player with the Oakland Oaks in the 1968–69 season, and he is also the only person ever to coach two NBA franchises in the same season. Before coaching, Brown played collegiately at the University of North Carolina and he has been a basketball coach since 1972. Brown was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach on September 27,2002, Brown is Jewish, and was born in Brooklyn, New York. A5 ft 9 in point guard, he attended Long Beach High School and then played at the University of North Carolina under legendary coaches Frank McGuire and Dean Smith. During that time Brown was selected for the 1964 Summer Olympics team, on which he played and with which he won a gold medal, Brown was named MVP of the ABAs first All-Star Game in 1968, and was named to the All-ABA Second Team the same year. Brown led the ABA in assists per game during the leagues first three seasons, and when he ended his career, Brown was the ABAs all-time assist leader. His total of 2,509 assists places him seventh on the ABAs career list, Browns first head coaching job was at Davidson College in North Carolina in 1969. Unfortunately for Wildcat fans, it would only last during the summer offseason, Brown moved on to the ABA and coached with the Carolina Cougars and then the Denver Nuggets, who later joined the NBA in 1976, for five and a half seasons from 1974 to 1979. He then moved on to coach for UCLA, leading his freshman-dominated 1979–80 team to the NCAA title game before falling to Louisville, 59–54. However, that appearance was vacated by the NCAA after two UCLA players were found to be ineligible—one of the few times a Final Four squad has had its record vacated. Brown was the coach for the NBAs New Jersey Nets for two years following that, from 1981 to 1983. Brown began his tenure at the University of Kansas, replacing the fired Ted Owens, who had overseen back-to-back losing seasons in 1981-82 and 1982-83. In the meantime Brown signed the most coveted high school player in the country, Danny Manning, to play for KU after signing his father, Ed Manning, perhaps Browns finest team at Kansas was the 1985-86 team. This squad put together a 35-4 record, the first 30-win season in KU history, in the 1987-88 season, Kansas got off to a mediocre 12–8 start, including 1–4 in the Big 8, and the end of the Jayhawks 55-game homecourt winning streak in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas then proceeded to defeat 11th-seed Xavier, 14th-seed Murray State, and 7th-seed Vanderbilt before meeting rival Kansas State, KU upset the 4th-seeded Wildcats 71-58 in the Elite Eight to reach the Final Four in Kansas Citys Kemper Arena. Once there, Kansas upset the East Regions #2 seed Duke, 66-59, Manning, who scored 31 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the final, was named Most Oustanding Player of the Tournament
20.
Shooting guards
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The shooting guard, also known as the two or off guard, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guards main objective is to score points for his team, some teams ask their shooting guards to bring up the ball as well, these players are known colloquially as combo guards. A player who can switch between playing shooting guard and small forward is known as a swingman, notable swing men include Jimmy Butler, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Joe Johnson, Andre Iguodala, Andrew Wiggins, Evan Turner and Tyreke Evans. In the NBA, shooting guards usually range from 64 to 67, the Basketball Handbook by Lee Rose describes a shooting guard as someone whose primary role is to score points. As the name suggests, most shooting guards are good long-range shooters, typically, shooting guards are taller than point guards. Height at the position varies, many bigger shooting guards also play small forward, Shooting guards should be good ball handlers and be able to pass reasonably well, though passing is not their main priority. Since good shooting guards may attract double-teams, they are frequently the teams back-up ball handlers to the point guard, Shooting guards must be able to score in various ways, especially late in a close game when defenses are tighter. They need to have a free throw percentage too, to be reliable in close games. Because of the level of offensive skills shooting guards need, they are often a teams primary scoring option. Good shooting guards can usually play point guard to a certain extent, Lee H. Rose ISBN 0-7360-4906-1 Media related to Shooting guards at Wikimedia Commons
21.
Allen Iverson
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Allen Ezail Iverson is an American retired professional basketball player who played for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He played both the guard and point guard positions. Iverson was an eleven-time NBA All-Star, won the All-Star game MVP award in 2001 and 2005, Iverson attended Bethel High School in Hampton, Virginia, and was a dual-sport athlete. He earned the Associated Press High School Player of the Year award in football and basketball, and won the Division AAA Virginia state championship in both sports. After high school, Iverson attended Georgetown University for two years, where he set the record for career scoring average and won Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards both years. Following two successful years at Georgetown, Iverson declared eligibility for the 1996 NBA draft, and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the first overall pick and he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season. Winning the NBA scoring title during the 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02 and his regular season career scoring average of 26.7 points per game ranks sixth all-time, and his playoff career scoring average of 29.7 points per game is second only to Michael Jordan. Iverson was also the NBA Most Valuable Player of the 2000–01 season, Iverson represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal. He also played for the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and the Memphis Grizzlies, Iverson was rated the fifth-greatest NBA shooting guard of all time by ESPN in 2008. He officially announced his retirement from basketball on October 30,2013. On April 4,2016, Iverson was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Allen Iverson was born on June 7,1975 in Hampton, Virginia to a single 15-year-old mother, Ann Iverson and he attended Bethel High School, where he started as quarterback for the school football team, while also playing running back, kick returner and defensive back. He also started as point guard for the basketball team. During his junior year, Allen was able to both teams to Virginia state championships, as well as earning The Associated Press High School Player of the Year award in both sports. On February 14,1993, Iverson and several of his friends were involved in an altercation with several patrons at an alley in Hampton. Allegedly, Iversons crowd was raucous and had to be asked to quiet down several times, shortly thereafter, a huge fight erupted, pitting the white crowd against the black crowd. During the fight, Iverson allegedly struck a woman in the head with a chair and he, along with three of his friends who are also black, were the only people arrested. Iverson, who was 17 at the time, was convicted as an adult of the charge of maiming by mob
22.
2001 NBA Finals
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The 2001 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2000–01 National Basketball Association season. The Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference took on the Philadelphia 76ers of the Eastern Conference for the title, the Lakers won the series 4 games to 1. Lakers center Shaquille ONeal was named the Most Valuable Player of the series, Allen Iverson scored 48 points in his only NBA Finals victory, as the 76ers took Game 1 107–101 in overtime, handing the Lakers their first loss of the playoffs. However, the Lakers went on to win the four games, despite being outshot. Los Angeles punished Philadelphia with their three-point shooting, which was the key to this series, the Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2000–01 NBA season as the defending NBA champions. The club lost a few players to free agency, but they signed veteran players like Isaiah Rider, the Lakers began the season struggling on and off the court, as they were losing games at the beginning with the Shaq–Kobe feud. Injuries also riddled the team as they struggled through the season, the Lakers began the 2001 NBA Playoffs versus the team against whom they played the previous year in the Western Conference finals, the Portland Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers were a team struggled throughout the season. The series wasnt close, as the Lakers swept the Trail Blazers by double digits in all three games, in the conference finals the Lakers went up against the number 1 seed San Antonio Spurs, who were expected to be more competitive than the Lakers previous opponents. But the Lakers met a snag on their quest to the first NBA sweep in playoff history as they went up against Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers, seeded number 1 in the Eastern Conference, had just come out of two straight seven-game series against the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks. During the first game, the trio of Iverson, Dikembe Mutombo and Eric Snow, coming hot off a long Eastern Conference championship road, beat the Lakers in overtime, the Lakers then took Game 2. Afterwards, Kobe Bryant was quoted as saying he was coming to Philadelphia to cut their hearts out, the Sixers dropped all three games in Philadelphia, giving the Lakers their second straight championship. The NBA, after experimenting in the years, restored this original format for the Finals in 1985. The Lakers dominated early, in what looked like to be their fourth series sweep, scoring 16 straight points, the Lakers took a 21-9 lead over the Allen Iverson-led 76ers. Despite this major lead, Allen Iverson began dominating at the half of the 2nd quarter scoring 30 first half points, the 76ers turned the game around and even went up by 15 points during the third quarter before the Lakers started a comeback. Shaquille ONeal was a factor in the comeback, scoring 18 points in the quarter. The Lakers played fantastically during the 4th quarter, and Tyronn Lue came off the bench, the game was eventually tied at 94, and when Dikembe Mutombo missed two free throws and Eric Snows desperation three-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim, the game went to overtime
23.
Los Angeles Lakers
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The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association, as a club of the leagues Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA, as of 2015, the Lakers are the second most valuable franchise in the NBA according to Forbes, having an estimated value of $2.7 billion. The franchise began with the 1947 purchase of a disbanded team, the new team began playing in Minneapolis, calling themselves the Minneapolis Lakers in honor of the states nickname, Land of 10,000 Lakes. The team was propelled by center George Mikan, who is described by the NBAs official website as the leagues first superstar, after struggling financially in the late 1950s following Mikans retirement, they relocated to Los Angeles before the 1960–61 season. Led by Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, Los Angeles made the NBA Finals six times in the 1960s, but lost each series to the Boston Celtics, beginning their long and storied rivalry. After the retirement of West and Chamberlain, the team acquired another center, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had won multiple MVP awards and this team featured Hall of Famers in Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy, and a Hall of Fame coach, Pat Riley. After Abdul-Jabbar and Johnsons retirement, the team struggled in the early 1990s before acquiring Shaquille ONeal, led by ONeal, Bryant, and another Hall of Fame coach, Phil Jackson, Los Angeles won three consecutive titles between 2000 to 2002, securing the franchise its second three-peat. After losing both the 2004 and 2008 NBA Finals, the Lakers won two championships by defeating the Orlando Magic in 2009 and Boston in 2010. The Lakers hold the record for NBAs longest winning streak,33 straight games,21 Hall of Famers have played for Los Angeles, while four have coached the team. Four Lakers—Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, ONeal, and Bryant—have won the NBA MVP Award for a total of eight awards, Minneapolis sportswriter Sid Hartman played a key behind the scenes role in helping put together the deal and later the team. Inspired by Minnesotas nickname, Land of 10,000 Lakes, Hartman helped them hire John Kundla from College of St. Thomas, to be their first head coach, by meeting with him and selling him on the team. The Lakers had a roster which featured forward Jim Pollard, playmaker Herm Schaefer, and center George Mikan. In their first season, they led the league with a 43–17 record, in 1948, the Lakers moved from the NBL to the Basketball Association of America, and Mikans 28.3 point per game scoring average set a BAA record. In the 1949 BAA Finals they won the championship, beating the Washington Capitols four games to two, the following season, the team improved to 51–17, repeating as champions. In the 1950–51 season, Mikan won his third straight scoring title at 28.4 ppg, one of those games, a 19–18 loss against the Fort Wayne Pistons, became infamous as the lowest scoring game in NBA history. In the playoffs, they defeated the Indianapolis Olympians in three games but lost to the Rochester Royals in the next round, during the 1951–52 season, the Lakers won 40 games, finishing second in their division. They faced the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, which won in seven games
24.
Kobe Bryant
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Kobe Bean Bryant is an American retired professional basketball player and businessman. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association and he entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Bryant is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team and he led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, and ranks third on both the leagues all-time regular season scoring and all-time postseason scoring lists. He holds the NBA record for the most seasons playing with one franchise for an entire career and he declared for the NBA draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets, who traded him to the Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, despite a feud between them, Bryant and Shaquille ONeal led the Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. In 2003, Bryant was accused of assault in Colorado, but the charges were eventually dropped. After the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, ONeal was traded to the Miami Heat, Bryant became the cornerstone of the Lakers, and he led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. In 2006, he scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, Bryant was awarded the regular seasons Most Valuable Player Award in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, he led the Lakers to two championships in 2009 and 2010, earning the Finals MVP Award on both occasions. He continued to be among the top players in the league through 2013, although he recovered, his play was limited the following two years by season-ending injuries to his knee and shoulder, respectively. Citing his physical decline, he announced that he would be retiring after the 2015–16 season, at 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points. He became the leading scorer in Lakers franchise history on February 1,2010. At the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, he won medals as a member of the U. S. national team. Sporting News and TNT named Bryant the top NBA player of the 2000s, Bryant was born in Philadelphia, as the youngest of three children and the only son of Joe Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant. He is also the nephew of basketball player John Chubby Cox. His parents named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan and his middle name, Bean, is derived from his fathers nickname Jellybean. When Bryant was six, his left the NBA and moved his family to Rieti in Italy to continue playing professional basketball. Bryant became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak fluent Italian, during summers, he would come back to the United States to play in a basketball summer league
25.
Kevin Ollie
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Kevin Jermaine Ollie is an American basketball coach and former player. He is the current head coach of the University of Connecticut mens basketball team, Ollie graduated from Connecticut in 1995 with a degree in Communications. After retiring from basketball in 2010, Ollie joined UConn as an assistant coach. In his second year as Huskies head coach, they won the 2014 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament, Ollie was born in Dallas, Texas to parents Fletcher and Dorothy Ollie and grew up in the rough neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles. When Ollie was 7, his parents divorced and his moved to Dallas. He spent summers there, cutting lawns and doing odd jobs so he could be with him for some length of time. His mother, a teacher and ordained minister, raised him and his older sisters, Vita and Rhonda. Ollie attended and played basketball at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles and he then starred for four seasons at the University of Connecticut. After his college graduation, he joined the Connecticut Pride of the Continental Basketball Association, after that, he began playing in the NBA. In the 2005–06 season, Ollie was given a role by Sixers head coach Maurice Cheeks. The Minnesota Timberwolves made Ollie their captain during the 2008–09 season and he was then signed by the Oklahoma City Thunder on August 1,2009 for the veterans minimum. After the season Ollie retired to join the Connecticut Huskies as an assistant coach, NBA player Kevin Durant in an interview with Grantland said that Kevin Ollie taught him the ropes, and changed the culture of Oklahoma City. He also said, “Kevin Ollie, he was a game changer for us, I think he changed the whole culture in Oklahoma City. Just his mind set, professionalism, every single day, and we all watched that, and we all wanted to be like that. It rubbed off on Russell Westbrook, myself, Jeff Green, and then everybody who comes through now, it’s the standard that you’ve got to live up to as a Thunder player. And it all started with Kevin Ollie. ”Ollie had previously played a role with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Paxson cited Ollies professionalism and approach to the game as qualities the team valued, in 2012, Ollie was named the head basketball coach at Connecticut, replacing longtime hall of fame coach Jim Calhoun. During his college career, Ollie had played under Calhoun and he also served as an assistant coach for Calhouns final two seasons at UConn
26.
Boston Celtics
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The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 and one of eight NBA teams to survive the leagues first decade, the Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which they share with the National Hockey League s Boston Bruins. The franchises 17 championships are the most of any NBA franchise, as a percentage of championships won, the Celtics are the most successful franchise to date in the major four traditional North American professional sports leagues. The Celtics have played the Lakers a record 12 times in the Finals, including their most recent appearances in 2008 and 2010, four Celtics players have won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for an NBA record total of 10 MVP awards. Their mascot Lucky the Leprechaun is a nod to the teams Irish heritage, in 1950, the Celtics signed Chuck Cooper, becoming the first NBA franchise to draft a black player. The Celtics struggled during their years, until the hiring of coach Red Auerbach. In the franchises early days, Auerbach had no assistants, ran all the practices, did all the scouting—both of opposing teams and college draft prospects—and scheduled all the road trips. One of the first great players to join the Celtics was Bob Cousy, Cousy eventually became the property of the Chicago Stags, but when that franchise went bankrupt, Cousy went to the Celtics in a dispersal draft. After the 1955–56 season, Auerbach made a stunning trade and he sent perennial All-Star Ed Macauley to the St. Louis Hawks along with the draft rights to Cliff Hagan in exchange for the second overall pick in the draft. Auerbach also acquired Holy Cross standout, and 1957 NBA Rookie of the Year, Russell and Heinsohn worked extraordinarily well with Cousy, and they were the players around whom Auerbach would build the champion Celtics for more than a decade. With Bill Russell, the Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals and defeated the St. Louis Hawks in seven games, Russell went on to win 11 championships, making him the most decorated player in NBA history. In 1958, the Celtics again advanced to the NBA Finals, however, with the acquisition of K. C. Jones that year, the Celtics began a dynasty that would last for more than a decade. In 1959, the Celtics won the NBA Championship after sweeping the Minneapolis Lakers, during that time, the Celtics met the Lakers in the Finals five times, starting an intense and often bitter rivalry that has spanned generations. In 1964, the Celtics became the first NBA team to have an all African-American starting lineup. On December 26,1964, Willie Naulls replaced an injured Tommy Heinsohn, joining Tom Satch Sanders, K. C. Jones, Sam Jones, the Celtics defeated St. Louis 97–84. Boston won its next 11 games with Naulls starting in place of Heinsohn, the Celtics of the late-1950s–60s are widely considered as one of the most dominant teams of all time. Auerbach retired as coach after the 1965–66 season and Russell took over as player-coach, with his appointment, Russell also became the first African-American coach in any U. S. pro sport
27.
Paul Silas
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Paul Theron Silas is an American retired professional basketball player and former NBA head coach. He is the father of current NBA assistant coach Stephen Silas, born in Prescott, Arkansas, Silas attended Creighton University, where he set an NCAA record for the most rebounds in three seasons and averaged 20.6 rebounds per game in 1963. In the NBA, Silas collected more than 10,000 points and 10,000 rebounds during his distinguished 16-year career and he was named to the All-NBA Defensive First Team twice, and to the All-NBA Defensive Second Team three times. He was head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers until March 21,2005 and he worked for ESPN, although in April 2007, he interviewed for the vacant head coaching position with the Charlotte Bobcats which was eventually filled by Sam Vincent. Upon the firing of Sam Vincent in April 2008, he stated that coaching the Bobcats would be a dream job, on December 22,2010, Silas was named interim head coach of the Bobcats, replacing the outgoing coach Larry Brown. On February 16,2011, the Bobcats removed his interim status
28.
Golden State Warriors
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The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Pacific Division. The team was established in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1962, the franchise relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area and was renamed the San Francisco Warriors. In 1971, the changed its geographic moniker to Golden State. Since 1972, the home court has been the Oracle Arena in Oakland. The team is nicknamed the Dubs, the Warriors have reached eight NBA Finals, winning four NBA championships in 1947,1956,1975 and most recently in 2015 when they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers. Golden States four NBA championships are the fifth most in history only the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls. Wilt Chamberlain and Stephen Curry have both named the NBAs Most Valuable Player while playing for the Warriors, for a total of three MVP awards. Golden State holds the NBA record for best regular season with 73–9, the Warriors were founded in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors, a charter member of the Basketball Association of America. They were owned by Peter A. Tyrrell, who owned the Philadelphia Rockets of the American Hockey League. Tyrrell hired Eddie Gottlieb, a longtime basketball promoter in the Philadelphia area, as coach, the owners named the team after the Philadelphia Warriors, an old basketball team who played in the American Basketball League in 1925. Led by early scoring sensation Joe Fulks, the won the championship in the leagues inaugural 1946–47 season by defeating the Chicago Stags. The NBA, which was created by a 1949 merger, officially recognizes that as its own first championship, Gottlieb bought the team in 1951. The Warriors won its championship in Philadelphia in the 1955–56 season. The Warrior stars of this era were future Hall of Famers Paul Arizin, Tom Gola, in 1959, the team signed draft pick Wilt Chamberlain. Known as Wilt the Stilt, he led the team in scoring six times, quickly began shattering NBA scoring records, in 1962, Franklin Mieuli purchased the majority shares of the team and relocated the franchise to the San Francisco Bay Area, renaming them the San Francisco Warriors. Prior to the 1963–64 NBA season, the Warriors drafted big man Nate Thurmond to go along with Chamberlain, the Warriors won the Western Division crown that season, but lost the 1964 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics, four games to one. In the 1964–65 season, the Warriors traded Chamberlain to the Philadelphia 76ers for Connie Dierking, Lee Shaffer, Paul Neumann and $150,000 and won only 17 games
29.
Washington Wizards
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The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D. C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association, as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its games at the Verizon Center, in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington. The team now known as the Wizards began playing as the Chicago Packers in 1961, as the first modern expansion team in NBA history, an expansion prompted by Abe Sapersteins American Basketball League. Rookie Walt Bellamy was the star, averaging 31.6 points per game,19.0 rebounds per game. During the All-Star game, Bellamy represented the team while scoring 23 points, Bellamy was named the league Rookie of the Year, but was the team finished with the NBAs worst record at 18-62. The teams original nickname was a nod to Chicagos meatpacking industry, their home arena, however, it was extremely unpopular since it was the same nickname used by the NFLs Green Bay Packers, bitter rivals of the Chicago Bears. After only one year, the changed its name to the Chicago Zephyrs. Their only season as the Zephyrs boasted former Purdue star Terry Dischinger, in their first year in Baltimore, the Bullets finished fourth in a five–team Western Division. Prior to the 1964–65 NBA season the Bullets pulled off a trade, sending Dischinger, Rod Thorn and Don Kojis to the Detroit Pistons for Bailey Howell, Don Ohl, Bob Ferry. The trade worked out well, Howell proved to be a hustling, in the 1965 NBA Playoffs, the Bullets stunned the St. Louis Hawks 3–1, and advanced to the Western Conference finals. In the finals, Baltimore managed to split the first four games with the Los Angeles Lakers before losing the series 4–2. In the late 1960s, the Bullets drafted two future Hall of Fame members, Earl Monroe, in the 1967 draft, number two overall, and Wes Unseld, in the 1968 draft, also number two overall. The team improved dramatically, from 36 wins the season to 57 in the 1968–69 season. The Bullets reached the playoffs with high expectations to go far, the next season the two teams met again in the first round, and although this one went to seven games, the Knicks emerged victorious again. In the 1970–71 season, the 42–40 Bullets again met the 1970–71 Knicks and they were swept in four games by the powerful Milwaukee Bucks led by future Hall of Fame members Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson. Even after the trades of Earl Monroe and Gus Johnson, the Bullets remained a playoff contender throughout the 1970s. Following a less than spectacular 1971–72 season, Baltimore acquired Elvin Hayes from the Houston Rockets and drafted Kevin Porter in the third round, out of St. Francis in Pennsylvania
30.
Los Angeles Clippers
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The Los Angeles Clippers, often abbreviated as the LA Clippers, are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Pacific Division. The franchise was founded in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves, one of three teams to join the NBA that year. The Braves moved from Buffalo, New York to San Diego in 1978, in 1984, the Clippers moved to Los Angeles. Through much of its history, the failed to see significant regular season or playoff success. The Clippers fortunes turned in the early 2010s with the acquisition of core players Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Chris Paul. In 2013, the franchise won its first division title, as the made the playoffs for the ninth time in franchise history. They repeated as champions in 2014. They played their games at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, along with another Buffalo team that would begin play that year. After two bad seasons, the Braves fortunes started to change under coach Jack Ramsay and star forward/center Bob McAdoo, McAdoo led the NBA in scoring three consecutive seasons and was named the leagues MVP in the 1974–75 season. The Braves qualified for the three times in a row, losing thrice to the eventual Eastern Conference champions. As a result, after an attempt to sell the team to an owner who intended to move it to South Florida. Brown, Jr. who decimated the roster, traded away all of its stars. Eventually in 1978, Brown dealt with Celtics owner Irv Levin so they would trade franchise ownerships, southern California resident Levin then decided to move the Braves to San Diego, something the league would have never allowed him to do with the Celtics. In 1978, San Diego welcomed the relocation of the Buffalo Braves franchise because the city had lost their Rockets to Houston seven years earlier, when the Clippers moved to Los Angeles in 1984, they kept their nickname. Playing at the San Diego Sports Arena, the Clippers posted a record of 43–39 in their first season in California under new head coach Gene Shue and it would be the Clippers last winning season for 13 years. It was also in that first season in southern California that long-time announcer Ralph Lawler began his association with the club. The 1979–80 season saw the Clippers begin to struggle despite adding center Bill Walton, Walton missed 68 games due to foot injuries
31.
Daniel Gibson
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Daniel Hiram Gibson Sr. is an American former professional basketball player who played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was selected by the Cavaliers in the round of the 2006 NBA draft. Gibson averaged 25.5 points per game and 9.3 assists per game while leading Jones High School in Houston, Texas to a 31-4 record and it marked the schools first state championship since 1965. Gibson graduated sixth out of 212 students in his school class. Gibson starred as a guard in basketball for the University of Texas at Austin. In his two seasons with the Longhorns, he scored 935 points, including 175 three-point field goals, Gibson made 101 threes during the 2005-2006 season, including 9 of 12 against the Baylor Bears on January 21,2006. It was one short of the Texas record of 10 set by Al Coleman against Kansas State in January 1997 and he scored a personal-high 37 points in that same game. Gibson played two seasons at Texas and averaged 13.8 points,3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 68 games and he was named Honorable Mention All-America by The Associated Press following his sophomore season. Gibson averaged 13.4 points,3.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a sophomore and he earned First-Team NABC All-District 9 honors and was named All-Big 12 Third Team. He set a record for most three-point field goals made in a season. He was one of 16 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award and he sank at least four three-pointers in a game on 10 occasions. Gibson was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year after his first season and he was also named All-Big 12 Third Team and became the first freshman in school history to lead Texas in scoring. On June 7,2006, Gibson announced his decision to forgo his two remaining years of eligibility and enter the NBA Draft. On June 29,2006, Gibson was drafted in the round with the 42nd overall pick of the NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. After a May 2006 pre-draft workout with the Cavs, Gibson canceled his remaining workouts with other teams and it is believed this was the reason Gibson fell to the second round after some thought he might be drafted in the first round. He joined a Cavaliers backcourt that was the worst in the league in scoring the previous season, in his rookie season, Gibson averaged 4.6 points per game and led all rookies in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 41. 9%. Daniel contributed in helping the Cleveland Cavaliers reach the NBA playoffs, Cavs coach Mike Brown gave Gibson his first place in the starting line-up on December 6,2006, against the Toronto Raptors. He finished the game with 18 points,5 rebounds, and 2 assists, overall, Gibson started 16 games and averaged 8.8 points on 53. 9% shooting in his starts
32.
2007 NBA Finals
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The 2007 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2006–07 National Basketball Association season, and was the conclusion of the 2007 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs and the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers and this was Clevelands first trip to the NBA Finals in their franchise history and San Antonios fourth. The Spurs swept the Cavaliers 4 games to 0, Tony Parker was named the series MVP. The series was televised on ABC under the ESPN on ABC branding, as of 2016, this is the most recent Finals to end in a sweep. The Finals were played using the 2-3-2 format, where the first two and last two games are held at the team with home court advantage, the NBA, after experimenting in the early years, restored this original format for the Finals in 1985. The other playoff series were played in the 2-2-1-1-1 format, the best-of-seven series began on June 7,2007, with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs playing the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers. Because the San Antonio Spurs had a regular season win-loss record. As the new season began, the Spurs saw the Mavericks rolling through their season, on their way to a franchise best 67 win campaign. Meanwhile, the Spurs struggled through their season through January, with the main focus lying on Dallas, and the Phoenix Suns, the Spurs found themselves flying under the radar. However, the Spurs used a late season surge en route to a 58-24 regular season record, in the playoffs, the Spurs met the Denver Nuggets and their duo of Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. Although the Nuggets took game 1, the Spurs rallied off 4 straight wins to take the series in five games. As San Antonio prepared to face off against the second seed Phoenix Suns, with the Mavericks gone, the stakes of the Suns-Spurs series shot up dramatically, and the result was a closely competitive and controversial series. The Suns, due to their season record, had homecourt advantage. In a hotly contested battle of Western Conference heavyweights, each tried to deliver a knockout blow to the other. The Spurs finally landed it, but by accident, with the game in the balance Tony Parker and Steve Nash collided head-to-head. Game 2 saw the Suns rebound and blow out the Spurs to a 101-81 beating, after this game, Suns center Amare Stoudemire labeled the Spurs a dirty team. Game 3 switched back to San Antonio and saw a return of the play, resulting in Manu Ginóbili receiving a bruised and bloodied eye. However, Tim Duncan led the Spurs to a 108-101 victory, games 4 and 5 were the most controversial of the series
33.
LeBron James
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LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. James has won three NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, three NBA Finals MVP Awards, two Olympic gold medals, an NBA scoring title, and the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He has also selected to 13 NBA All-Star teams,12 All-NBA teams, and six All-Defensive teams. James played high school basketball at St. Vincent–St, mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar. After graduating, he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft, James led Cleveland to the franchises first Finals appearance in 2007, losing to the San Antonio Spurs. In 2010, he left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in a highly publicized ESPN special titled The Decision, James played four seasons with the Heat, reaching the Finals all four years and winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, he led Miami on a 27-game winning streak, following his final season with the Heat, James opted out of his contract and returned to the Cavaliers. Off the court, James has accumulated wealth and fame from numerous endorsement contracts. His public life has been the subject of scrutiny, and he has been ranked as one of Americas most influential. He has been featured in books, documentaries, and television commercials and he also hosted the ESPY Awards, Saturday Night Live, and appeared in the 2015 film Trainwreck. James was born on December 30,1984 in Akron, Ohio to a 16-year-old mother, Gloria Marie James, who raised James on her own. Growing up, life was often a struggle for the family, as a youth, James played Amateur Athletic Union basketball for the Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars. The team enjoyed success on a local and national level, led by James and his friends Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, the players were inseparable and dubbed themselves the Fab Four, promising each other that they would attend high school together. In a move that stirred controversy, they chose to attend St. Vincent–St. Mary High School, a predominately white private Catholic school, as a freshman, James averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds per game for the St. Vincent-St. The Fighting Irish finished the year 27–0, winning the Division III state title, as a sophomore, he averaged 25.2 points and 7.2 rebounds with 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals per game. For some home games during the season, St. Vincent-St, mary played at the University of Akrons 5, 492-seat Rhodes Arena to satisfy ticket demand from alumni, fans, and college and NBA scouts who wanted to see James play. The Fighting Irish finished the season 26–1 and repeated as state champions, for his outstanding play, James was named Ohios Mr. Basketball and was selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team, becoming the first sophomore to do either
34.
Mike Brown (basketball, born 1970)
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Michael Burton Brown is an American basketball coach. Brown is currently the assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association, Brown is the former head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has also coached the Los Angeles Lakers, and is regarded as a defensive specialist. Brown was honored as NBA Coach of the Year for leading the Cavaliers to a record and league best 66 wins in 2009. He succeeded Phil Jackson as the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011 before being fired after the start of the following season. He returned to the Cavaliers for the 2013–14 NBA season, but was again fired following the season. Brown was born in Columbus, Ohio, but spent periods of his childhood overseas and he graduated in 1988 from Würzburg American High School in Würzburg, Germany, where he excelled in basketball and football. He began his career in 1992 as an unpaid video intern with the Denver Nuggets, in 2000, Brown was hired by Gregg Popovich as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs. While with the Spurs, Browns teams won at least 58 games each season and he also was the head coach for the Spurs summer league teams in Boston and Salt Lake City. After winning a championship with San Antonio in 2003, Brown was hired as assistant coach to Rick Carlisle with the Indiana Pacers and he helped lead Indiana to consecutive playoff appearances including a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2004. Browns record as an assistant coach is 341–201 and he was often referred to as Potato Head by fans, in reference to the popular toy. On June 2,2007, Browns Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, however, they were swept in four games by his former team, the San Antonio Spurs. On February 1,2008, Brown was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for January 2008, on April 20,2009, Brown was named NBA Coach of the Year after guiding the Cavaliers to a franchise-best 66–16 record. On May 13,2010, Brown and the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the Conference Semifinals of the 2010 NBA Playoffs. With this loss, the Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history to accomplish back-to-back 60+ win seasons, Brown was fired on May 24,2010. In December 2010, he working with ESPN as a studio analyst. After leaving Cleveland Cavaliers, Brown became the assistant coach on his sons team at Westlake Lee Burneson Middle School in Ohio, in doing so he turned down an offer to serve as an assistant at St. Mary’s College in California. I’m a glorified equipment guy who gets to chest-bump and high-five the players, the kids still call me coach
35.
NBA TV
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The network also serves as national broadcaster of the NBA D-League and WNBA games. NBA TV is the oldest cable network in North America to be owned or controlled by a sports league. As of February 2015, NBA TV is available to approximately 57,129,001 households that subscribe to cable, the highest measured audience was a Golden State Warriors vs San Antonio Spurs regular season game on April 10,2016 with an average 2.6 million viewers. After Time Warner shut down the news network CNN/SI in 2002. On October 8,2007, it was reported that the National Basketball Association would transfer the operations to Time Warners Turner Sports division. In a story published by Hoopsworld, NBATV, Surprisingly there has been said about the NBAs decision to sell off NBATV to one of its media partners. Talks had gone on for sometime as ESPN/ABC and Turner both explored scenarios with the league, ultimately it seems Turner has won out, and will take over operation of the leagues flagship cable channel, that reaches some 12 million subscribers. The exact changeover date is not clear, but several months ago a Bloomberg report cited sources saying senior level producers were offered contract buyouts in September. Turner took over the operations on October 28,2008. DirecTV believed the move will make the channel available to an eight million subscribers. Like DirecTV, Comcast estimated that an eight million customers would effectively gain access to the channel. Verizon FiOS added the channel and NBA League Pass to its systems on September 23,2009. The network also signed new agreements with Time Warner Cable, Cablevision and Dish Network on October 22,2009. With all of the carriage deals, the NBA estimates that it would increase NBA TVs overall subscriber reach to 45 million cable. On October 29,2010, AT&T U-verse reached a deal to carry the channels standard definition. NBA TV carries at least 90 regular season games per season, live games on NBA TV are subject to local blackout restrictions, since NBA TV does not hold the exclusive broadcast rights to any of its games. Games carried by NBA TV are also carried by each teams local rights holder, either a sports network or a broadcast television station. Beginning with the 2012-13 season, the score box displayed during NBA TVs game coverage changed to a banner format oriented horizontally across the screen, however, the network does not use timeout or bonus indicators like that seen on the score graphics used on ESPN and TNT
36.
NBA Finals
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The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association played between the Western and Eastern champions of the Conference Finals. The first team to win four games in the game series is declared the league champion and is awarded the Larry OBrien Championship Trophy. Winners from 1946 to 1983 received the Walter A. Brown Trophy redesigned in 1977 to the current form, the NBA Finals has been played at the end of every NBA and Basketball Association of America season in history, the first being held in 1947. Most NBA Finals series were played under the 2–2–1–1–1 format prior to 1985, the series was named the BAA Finals from 1947 to 1949 and then changed to the NBA World Championship Series from 1950 to 1982. The following two years, the league used Showdown 83 and Showdown 84 and it returned to NBA World Championship Series in 1985, before settling on NBA Finals in 1986. During the first decade the Minneapolis Lakers had the first NBA dynasty, the team also featured George Mikan, one of the greatest players in NBA history. The Boston Celtics went 11–1 in the NBA Finals during 13 seasons and they won eight straight NBA championships from 1959 through 1966. With the establishment of the Celtics dynasty in 1957, Bill Russell became the star of the league, Game 7 of the NBA Finals was decided on a Celtics basket in the final seconds of the second overtime. For most of the late 1950s and 1960s, the Celtics always seemed to have the hand on Wilt Chamberlains teams. The following season, he joined the Philadelphia 76ers, the former Syracuse Nationals team that had moved to cover the vacancy created with the departure of the Warriors, a clash between the two stars in the playoffs was in 1966 and Boston won it 4–1. Chamberlains coach told him to play a game, not an individual game. His new-found team spirit brought them to a new record of 68 wins the season, and they defeated the Celtics and then advanced to, and won. In 1968, Boston overcame a 3–1 deficit against Philadelphia to once again arrive in the Finals and they went on to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers for the sixth straight time,4 games to 2. In 1969, the Celtics overcame even longer odds, Boston was an aging team and had injuries to a number of players. They barely qualified for the playoffs, finishing fourth in the East, the Lakers, who in the offseason added Chamberlain to join West and Elgin Baylor, won the West and were prohibitive favorites to finally win it all for the first time since relocating to L. A. They won the first two games at the Los Angeles Forum, however, when the series shifted to Boston Garden, the Celtics won Game 3 110–105. Game 4 was the point, as the Lakers led 87–86 and had the ball with 10 seconds to play. But after a turnover, Sam Jones put up a shot hit the front of the rim, the back heel, rolled around
