1.
National Basketball Association
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The National Basketball Association is the major mens professional basketball league in North America, and is widely considered to be the premier mens professional basketball league in the world. It has 30 teams, and is a member of USA Basketball. The NBA is one of the four professional sports leagues in the United States. NBA players are the worlds best paid athletes by average annual salary per player, the league was founded in New York City on June 6,1946, as the Basketball Association of America. The league adopted the name National Basketball Association on August 3,1949, the leagues several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices located in the Olympic Tower at 645 Fifth Avenue in New York City. NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus, the Basketball Association of America was founded in 1946 by owners of the major ice hockey arenas in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Canada. On November 1,1946, in Toronto, Canada, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens, the first basket was made by Ossie Schectman of the Knickerbockers. During its early years, the quality of play in the BAA was not significantly better than in competing leagues or among leading independent clubs such as the Harlem Globetrotters. For instance, the 1948 ABL finalist Baltimore Bullets moved to the BAA and won that leagues 1948 title, Following the 1948–49 season, the BAA took in the remainder of the NBL, Syracuse, Anderson, Tri-Cities, Sheboygan, Denver, and Waterloo. The new league had seventeen franchises located in a mix of large and small cities, as well as arenas and smaller gymnasiums. The process of contraction saw the leagues smaller-city franchises move to larger cities, the Hawks shifted from the Tri-Cities to Milwaukee in 1951, and then to St. Louis in 1955. The Rochester Royals moved from Rochester, New York, to Cincinnati in 1957, japanese-American Wataru Misaka broke the NBA color barrier in the 1947–48 season when he played for the New York Knicks. He remained the only player in league history prior to the first African-American, Harold Hunter. During this period, the Minneapolis Lakers, led by center George Mikan, won five NBA Championships, to encourage shooting and discourage stalling, the league introduced the 24-second shot clock in 1954. If a team does not attempt to score a goal within 24 seconds of obtaining the ball, play is stopped. In 1957, rookie center Bill Russell joined the Boston Celtics, who already featured guard Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach, and went on to lead the club to eleven NBA titles in thirteen seasons. Center Wilt Chamberlain entered the league with the Warriors in 1959 and became a dominant individual star of the 1960s, russells rivalry with Chamberlain became one of the greatest rivalries in the history of American team sports. The 1960s were dominated by the Celtics, led by Russell, Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach, Boston won eight straight championships in the NBA from 1959 to 1966
National Basketball Association
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The
headquarters of the National Basketball Association in the
Olympic Tower at 645
Fifth Avenue,
Midtown Manhattan,
New York City,
USA.
National Basketball Association
–
Cities that hosted teams that played for more than one season in the NBA and/or
BAA from 1947–1959. Only
New York,
Boston, and
Detroit still have the same franchise.
National Basketball Association
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Bill Russell defending
Wilt Chamberlain in 1966.
National Basketball Association
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Los Angeles Lakers'
Magic Johnson and Boston Celtics'
Larry Bird in Game Two of the
1985 NBA Finals at Boston Garden.
2.
Ogdensburg, New York
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Ogdensburg is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 11,128 at the 2010 census, in the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and developer Samuel Ogden. The City of Ogdensburg is at the border of New York at the mouth of the Oswegatchie River on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River. The only formally designated city in Saint Lawrence County, it is located between Massena, New York to the east and Brockville, Ontario to the west, the Port of Ogdensburg is the only U. S. port on the St. Lawrence Seaway. Ogdensburg International Airport is located south of the city, the Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge, northeast of the city, links the United States and Canada, with a direct highway from Prescott to Ottawa, the capital of Canada. This was ancient territory for thousands of years of indigenous peoples of varying cultures, by 1000 CE, Iroquoian-speaking people were settling along the St. Lawrence River and practicing agriculture, as well as hunting and fishing. The earliest French explorers recorded Stadacona and Hochelaga as villages of people in the early 16th century. By the end of the century, later found the villages utterly abandoned with no signs of life. By the late 16th century, the St. Lawrence Iroquoians had disappeared from the St. Lawrence Valley, Onondaga settlements extended up along the south shore of Lake Ontario. Both the Huron and Mohawk used the St. Lawrence Valley for hunting grounds, the earliest European settlement in the area was a French mission, built by Abbé Picquet in 1749 as part of the colony of New France in North America. Located near the mouth of the Fleuve Oswegache, he named it Fort de La Présentation, the mission attracted Native Americans for the fur trade, many of whom settled in the village and converted to Catholicism. Mostly Onondaga, the converted Iroquois at the mission became known to the French as Oswegatchie after their name for the river. By 1755, there were 3,000 Iroquois living at the mission settlement, by comparison, Montreal had only 4,000 residents at the time. It was bordered by a village, Kahnewake, located on the south side of the St. Lawrence River. The Oswegatchie became known as one of the Seven Nations of Canada, the residents were hostile to the encroachments of British colonists on their territory. During the 1750s and the Seven Years War, warriors from this fort allied with French officers in attacking British colonists in the Champlain, Mohawk and Ohio valleys. The city is near the site of the 1760 Battle of the Thousand Islands between British and French forces during the Seven Years War Both sides made use of Indian allies. After the British victory in the war, France ceded its land in Canada, the English renamed this installation as Fort Oswegatchie, after the native name for the river
Ogdensburg, New York
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Ogdensburg, New York
3.
Worcester Academy
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Worcester Academy is a private school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is one of the countrys oldest day-boarding schools, with alumni including H. Jon Benjamin, Edward Davis Jones, Cole Porter, a coeducational preparatory school, it belongs to the National Association of Independent Schools. Approximately one-third of students in the school participate in the schools five-. Currently, there are approximately 80 international students enrolled from 28 different nations, Worcester Academy is a member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Association of Independent Schools in New England, and the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council. The Academys motto is the Greek phrase Έφικνού τών Καλών, which translates to Achieve the Honorable, founded in 1834 as the Worcester County Manual Labor High School, the name was changed to Worcester Academy in 1847. The school moved to its current location on Worcesters Union Hill in 1869, the academy moved into a building that had previously served as a Civil War hospital, The Dale General Hospital. It was later renamed Davis Hall, in honor of board president. Worcester Academy was all-male from its founding until 1856, and again from 1890 to 1974 and it has been coeducational ever since. Worcester Academys campus is spread over four main parcels, the main campus. In 2004, Worcester Academy relocated its offices to a renovated Victorian home one block north of the main campus. It is now called Alumni House,81 Providence Street is the home of the Head of School and is named Abercrombie House in honor of Daniel Webster Abercrombie, principal from 1882 to 1918. In 2001, the end of the historic campus was developed with the addition of Rader Hall, named for long-time faculty members Harold G. Dutch. Rader Hall houses the library and is used for middle school classes and activities. The South Campus currently features the Morse Field, named for former Head of School Dexter P. Morse and his wife and this campus, located between the main campus and Gaskill Field, is a focus of the school expansion plans. The first parcel of a former campus was acquired in 2007 with the completion of the purchase. In January 2010, the Academy purchased an additional 4 acres of the former hospital, a lighted, artificial turf field was opened in the fall of 2011. A walking path along its perimeter connects to the entrance via a pathway, the field serves as both a practice facility and playing field for multiple sports. The acquisition of the remaining 5 acres of the campus was completed in the summer of 2015
Worcester Academy
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Warner Memorial Theater
Worcester Academy
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Έφικνού τών Καλών
Worcester Academy
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Walker Hall, The Megaron, and Adams Hall
Worcester Academy
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Worcester Academy
4.
Worcester, Massachusetts
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Worcester /ˈwʊstər/ WUUSS-tər local pronunciation /ˈwᵻstə/ is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the citys population was 181,045, Worcester is located approximately 40 miles west of Boston,50 miles east of Springfield and 40 miles north of Providence. Due to its location in Central Massachusetts, Worcester is known as the Heart of the Commonwealth, thus, however, the heart symbol may also have its provenance in lore that the mass-produced Valentines Day card was invented in the city. S. Census Combined Statistical Area, or Greater Boston, the city features many examples of Victorian-era mill architecture. The area was first inhabited by members of the Nipmuc tribe, the native people called the region Quinsigamond and built a settlement on Pakachoag Hill in Auburn. In 1673 English settlers John Eliot and Daniel Gookin led an expedition to Quinsigamond to establish a new Christian Indian praying town and identify a new location for an English settlement. On July 13,1674, Gookin obtained a deed to eight miles of land in Quinsigamond from the Nipmuc people. In 1675, King Philips War broke out throughout New England with the Nipmuc Indians coming to the aid of Indian leader King Philip, the English settlers completely abandoned the Quinsigamond area and the empty buildings were burned by the Indian forces. The town was abandoned during Queen Annes War in 1702. Finally in 1713, Worcester was permanently resettled for a time by Jonas Rice. Named after the city of Worcester, England, the town was incorporated on June 14,1722, on April 2,1731, Worcester was chosen as the county seat of the newly founded Worcester County government. Between 1755 and 1758, future U. S. president John Adams worked as a schoolteacher, in the 1770s, Worcester became a center of American revolutionary activity. British General Thomas Gage was given information of patriot ammunition stockpiled in Worcester in 1775, also in 1775, Massachusetts Spy publisher Isaiah Thomas moved his radical newspaper out of British occupied Boston to Worcester. Thomas would continuously publish his paper throughout the American Revolutionary War, on July 14,1776, Thomas performed the first public reading in Massachusetts of the Declaration of Independence in front of the Worcester town hall. He would later go on to form the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester in 1812, during the turn of the 19th century Worcesters economy moved into manufacturing. Factories producing textiles, shoes and clothing opened along the nearby Blackstone River, however, the manufacturing industry in Worcester would not begin to thrive until the opening of the Blackstone Canal in 1828 and the opening of the Worcester and Boston Railroad in 1835. The city transformed into a hub and the manufacturing industry flourished. Worcester was officially chartered as a city on February 29,1848, immigrants moved into new triple-decker houses which lined hundreds of Worcesters expanding streets and neighborhoods
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
5.
1984 NBA draft
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The 1984 NBA draft was the 37th annual draft of the National Basketball Association. It was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on June 19,1984, the draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft,23 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U. S. college basketball players and other eligible players, the remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. The Cleveland Cavaliers were awarded an extra draft pick as compensation for the draft picks traded away by their previous owner. A player who had finished his college eligibility was automatically eligible for selection. Before the draft, five college underclassmen announced that they would leave college early, prior to the draft, the San Diego Clippers relocated to Los Angeles and became the Los Angeles Clippers. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 228 players and this draft was the last to be held before the creation of the Draft Lottery in 1985. It was also the first NBA Draft to be overseen by David Stern, the draft is generally considered to be one of the greatest in NBA history, with four Hall of Famers being drafted in the first sixteen picks and five overall. The Houston Rockets used their first pick to draft Akeem Olajuwon, the Nigerian-born Olajuwon became the second foreign-born player to be drafted first overall, after Mychal Thompson from the Bahamas in 1978. The Portland Trail Blazers used the second pick to draft Sam Bowie from the University of Kentucky. The Chicago Bulls used the pick to draft Naismith and Wooden College Player of the Year Michael Jordan from the University of North Carolina. Jordan went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award and was selected to the All-NBA Second Team in his rookie season. Jordans teammate at North Carolina, Sam Perkins, was drafted fourth by the Dallas Mavericks, Charles Barkley, a junior forward from Auburn University, was drafted fifth by the Philadelphia 76ers. Olajuwon, Jordan and Barkley, along with the 16th pick John Stockton and they were also named in the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list announced at the leagues 50th anniversary in 1996. Olajuwon retired as the league leader in total blocked shots with 3,830 blocks. The third pick, Jordan, achieved greater success than Olajuwon. Barkley and Stockton never won an NBA championship, but both received numerous awards and honors. Barkley won the Most Valuable Player in 1993 and was selected to eleven All-NBA Teams, eleven All-Star Games, Jordan, Barkley and Stockton would later play as teammates for the 1992 Dream Team
1984 NBA draft
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Hakeem Olajuwon was selected first overall by the
Houston Rockets.
1984 NBA draft
–
Michael Jordan was selected third overall by the
Chicago Bulls.
1984 NBA draft
–
Sam Perkins was selected fourth overall by the
Dallas Mavericks.
1984 NBA draft
–
Charles Barkley was selected fifth overall by the
Philadelphia 76ers.
6.
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
Boston Celtics
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Bob Cousy played 13 years for the team, winning 6 NBA titles.
Boston Celtics
–
Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
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Tom Heinsohn coached the Boston Celtics to the 1974 and 1976 NBA Championship.
Boston Celtics
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Dave Cowens had helped the Celtics win 2 titles during the mid-1970s.
7.
Guard (basketball)
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The five basketball positions normally employed by organized basketball teams are the point guard, the shooting guard, the small forward, the power forward, and the center. While these position names are used, most modern teams use a point guard. The rules of basketball do not mandate them, and they are not used. Typically, the point guard is the leader of the team when on the court and this position requires substantial ball handling skills and the ability to facilitate the team during a play. The shooting guard, as the name implies, is often the best shooter and they are probably capable of shooting accurately from longer distances. Generally, they also have good ball-handling skills, the small forward often has an aggressive approach to the basket when handling the ball. The center is typically the larger of the two, during the 1980s, as team strategy evolved, more specialized roles developed, resulting in the five position designations utilized today. Team strategy and available personnel, however, still dictates the positions used by a particular team, for example, the Dribble drive motion offense and the Princeton offense utilize four interchangeable guards and one center. The point guard, also known as the one, is typically the teams best ball handler and passer, therefore, they often lead their team in assists and steals. They are often quick and are able to hit shots either outside the three-point line or in the paint, point guards are looked upon as the floor general or the coach on the floor. They should study the game and game film to be able to recognize the weaknesses of the defense, good point guards increase team efficiency and generally have a high number of assists. They are often referred to as dribblers or play-makers, in the NBA, point guards are usually the shortest players on the team and are mostly 6 feet 5 inches or shorter. The shooting guard is known as the two or the off guard. Along with the forward, a shooting guard is often referred to as a wing because of its use in common positioning tactics. As the name suggests, most shooting guards are good shooters from three-point range, besides being able to shoot the ball, shooting guards tend to have good ball handling skills and the ability to drive the ball to the basket, often creating their own shots off the dribble. A versatile shooting guard will have good passing skills, allowing them to point guard responsibilities known as combo guards. In the NBA, shooting guards usually range from 6 feet 4 inches to 6 feet 7 inches, the small forward is considered to be perhaps the most versatile of the main five basketball positions. Versatility is key for small forwards because of the nature of their role and this is why the small forward and shooting guard positions are often interchangeable and referred to as wings
Guard (basketball)
–
Basketball positions
8.
Albany Patroons
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The Albany Patroons were a professional basketball team that played in the Continental Basketball Association and in the United States Basketball League. The Patroons home arena was the 3, 500-seat Washington Avenue Armory, in 1990, the Patroons moved from this location and into the newly constructed Times Union Center, then called the Knickerbocker Arena. When the team was re-established in 2005, it moved back into the Armory, in February 2009, the CBA announced it was abbreviating its regular season as of February 3. On its official website, it was announced that the team would not play in the 2009–2010 season, originally entering the CBA as an expansion franchise in the 1982–83 season, the Patroons won league championships in 1984 and 1988, defeating the Wyoming Wildcatters in both instances. NBA head coach Phil Jackson won his first championship ring when he guided the Albany Patroons to the 1984 CBA championship, walter Williams was named MVP of the series and went on to become a key assistant coach to Jackson. Jackson would later win NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, in 1988, the Patroons won a second championship, this time under head coach Bill Musselman. Three years later, the Patroons completed a 50–6 regular season, including winning all 28 of their games, at that time. Future NBA stars Mario Elie and Vincent Askew were part of that 50–6 squad, during the Patroons time in the CBA, they won two CBA championships and five Eastern Division regular season titles. For the 1992–93 season, the Patroons were renamed the Capital Region Pontiacs, after that season, the franchise was relocated to Connecticut, where it played for 1½ years as the Hartford Hellcats. Other notable basketball coaches that have coached the Patroons are Bob Thomason, after a decade-long absence, the Patroons rejoined the CBA as an expansion team for the 2005–06 season with their original name, original colors, and a return to the old Washington Avenue Armory. In the Patroons first year back, they finished with a 20–28 record, Albany qualified for the playoffs, but lost in the first round of the CBA round-robin style playoffs. The Patroons were led by T. J. Thompson, who averaged a league-high 25.4 points per game, and local product James Thomas, on April 25,2006, the CBA moved its league offices into the Patroons home, the Washington Avenue Armory. In the 2006–07 season, the Patroons won the CBA American Conference championship, the Patroons lost game one at the Armory, to the Sun Kings. Without Richardson, the Patroons dropped the two games of the finals, as the Sun Kings won their second consecutive championship. Three days after the conclusion of the series, it was announced that Richardson would not be back to the coach the Patroons, Richardson, now the coach of the Oklahoma Cavalry, was replaced by Vincent Askew. On July 10,2007, former Patroon Jamario Moon signed a contract with the Toronto Raptors. Moon had a strong campaign, averaging 8.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. On June 14,2006, the Patroons purchased the rights to a United States Basketball League team, which would also be called the Patroons, the team replaced the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs
Albany Patroons
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Baseball
Albany Patroons
–
Albany Patroons
Albany Patroons
Albany Patroons
9.
New York Knicks
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The New York Knickerbockers, commonly referred to as the Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in New York City. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its games at Madison Square Garden, located in the borough of Manhattan. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City, the other is the Brooklyn Nets, along with the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are one of only two original NBA teams still located in its original city. The Knicks were successful during their years and were constant playoff contenders under the franchises first head coach Joe Lapchick. Beginning in 1950, the Knicks made three appearances in the NBA Finals, all of which were losing efforts. Lapchick resigned in 1956 and the team began to falter. It was not until the late 1960s when Red Holzman became head coach that the Knicks began to regain their former dominance, Holzman successfully guided the Knicks to two NBA championships, in 1970 and 1973. The Knicks of the 1980s had mixed success that included six playoff appearances, however, the playoff-level Knicks of the 1990s were led by future Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing, this era was marked by passionate rivalries with the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, and Miami Heat. During this time, they were known for playing tough defense under head coaches Pat Riley, during this era, the Knicks made two appearances in the NBA Finals, in 1994 and 1999, though they were unable to win an NBA championship. Since 2000, the Knicks have struggled to regain their former glory, in 2012–13, the franchise won its first division title in 19 years, but was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers. According to a 2016 Forbes report, the Knicks were the most-valuable NBA franchise, in 1946, basketball, particularly college basketball, was a growing and increasingly profitable sport in New York City. Hockey was another sport at the time and generated considerable profits, however. Max Kase, a New York sportswriter, became the editor at the Boston American in the 1930s. Kase developed the idea of a professional league to showcase college players upon their graduation. Brown, intrigued by the opportunity to attain additional income when the teams were not playing or on the road. Ned Irish, a college basketball promoter, retired sportswriter and then president of Madison Square Garden, was in attendance, Kase originally planned to own and operate the New York franchise himself and approached Irish with a proposal to lease the Garden. Irish explained that the rules of the Arena Managers Association of America stated that Madison Square Garden was required to own any professional teams played in the arena
New York Knicks
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Lapchick was responsible for leading the Knicks during their early success. However, these ventures never culminated with a win in the
NBA Finals.
New York Knicks
–
New York Knicks
New York Knicks
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William 'Red' Holzman guided the Knicks to two championships during his tenure.
New York Knicks
–
Walt 'Clyde' Frazier
10.
New Jersey Nets
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The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its games at Barclays Center. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City, the other are the New York Knicks, the team was established in 1967 as a charter franchise of the NBAs rival league, the American Basketball Association. They played in New Jersey as the New Jersey Americans during their first season, before moving to Long Island in 1968, during this time, the Nets won two ABA championships. In 1976, the ABA merged with the NBA, and the Nets were absorbed into the NBA along with three other ABA teams, in 1977, the team returned to New Jersey and played as the New Jersey Nets from 1977 to 2012. During this time, the Nets won two consecutive Eastern Conference championships, but failed to win a league title, in the summer of 2012, the team moved to Barclays Center, and took its current geographic name. The Brooklyn Nets were founded in 1967 and initially played in Teaneck, New Jersey, in its early years, the team led a nomadic existence, moving to Long Island in 1968 and playing in various arenas there as the New York Nets. Led by Hall of Famer Julius Dr. J Erving, the Nets won two ABA championships in New York before becoming one of four ABA teams to be admitted into the NBA as part of the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. The team then moved back to New Jersey in 1977 and became the New Jersey Nets, the Boston Celtics were once rivals of the Nets during the early 2000s because of their respective locations and their burgeoning stars. The Nets were led by Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin, while the Celtics were experiencing newfound success behind Paul Pierce, the rivalry began to heat up in the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals, which was preceded by trash-talking from the Celtics who claimed Martin was a fake tough guy. Things progressed as the series started, and on-court tensions seemed to spill into the stands, celtic fans berated Kidd and his family with chants of Wife Beater. in response to Kidds 2001 domestic abuse charge. When the series returned to New Jersey, Nets fans responded, referring to a night club incident in 2000 in which Pierce was stabbed 11 times. When asked about the fan barbs being traded, Kenyon Martin stated, Our fans hate them, rondo was suspended for two games in the aftermath, while Wallace and Kevin Garnett were fined. The story was revisited on December 25, when Wallace grabbed Garnetts shorts and this move was billed as a merger of the two Atlantic Division teams. Celtics announcer Sean Grande said Its almost as if you found a home for these guys. You couldnt have found a better place and these guys will be in the New York market, theyll be on a competitive team, theyll stay on national TV. Its funny, because the enemy of my enemy is my friend, so with Celtics fans feeling the way they do about the Heat, feeling the way they do about the Knicks, the Nets are going to become almost the second team now
New Jersey Nets
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Cover to BrooklyKnight #1, distributed at the Brooklyn Nets home opener. Art by
Mike Deodato.
New Jersey Nets
–
Brooklyn Nets
New Jersey Nets
–
Mikhail Prokhorov, a Russian billionaire and current owner of the Nets
New Jersey Nets
–
Baseball
11.
Portland Trail Blazers
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The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Northwest Division. The team played its games in the Memorial Coliseum before moving to Moda Center in 1995. The team has advanced to the NBA Finals three times, winning the NBA championship once in 1977 and their other NBA Finals appearances were in 1990 and 1992. The team has qualified for the playoffs in 31 seasons of their 45-season existence, including a streak of 21 straight appearances from 1983 through 2003, the second longest streak in NBA history. The Trail Blazers 31 playoff appearances rank third in the NBA only behind the Los Angeles Lakers, six Hall of Fame players have played for the Trail Blazers. Bill Walton is the franchises most decorated player, he was the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 1977, four Blazer rookies have won the NBA Rookie of the Year award. Sports promoter Harry Glickman sought a National Basketball Association franchise for Portland as far back as 1955 when he proposed two new teams, the other to be located in Los Angeles. To raise the money for the $3.7 million admission tax, Glickman associated himself to real estate magnates Robert Schmertz of New Jersey, Larry Weinberg of Los Angeles and Herman Sarkowsky of Seattle. Two weeks later, on February 24, team management held a contest to select the teams name, the most popular choice was Pioneers, but that name was excluded from consideration as it was already used by sports teams at Portlands Lewis & Clark College. The name Trail Blazers received 172 entries, and was selected by the judging panel. Despite initial mixed response, the Trail Blazers name, often shortened to just Blazers, along with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Buffalo Braves, the Trail Blazers entered the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team, under coach Rolland Todd. Geoff Petrie and Sidney Wicks led the team in its years. During that span, the team had three coaches, team executive Stu Inman also served as coach. The team won the first pick in the NBA draft twice during that span, in 1972, the team drafted LaRue Martin with the number one pick, and in 1974 the team selected Bill Walton from UCLA. In 1976, the ABA–NBA merger saw those two rival leagues join forces, four ABA teams joined the NBA, the remaining teams were dissolved and their players distributed among the remaining NBA squads in a dispersal draft. The Trail Blazers selected Maurice Lucas in the dispersal draft and that summer, they also hired Jack Ramsay as head coach. The two moves, coupled with the stellar play, led Portland to several firsts, winning record, playoff appearance
Portland Trail Blazers
–
In his first season as the Trail Blazers head coach,
Jack Ramsay led the team to their first playoff berth and eventually
the championship.
Bill Walton was the
NBA Finals MVP.
Portland Trail Blazers
–
Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
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Clyde Drexler played in Portland from 1983 to 1995.
Portland Trail Blazers
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After being drafted by the Trail Blazers several years prior,
Arvydas Sabonis made his NBA debut during the 1995–96 season.
12.
Indiana Pacers
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The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first established in 1967 as a member of the American Basketball Association and they play their home games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The team is named after Indianas history with the Indianapolis 500s pace cars, the Pacers have won three championships, all in the ABA. The Pacers were Eastern Conference champions in 2000, the team has won nine division titles. Five Hall of Fame players – Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Alex English, Mel Daniels, in early 1967, a group of six investors pooled their resources to purchase a franchise in the proposed American Basketball Association. For their first seven years, they played in the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, in 1974, they moved to the plush new Market Square Arena in downtown Indianapolis, where they played for 25 years. Early in the Pacers second season, former Indiana Hoosiers standout Bob Slick Leonard became the head coach. Leonard quickly turned the Pacers into a juggernaut and his teams were buoyed by the great play of superstars such as Mel Daniels, George McGinnis, Bob Netolicky, Rick Mount and Roger Brown. The Pacers were – and ended – as the most successful team in ABA history, in all, they appeared in the ABA Finals five times in the leagues nine-year history, a feat that was never bettered by any other ABA franchise. The Pacers were one of four ABA teams that joined the NBA in the ABA–NBA merger in 1976, for the 1976–77 season the Pacers were joined in the merged league by the Denver Nuggets, New York Nets, and San Antonio Spurs. The league charged a $3.2 million entry fee for each former ABA team, as a result of the merger, the four teams dealt with financial troubles. Additionally, the Pacers had some financial troubles which dated back to their days in the ABA. The new NBA teams also were barred from sharing in national TV revenues for four years, the Pacers finished their inaugural NBA season with a record of 36–46. Billy Knight and Don Buse represented Indiana in the NBA All-Star Game, however, this was one of the few bright spots of the Pacers first 13 years in the NBA. During this time, they had only three non-losing seasons and only two playoff appearances, a lack of continuity became the norm for most of the next decade, as they traded away Knight and Buse before the 1977–78 season even started. They acquired Adrian Dantley in exchange for Knight, but Dantley was traded in December, while the Pacers second-leading scorer, the early Pacers came out on the short end of two of the most one-sided trades in NBA history. In 1980, they traded Alex English to the Nuggets in order to reacquire former ABA star George McGinnis, McGinnis was long past his prime, and contributed very little during his two-year return
Indiana Pacers
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Danny Granger led the team in scoring for 5 consecutive seasons.
Indiana Pacers
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Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
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Bankers Life Fieldhouse, with its previous signage.
13.
Detroit Pistons
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The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Central Division. The team plays its games at The Palace of Auburn Hills and was founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1941. The Pistons joined the Basketball Association of America in 1948, in 1949, the NBL and BAA merged to become the NBA, and the Pistons became part of the merged league. Since moving to Detroit in 1957, the Pistons have won three NBA championships in 1989,1990 and 2004. The Detroit Pistons franchise was founded as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, owners Fred Zollner and his sister Janets Zollner Corporation was a foundry, manufacturing pistons, primarily for car, truck and locomotive engines. The Zollner Pistons were NBL champions in 1944 and 1945 and they also won the World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1944,1945 and 1946. In 1948, the became the Fort Wayne Pistons, competing in the Basketball Association of America. In 1949, Fred Zollner brokered the formation of the National Basketball Association from the BAA, there are suggestions that Pistons players conspired with gamblers to shave points and throw various games during the 1953–54 and 1954–55 seasons. In particular, there are accusations that the team may have intentionally lost the 1955 NBA Finals to the Syracuse Nationals, in the decisive Game 7, the Pistons led Syracuse 41–24 early in the second quarter, then the Nationals rallied to win the game. Syracuse won on a throw by George King with twelve seconds left in the game. After the 1956–57 season, Zollner decided that Fort Wayne was too small to support an NBA team, although it was the fifth largest city in the United States at the time, Detroit had not seen professional basketball in a decade. In 1947, they had lost the Detroit Gems of the NBL, Zollner decided to keep the Pistons name, believing it made sense given Detroits status as the center of the automobile industry. The new Detroit Pistons played in Olympia Stadium for their first four seasons, the franchise was a consistent disappointment, struggling both on the court and at the box office. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Pistons were characterized by strong individuals. In fact, in their first 27 years in Detroit, they only had three winning seasons, some of the superstars who played for the team included Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Jimmy Walker, and Bob Lanier. At one point DeBusschere was the youngest player-coach in the history of the NBA, DeBusschere became a key player in leading the Knicks to two NBA titles. Detroit qualified for the postseason in four seasons, but never advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs
Detroit Pistons
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Dave Bing joined the team in 1966, where in his rookie year he scored 1,601 points.
Detroit Pistons
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The starting five of the Pistons' 2004 championship team. (left-to right:
Richard Hamilton,
Ben Wallace,
Rasheed Wallace,
Chauncey Billups,
Tayshaun Prince).
Detroit Pistons
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A ticket for Game 1 of the 1988 NBA Finals at The Forum.
Detroit Pistons
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Chuck Daly, coach of the 1989 and 1990 NBA Champions
14.
Dallas Mavericks
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The Dallas Mavericks are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its games at the American Airlines Center. According to a 2016 Forbes magazine report, they are the ninth most valuable franchise in the NBA. As of the 2013 season, the Mavericks have sold out 477 consecutive games since December 15,2001, since their inaugural 1980–81 season, the Mavericks have won three division titles, two conference championships, and one NBA Championship. In 1978, Californian businessman Garn Eckardt met Dallas lawyer Doug Adkins, asking for a possible partner, Adkins recommended him one of his clients, Home Interiors and Gifts owner Don Carter. Negotiations with Eckardt fell through, but Carter remained interested in the enterprise as a gift to his wife Linda, who played basketball while at Duncanville High School. At the same time, Buffalo Braves president and general manager Norm Sonju grew an interest in bringing the NBA to Dallas as he studied possible new locations for the ailing franchise. Sonju and Carter tried purchasing both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Kansas City Kings, but disagreement on relocation stalled the negotiations, leading them to instead aim for an expansion team. The league was initially reluctant to expand to Dallas, given Texas had both the Spurs and Houston Rockets, and the 1978–79 NBA season was proving unprofitable and unpopular. Still, during the 1979 NBA All-Star Game weekend, NBA commissioner Larry OBrien announced the league would add two new teams in the 1980–81 season, with teams in Dallas and Minneapolis. Once the Minnesota team backed out, only Dallas remained, and through negotiations with general counselor and future commissioner David Stern, Carter would provide half the amount. James Garner, who played the character, was a member of the ownership group. The University of Texas at Arlington, who uses the Mavericks nickname, had objections about a shared name. They joined the Midwest Division of the Western Conference, where they would stay until the league went to six divisions for the 2004–05 season, Dick Motta, who had guided the Washington Bullets to the NBA Championship in 1977–78, was hired as the teams first head coach. He had a reputation of being a stern disciplinarian, but was also a great teacher of the game. In the Mavericks debut game, taking place in the brand-new Reunion Arena, but the Mavs started the season with a 6–40 record on their way to finishing 15–67. However, the Mavericks did make an acquisition that, while it seemed minor at the time
Dallas Mavericks
–
Mavs' founder
Don Carter
Dallas Mavericks
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Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
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Mark Aguirre was traded to the Detroit Pistons in 1989.
Dallas Mavericks
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Dirk Nowitzki was acquired by the Mavericks from the Milwaukee Bucks in 1998 and would become the face of the franchise in later years.
15.
List of NBA champions
–
The National Basketball Association Finals is the championship series for the NBA and the conclusion of the NBAs postseason. Prior to 1949, the playoffs were instituted a three-stage tournament where the two winners played each other in the finals. The winning team of the series receives the Larry OBrien Championship Trophy, the home-and-away format in the NBA Finals is in a 2–2–1–1–1 format. It was previously in a 2–3–2 format during 1949, 1953–1955, the Eastern Conference/Division leads the Western Conference/Division in series won. The defunct Central Division won one championship, the Boston Celtics and the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers alone own almost half of the titles, having won a combined 33 of 70 championships. The original trophy was awarded to the BAA/NBA champions from 1947 to 1976, a new trophy design was created for the 1977 NBA Finals, although it retained the Walter A. Brown title. Unlike the original trophy, the new trophy was given permanently to the winning team. The inaugural winners of the trophy were the Philadelphia Warriors, who defeated the Chicago Stags, the Boston Celtics won the trophy 14 times, the most in league history. From 1957 to 1969, they won the NBA Finals 11 out of 13 times, the final winners of the trophy were the Philadelphia 76ers, who defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1983 NBA Finals. In 1984, the trophy was renamed the Larry OBrien Championship Trophy, in 1984, the trophy was renamed to the Larry OBrien Championship Trophy, in honor of Larry OBrien, who served as NBA commissioner from 1975 to 1983. The current trophy is made out of 14.5 pounds of sterling silver and vermeil with a 24 karat gold overlay and it is designed to look like a basketball about to enter a net. The year and team names are engraved on the trophies, which are prominently displayed in the winning teams arena. The Boston Celtics were the winners of the renamed trophy. The Los Angeles Lakers have won the eight times, the Chicago Bulls have won it six times
List of NBA champions
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The Championship Trophy showcased at the 2008 NBA Playoffs Symposium in Taiwan
List of NBA champions
–
The original Walter A. Brown Trophy displayed at the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
16.
1986 NBA Finals
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The 1986 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1985–86 NBA season. It pitted the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics against the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets, the Celtics defeated the Rockets four games to two to win their 16th NBA championship. The championship would be the Celtics last until the 2008 NBA Finals, Larry Bird was named the Finals MVP. Until the 2011 series, this was the last time the NBA Finals had started before June, since game three, all NBA Finals games have been played in June. Starting with the year, the NBA Finals would be held exclusively in the month of June. It was also the last NBA Finals series to schedule a game on a Monday until 1999, CBS Sports used Dick Stockton and Tom Heinsohn as the play-by-play man and color commentator respectively. Meanwhile, Brent Musburger was the host and Pat OBrien and Lesley Visser were the sideline reporters, the Celtics made the 1985 NBA Finals, but lost in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers. The series exposed some of Bostons weaknesses, such as the lack of bench scoring, in addition, Larry Bird played through an elbow injury, which severely affected his shooting. In the offseason, president Red Auerbach decided to tweak the roster and he also made a trade with the Indiana Pacers, acquiring the younger Jerry Sichting for an aging Quinn Buckner. These moves would pave the way for the Celtics greatest season yet, entering the 1985–86 season, the Celtics surged to a league-best 67–15 record, powered by an NBA record 40 victories at home. Their incomparable home record alone put the Celtics in the conversation among the NBAs greatest teams in a single season. In the playoffs, Boston needed just three games to defeat the Chicago Bulls in the first round, despite a playoff record 63 points by Michael Jordan in Game 2. When asked about Jordans performance in Bostons 135-131 2OT victory, Bostons coach K. C. Jones said, in retrospect, this game is considered to be a classic clash of the NBAs greatest player, Jordan, and the NBAs greatest team, Birds 86 Celtics. In the second round, Boston eliminated the Atlanta Hawks in five games, then in the conference finals, Boston swept the Milwaukee Bucks in four games, a direct reversal of their second round meeting in the 1983 NBA Playoffs. Following their previous Finals appearance in 1981, the Rockets entered a rebuilding period. Long-time Rockets Calvin Murphy and Rudy Tomjanovich retired, while Mike Dunleavy, Sr. Bill Willoughby, Tom Henderson, but the biggest move came during the 1982 offseason, when the Rockets traded Moses Malone to the 1983 champions Philadelphia 76ers. The loss of Malone sent the Rockets to a league-worst 14–68 record in the 1982–83 season, after which the Rockets were awarded the top pick of the 1983 NBA draft and selected Ralph Sampson. After a 29-win season in 1984, the Rockets were once again rewarded with the top pick in the 1984 NBA draft and they selected another center in Akeem Olajuwon, and paired alongside Sampson, they were dubbed as the Twin Towers
1986 NBA Finals
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1986 NBA Finals
17.
2011 NBA Finals
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The 2011 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2010–11 season of the National Basketball Association and the conclusion of the seasons playoffs. The Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks defeated the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, 4–2 and it was also the first time in four years that the Los Angeles Lakers did not make the Finals, having been swept in the Western Conference Semifinals by the eventual champion, Dallas Mavericks. The series was held from May 31 to June 12, 2011—the first to start before June 1 since the 1986 NBA Finals. Under the 2–3–2 rotation, the Miami Heat had home-court advantage, the Heat hosted Games 1,2, and 6, German player Dirk Nowitzki was named the Finals MVP. Nowitzki was the second European to win the award after Tony Parker, going into the series, the Heat were heavy favorites with their newly acquired stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh along with returning star Dwyane Wade. The series was a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals, which was won by the Heat in six games after Dallas blew a 2–0 series lead. The Dallas Mavericks became the first team in NBA history since the institution of the 2–3–2 format to enter Game 3 tied at one, lose Game 3, the previous 11 times this occurred, the Game 3 winner went on to win the series. The Dallas Mavericks also became just the 7th team, and the first since 1988, to come back, the previous six times this happened, the Finals ended in seven games, Dallas became the first team in NBA history to do it in six games. ABC averaged a 10.1 rating,11.7 million households and nearly 17.3 million viewers with the 2011 Finals, both the Mavericks and Heat made their second appearance in the NBA Finals, the first for both teams being the 2006 NBA Finals. This Finals marked a rematch of the 2006 Finals, won by Miami in six games, the Heat had home-court advantage by virtue of a better regular-season record than the Mavericks. This was only the time that the Eastern Conference had home court advantage during the Finals since the end of the Michael Jordan era in 1998. It also marks the first time since 1995 that the Eastern Conference team lost in the Finals despite having home court advantage, the 2011 series marked the first time a Finals match was played in the month of May since 1986. Among the players from teams, only Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry of Dallas, and Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem of Miami. Heat center Erick Dampier played for the Mavericks in 2006, aside from Dampier, Caron Butler, Juwan Howard and Shawn Marion are the only other players who have played for both the Mavericks and Heat. Eddie House, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, LeBron James and Jason Kidd have appeared in the Finals with different teams, with House, Wade and Haslem winning a championship ring. Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle won a championship as a reserve for Bostons 1986 championship team making him only the person in NBA history to win a Finals as both a player and a coach. The Dallas Mavericks won both games in the regular season, all times are in Eastern Daylight Time. The Heat made only 28.6 percent of their shots during the first quarter, the Heat changed course from this point on, outscoring the Mavs 22–10 and taking a 65–61 lead going into the 4th quarter
2011 NBA Finals
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2011 NBA Finals
18.
NBA Coach of the Year Award
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The National Basketball Associations Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA Championships from 1956 to 1966. The winner is selected at the end of regular season by a panel of sportswriters from the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is five points, each second-place vote is worth three points, and each third-place vote is worth one point. The person with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, since its inception, the award has been given to 40 different coaches. The most recent award winner is Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich, Don Nelson and Pat Riley have each won the award three times, while Hubie Brown, Bill Fitch, Cotton Fitzsimmons and Gene Shue have each won it twice. No coach has won consecutive Coach of the Year awards, Riley is the only coach to be named Coach of the Year with three different franchises. Larry Bird is the recipient to have also been named MVP as a player. Tom Heinsohn, Bill Sharman, and Lenny Wilkens are the recipients to have been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both player and coach. Johnny Kerr is the person to win the award with a losing record. Kerr was honored because he had guided the Bulls to the NBA Playoffs in their first season in the league, only five recipients also coached the team that won the championship the same season, Red Auerbach, Red Holzman, Bill Sharman, Phil Jackson, and Gregg Popovich. Popovich is the only NBA Coach of the Year recipient to win the championship in the season twice. Assistant coach Luke Walton served as head coach for the other 43 games for the Warriors, receiving one second-place vote. National Basketball Association portal General Specific
NBA Coach of the Year Award
–
Hall of Famer
Red Auerbach won the award in the 1964–65 season. The award was later named after him.
NBA Coach of the Year Award
–
Hall of Famer
Phil Jackson won the award in the 1995–96 season, coaching the
Chicago Bulls to an NBA record of 72 wins in a season.
NBA Coach of the Year Award
–
Chicago Bulls head coach
Tom Thibodeau won the award in the 2010–11 season.
NBA Coach of the Year Award
–
George Karl led the
2012–13 Denver Nuggets to a 57–25 record without an NBA All-Star.
19.
2004 NBA All-Star Game
–
The 2004 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game which was played on February 15,2004 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, home of the Lakers and Clippers. This game was the 53rd edition of the North American National Basketball Association All-Star Game and was played during the 2003–04 NBA season, the West defeated the East 136-132, with Shaquille ONeal of the Los Angeles Lakers winning the Most Valuable Player for the second time in his career. ONeal scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Jamaal Magloire led the East with 19 points and 8 rebounds. The coach for the Western Conference team was Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders, the Timberwolves had a 37-15 record on February 15. The coach for the Eastern Conference team was Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, the Pacers had a 39-14 record on February 15. The rosters for the All-Star Game were chosen in two ways, the starters were chosen via a fan ballot. Two guards, two forwards and one center who received the highest vote were named the All-Star starters, the reserves were chosen by votes among the NBA head coaches in their respective conferences. The coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players, the reserves consist of two guards, two forwards, one center and two players regardless of position. If a player is unable to due to injury, the commissioner will select a replacement. The Eastern Conference reserves included four selections, Kenyon Martin, Jamaal Magloire, Ron Artest. Jason Kidd, Paul Pierce, and Baron Davis rounded out the team, three teams, Indiana Pacers and New Jersey Nets, and Charlotte Hornets had two representations at the All-Star Game with ONeal/Artest, Martin/Kidd, and Magloire/Davis. The Western leading vote-getter was Kevin Garnett, who earned his seventh consecutive All-Star Game selection with 1,780,918 votes. Steve Francis, Kobe Bryant, Yao Ming, and Tim Duncan completed the Western Conference starting positions, the Western Conference reserves included two first-time selections, Sam Cassell of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Andrei Kirilenko of the Utah Jazz. The team is rounded out by Ray Allen, Brad Miller, Dirk Nowitzki, Peja Stojaković, and Shaquille ONeal
2004 NBA All-Star Game
–
Flip Saunders (left) and
Rick Carlisle (right) were selected as the West and East head coach, respectively.
2004 NBA All-Star Game
2004 NBA All-Star Game
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Vince Carter was the lead vote-getter for the fourth time in five years.
20.
Rebound (basketball)
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In basketball, a rebound, colloquially referred to as a board, is a statistic awarded to a player who retrieves the ball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds are also given to a player who tips in a shot on his teams offensive end. Rebounds in basketball are a part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made. A rebound can be grabbed by either a player or a defensive player. The majority of rebounds are defensive because the team on defense tends to be in position to recover missed shots. Offensive rebounds give the team another opportunity to score whether right away or by resetting the offense. A block is not considered a rebound, a ball does not need to actually rebound off the rim or backboard for a rebound to be credited. Rebounds are credited after any missed shot, including air balls, if a player takes a shot and misses and the ball bounces on the ground before someone picks it up, then the person who picks up the ball is credited for a rebound. Rebounds are credited to the first player that gains possession of the ball or to the player that successfully deflects the ball into the basket for a score. A rebound is credited to a team when it gains possession of the ball after any missed shot that is not cleared by a single player, great rebounders tend to be tall and strong. Because height is so important, most rebounds are made by centers and power forwards, the lack of height can sometimes be compensated by the strength to box out taller players away from the ball to capture the rebound. For example, Charles Barkley once led the league in rebounding despite usually being much shorter than his counterparts, also, some shorter guards can be excellent rebounders as well such as point guard Jason Kidd who led the New Jersey Nets in rebounding for several years. Great rebounders must also have a sense of timing and positioning. Great leaping ability is an important asset, but not absolutely necessary, players such as Larry Bird and Moses Malone were excellent rebounders, but were never known for their leaping ability. Bird has stated, Most rebounds are taken below the rim, the action can also be called blocking out. A team can be boxed out by players using this technique to stop the other team from rebounding. Because fighting for a rebound can be physical, rebounding is often regarded as grunt work or a hustle play. Overly aggressive boxing out or preventing being boxed out can lead to personal fouls, statistics of a players rebounds per game or rebounding average measure a players rebounding effectiveness by dividing the number of rebounds by the number of games played
Rebound (basketball)
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Iñaki de Miguel, Spanish basketball player, capturing a rebound in an international game.
Rebound (basketball)
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After
Trey Burke attempts a
layup,
Glenn Robinson III makes an offensive rebound.
Rebound (basketball)
Rebound (basketball)
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Paul White (#13) and L. J. Peak (#10) box out D. J. Williams (#4) While
Jahlil Okafor boxes out
Jabari Parker on a
Kendrick Nunn free throw during a
Chicago Public High School League game between
Simeon Career Academy and
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School at the
Jones Convocation Center
21.
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
Basketball
–
Michael Jordan goes for a
slam dunk
Basketball
–
The first basketball court:
Springfield College
Basketball
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The 1899 University of Kansas basketball team, with James Naismith at the back, right.
Basketball
–
A basketball game between the
Heart Mountain and Powell High School girls teams, Wyoming, March 1944
22.
College basketball
–
The history of basketball is traced back to a YMCA International Training School, known today as Springfield College, located in Springfield, Massachusetts. The date of the first formal basketball game played at the Springfield YMCA Training School under Naismiths rules is generally given as December 21,1891, Basketball began to spread to college campuses by 1893. Governing bodies in Canada include U Sports and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association, each of these various organizations are subdivided into from one to three divisions based on the number and level of scholarships that may be provided to the athletes. The first basketball games in the United States were played at YMCAs in 1891 and 1892, by 1893, the game was being played on college campuses. The original rules for basketball were very different from todays modern rules of the sport, in the beginning James Naismith established 13 original rules, The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but never with the fist, a player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, the ball must be held by the hands. The arms or body must not be used for holding it, no shouldering, holding, pushing, striking, or tripping in any way of an opponent is allowed. A foul will be called when a player is seen striking at the ball with the fist, or when violations of rules 3 and 4, if either side makes three consecutive fouls it shall count as a goal for the opponents. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there, if the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal. When the ball out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field. In case of dispute the umpire shall throw it straight into the field, the thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent, if any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them. The umpire shall be the judge of the men and shall note the fouls and he shall have power to disqualify men according to rule 5. The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to side it belongs. He shall decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the goals, the time shall be two fifteen-minute halves, with five minutes rest between. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner, the following is a list of some of the major NCAA Basketball rule changes with the year they went into effect. The first known college to field a team against an outside opponent was Vanderbilt University
College basketball
–
A map of all NCAA Division I basketball teams.
23.
University of Maine
–
The University of Maine is a public research university in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is the university of the University of Maine System. The University of Maine is one of only nine land, sea, the University of Maines athletic teams, nicknamed the Black Bears, are Maines only Division I athletics program. The University of Maine was founded in 1862 as a function of the Morrill Act, established in 1865 as the Maine College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, the Maine College opened on September 21,1868 and changed its name to the University of Maine in 1897. By 1871, curricula had been organized in Agriculture, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station was founded as a division of the university in 1887. Gradually the university developed the Colleges of Life Sciences and Agriculture, Engineering and Science, in 1912 the Maine Cooperative Extension, which offers field educational programs for both adults and youths, was initiated. The School of Education was established in 1930 and received college status in 1958, the School of Business Administration was formed in 1958 and was granted college status in 1965. Women have been admitted into all curricula since 1872, the first masters degree was conferred in 1881, the first doctors degree in 1960. Since 1923 there has been a graduate school. Near the end of the 19th century, the university expanded its curriculum to place emphasis on liberal arts. As a result of this shift, faculty hired during the early 20th century included Caroline Colvin, chair of the history department and the nations first woman to head a major university department. On April 16,1925,80 women met in Balentine Hall — faculty, alumnae and this organization was called The All Maine Women because only those women closely connected with the University of Maine were elected as members. On April 22,1925, the new members were inducted into the honor society, when the University of Maine System was incorporated, the school was renamed by the legislature over the objections of the faculty to the University of Maine at Orono. This was changed back to the University of Maine in 1986, the University of Maine is the flagship of the University of Maine System. The president of the university is Susan J. Hunter, the senior administration governs cooperatively with the Chancellor of the University of Maine system, James H. Page and the sixteen members of the University of Maine Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees has full responsibility and authority for the university system. It appoints the Chancellor and each university President, approves the establishment and elimination of programs, confers tenure on faculty members. UMaine is also one of a handful of colleges in the United States whose Student Government is incorporated, Student Government was formed in 1978 and incorporated in 1987
University of Maine
–
Brick Hall (1871), later renamed Oak Hall, burned in 1936
University of Maine
–
The University of Maine
University of Maine
–
Stevens Hall
University of Maine
–
A tree-lined path through the Lyle E. Littlefield Ornamental Gardens
24.
Larry Bird
–
Larry Joe Bird is an American professional basketball executive, former coach and former player, currently serving as president of the Indiana Pacers in the National Basketball Association. Since retiring as a player for the Boston Celtics, he has been a mainstay in the Indiana Pacers organization, Bird was a 12-time NBA All-Star and was named the leagues Most Valuable Player three consecutive times. He played his professional career for Boston, winning three NBA championships and two NBA Finals MVP awards. He was a member of the 1992 United States mens Olympic basketball team won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Bird was voted to the NBAs 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996 and he served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. In 2003, he assumed the role of president of operations for the Pacers. After a year away from the position, he announced he would return to the Pacers as president of operations in 2013. In addition to being part of the 50–40–90 club, he is the person in NBA history to be named Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year. Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana to Georgia and Claude Joseph Joe Bird and he was raised in nearby French Lick, where his mother worked two jobs to support Larry and his five siblings. Bird has said that being poor as a child still motivates him to this day, Georgia and Joe divorced when Larry was in high school, and Joe committed suicide about a year later. Bird received a scholarship to college basketball for the Indiana University Hoosiers in 1974. After less than a month on campus he dropped out of school and he returned to French Lick, enrolling at Northwood Institute in nearby West Baden, and working municipal jobs for a year before enrolling at Indiana State University in Terre Haute in 1975. Indiana State would lose the game 75–64, with Bird scoring 19 points, despite failing to win the championship, Bird earned numerous year-end awards and honors for his outstanding play, including the Naismith College Player of the Year Award. For his college career, he averaged 30.3 points,13.3 rebounds, Bird also appeared in one game for the baseball team, going 1-for-2 with 2 RBI. Bird was selected by the Boston Celtics with the sixth pick in the 1978 NBA draft. He did not sign with the Celtics immediately, instead, he played out his season at Indiana State. After protracted negotiations, Bird inked a five-year, $3.25 million contract with the team, shortly afterwards, NBA draft eligibility rules were changed to prevent teams from drafting players before they were ready to sign, a rule known as the Bird Collegiate Rule. Bird immediately transformed the Celtics into a contender, helping them improve their win total by 32 games from the year before he was drafted
Larry Bird
–
Larry Bird
Larry Bird
–
Bird battling for a rebound with
Magic Johnson
Larry Bird
–
A Larry Bird plaque at
Quincy Market,
Boston
25.
NBA championship
–
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
NBA championship
–
Logo of the NBA Finals.
26.
NBA Finals
–
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
NBA Finals
–
The Shot O'Brien Championship Trophy.
27.
1987 NBA Finals
–
The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1986-87 NBA season. The match took place between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, the Lakers won 4–2, beating the Celtics in the Finals. The key moment of the series was Magic Johnsons junior sky hook in Game 4 and this was the tenth time that the Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA Finals and would also mark the Celtics last appearance until the two teams met again in 2008. This was the first NBA Championship Series conducted entirely in the month of June, the last time there were no NBA Championship Series games in the month of May was in the 1970-1971 season, when the finals ended on April 30. The Celtics finished the season with a 59–23 record, best in the Eastern Conference. Despite retaining the core of the team won the championship a year earlier. Their bench, an asset of the years team, was decimated by injuries to Scott Wedman. With limited options, head coach K. C, after sweeping the Chicago Bulls in the first round, the Celtics were pushed to a Game 7 in the next two rounds by the Milwaukee Bucks and the Detroit Pistons, only to advance each time. Still, the Celtics health became a mark as they enter the Finals. The Lakers finished the season with a league-best 65–17 record. Head coach Pat Riley made a pair of moves, shifting the offensive focus to Magic Johnson. Both moves helped alleviate the load off of the aging Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, also taking a greater role in the Showtime offense are A. C. Green and Byron Scott, who supplanted Kurt Rambis and Michael Cooper in the starting lineup. The Lakers path to the Finals proved to be smoother and they swept the Denver Nuggets in the first round, defeated the Golden State Warriors in five games during the second round, and swept the Seattle SuperSonics in the conference finals. Magic Johnson led a 126-113 victory with 29 points,13 assists, eight rebounds, James Worthy, on the receiving end of many of Johnsons passes, had 33 points and nine rebounds. The Lakers ran 35 fast breaks in the first two quarters and led by 21 at intermission, the Celtics plan for Game 2 was to concentrate on stopping Magic Johnson. Danny Ainge, at 65, could not deal with the 69 Magic, Michael Cooper emerged as the star of the game. With the Lakers leading by seven in the quarter, Cooper pushed the Lakers through a 20-10 outburst. When it was over, he had popped in 6 of 7 three-point attempts, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar added 23 points on 10 of 14 shots, while Magic posted 20 assists and 22 points
1987 NBA Finals
–
1987 NBA Finals
28.
Los Angeles Lakers
–
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
Los Angeles Lakers
–
Hall of Famer George Mikan (#99) led the Lakers franchise to their first five NBA championships. He is described by the NBA's official website as the "first superstar" in league history.
Los Angeles Lakers
–
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
–
Minneapolis team co-owner Benjamin Berger
Los Angeles Lakers
–
Jerry West led the team to nine NBA Finals appearances in the 1960s and 1970s. Nicknamed "Mr. Clutch", his silhouette is featured on the NBA's official logo.
29.
Rick Pitino
–
Richard Andrew Rick Pitino is an American basketball coach. Since 2001, he has been the coach at the University of Louisville. As a college coach, Pitino has also served at Boston University, Providence College. In addition to his coaching career, Pitino also served two stints in the NBA, coaching the New York Knicks for two seasons and the Boston Celtics for three and a partial fourth. Pitino holds the distinction of being the mens coach in history to lead two different schools to an NCAA Championship. He is also the coach to lead three different schools to a Final Four. In 2013, Pitino was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in addition to his on-court success, Pitino has also achieved a measure of success as an author and a motivational speaker. Pitino was born in New York City, New York and was raised in Bayville and he was captain of the St. Dominic High School basketball team in Oyster Bay, Long Island. He enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1970 and he was a standout guard for the Minutemen basketball team. His 329 career assists rank tenth all-time at UMass, as of the 2009–10 season and he led the team in assists as a junior and senior. The 168 assists as a senior is the eighth-best single season total ever there, Pitino earned his degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1974. Pitino is currently coach of the University of Louisville. Previous college coaching assignments include Boston University, Providence College, Pitino is considered by many to be one of the first coaches to promote fully taking advantage of the 3-point shot, first adopted by the NCAA in 1987. By exploiting the 3-point shot, his teams at Kentucky in the early 1990s were known as Pitinos Bombinos, even now, Pitinos teams are known for the 3-point threat and all of his teams rank towards the top in 3-point attempts per season. Many of Pitinos players and assistant coaches have gone on to successful collegiate coaches. Pitino started his career as a graduate assistant at the University of Hawaii in 1974. He was then the first assistant hired by Jim Boeheim in 1976 as Boeheim began his tenure at Syracuse University, Pitino served as Hawaiis interim head coach late in the 1975–76 season. Coach Bruce ONeil was fired after the Rainbow Warriors started the season 9–12, Pitino led Hawaii for their final six games, going 2–4 in the span
Rick Pitino
–
Pitino answers questions from the press at the
2013 Final Four
Rick Pitino
–
Pitino coaching the
Louisville Cardinals
Rick Pitino
–
Pitino addresses the crowd before Louisville's 2012 Red-White Scrimmage
30.
Patrick Ewing
–
Patrick Aloysius Ewing is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player. He played most of his career with the NBAs New York Knicks as their center and played briefly with the Seattle SuperSonics. On April 3,2017, he was named head coach of the Georgetown Hoyas. Ewing played center for Georgetown for four years—where he played in the NCAA Championship Game three times—and was named as the 16th greatest college player of all time by ESPN and he won Olympic gold medals as a member of the 1984 and 1992 United States mens Olympic basketball teams. In a 1996 poll celebrating the 50th anniversary of the NBA and he is a two-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 2009, he was inducted into the U. S. Olympic Hall of Fame as a member of the Dream Team. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame on September 5,2008, along with former NBA coach Pat Riley and his number 33 was retired by the Knicks in 2003. Ewing was born in 1962 in Kingston, Jamaica, he excelled at cricket, in 1975, 12-year-old Ewing joined his family in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He learned to play basketball at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School with the help of John Fountain, when Ewing was in high school, opponents threw rocks at his team bus when the squad traveled to play an away game. In order to prepare for college, Ewing joined the MIT-Wellesley Upward Bound Program and he went to Georgetown University in Washington, D. C. and became a United States citizen while attending Georgetown. During his recruitment, Ewing was close to signing a letter of intent with the University of North Carolina, while visiting the campus, he stayed at the Carolina Inn. After witnessing a rally for the Ku Klux Klan, he decided not to sign with UNC. Ewing signed a letter of intent to play for Coach John Thompson at Georgetown University, Ewing made his announcement in a room full of fans who wanted him to play for Boston College or Boston University. When Ewing announced his decision to play at Georgetown, the left the room. As a freshman during the 1981–1982 season, Ewing became one of the first college players to start, while at Georgetown, he developed a habit of wearing a short sleeved T-shirt underneath his jersey. This started a trend among young athletes that lasts to this day. In the 1982 NCAA final against the University of North Carolina, Ewing was called for goaltending five times in the first half, setting the tone for the Hoyas and making his presence felt. The Hoyas led late in the game, but a shot by future NBA supestar Michael Jordan gave North Carolina the lead, in the 1983–84 season, Ewing led Georgetown to the Big East championship and a number one seed in the tournament
Patrick Ewing
–
Ewing in 2008
Patrick Ewing
–
Ronald Reagan with
John Thompson and Patrick Ewing.
Patrick Ewing
–
Ewing played 15 seasons (
1985 –
2000) with the
New York Knicks.
Patrick Ewing
–
Patrick Ewing college jersey in the
Basketball Hall of Fame museum in Springfield, Massachusetts.
31.
Chuck Daly
–
Charles Jerome Chuck Daly was an American basketball head coach. The Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award is named after him, born in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, to Earl and Geraldine Daly on July 20,1930, Daly attended Kane Area High School in nearby Kane. He matriculated at St. Bonaventure University for one year transferring to Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. After serving two years in the military, he began his coaching career in 1955 at Punxsutawney Area High School in Punxsutawney. After compiling a 111–70 record in eight seasons at Punxsutawney High School, during his six seasons at Duke, the Blue Devils won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship and advanced to the Final Four, both in 1964 and 1966. Daly then replaced Bob Cousy as head coach at Boston College in 1969, the Eagles recorded an 11–13 record in Dalys first year at the school, and improved to 15–11 in 1971. Daly became the coach at the University of Pennsylvania in 1971. Penn won twenty or more games and captured the Ivy League title in each of its first four seasons with Daly at the helm. The most successful campaign was his first in 1972, when the Quakers recorded a 25–3 record overall, an additional significant success for Daly was in 1979, when all five starters on Pennsylvanias Final Four team had initially been recruited by Daly. His overall record after six seasons at Penn was 125–38, in 1978, Daly joined the NBAs Philadelphia 76ers as an assistant coach. During the 1981 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers hired him as the head coach that season. He then returned to the 76ers as a broadcaster until he was hired in 1983 by the Detroit Pistons, while serving as the Pistons coach, Daly was also a color commentator for TBSs NBA Playoff coverage. Daly was named coach of the U. S. Dream Team that won the medal at the 1992 Olympics. Daly stayed with the Nets for two seasons, before his first retirement, Daly again took up a role as color commentator for TNTs NBA coverage during the mid-1990s before coming out of retirement to coach the Orlando Magic at the beginning of the 1997-98 season. Daly stayed two seasons with the Magic and then retired permanently, Daly was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March 2009 and died on May 9,2009, at the age of 78. He is survived by his wife Terry and their daughter Cydney and he is buried at Riverside Memorial Park in Tequesta, Florida
Chuck Daly
–
Chuck Daly
32.
2000 NBA Finals
–
The 2000 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1999–2000 National Basketball Association season. The Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference took on the Indiana Pacers of the Eastern Conference for the title, the series was played under a best-of-seven format, with the Lakers holding home court advantage. The Lakers won the series 4 games to 2, Lakers center Shaquille ONeal was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player of the series, his first of three consecutive honors. Until 2008, this was the most recent NBA Finals where both number one seeds from both conferences faced off in the final. Although the Lakers were one of the more talented teams in the NBA the previous year, twenty-four days after being swept by the eventual league champion, the Lakers signed Phil Jackson as head coach. Jackson, famous for coaching Michael Jordan and the six-time champion Chicago Bulls, would build his triangle offense around Shaquille ONeal, general Manager Jerry West surrounded ONeal and Bryant with effective role players such as Glen Rice, Ron Harper, and A. C. Green. Along with these starters, the Lakers also possessed a strong bench, Robert Horry not only had championship experience with the Houston Rockets but also was a threat on the perimeter and a defensive star. Derek Fisher was a defensively minded point-guard with the ability to shoot well from long range, Rick Fox, acquired after being released by the Boston Celtics, was the Lakers sixth man. Although many expected the Lakers to reach the Finals, the road would be a rocky one, in the first round, the Lakers won the first two games against the Sacramento Kings, only to drop the next two games in Sacramento. The Lakers then defeated Sacramento in Game 5, 113–86, to face the Phoenix Suns in the conference semifinals, the Lakers clobbered the Suns, winning the series 4–1. The Trail Blazers stormed back in the game, giving the Lakers their worst home loss of the season in a 106–77 shellacking. This setback did not affect Los Angeles, as assembled a 3–1 series lead by winning the next two games in Portland. The Lakers underestimated the Trail Blazers, however, led by former Jackson linchpin Scottie Pippen, Portland won back-to-back elimination games and forced a series-deciding Game 7. Amid several controversial foul calls by referee Dick Bavetta against members of the Trail Blazers, rallying back with a 25–4 run, the Lakers won the game and secured a berth in the NBA Finals. In the 1997–1998 NBA season, the Chicago Bulls narrowly defeated the Pacers,4 games to 3, the 1998–1999 NBA season began with a lockout but saw Indiana return to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they fell to the New York Knicks. The 1999–2000 NBA season brought major changes to the Pacers. It was their first season at Conseco Fieldhouse, as well as their first since 1993 without center Antonio Davis, Jalen Rose replaced Chris Mullin in the starting line up, winning the NBA Most Improved Player award, while Austin Croshere replaced him as the sixth man. The Pacers started the season 7–7 but eventually finished with an Eastern Conference best 56–26 record, the Pacers, like the Lakers, struggled in the playoffs
2000 NBA Finals
33.
Isiah Thomas
–
Isiah Lord Thomas III is an American retired basketball player who played professionally for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association. A point guard, the 12-time NBA All-Star was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, Thomas has also been a professional and collegiate head coach, a basketball executive, and a broadcaster. Thomas played collegiately for the Indiana Hoosiers, leading them to the 1981 NCAA championship as a sophomore and he was taken as the #2 pick by the Pistons, playing for them his entire 1981–1994 career and leading the Bad Boys to the 1988–89 and 1989–90 NBA championships. He was later the basketball coach for the Florida International University Golden Panthers for three seasons from 2009 to 2012. Thomas was born on April 30,1961, in Chicago, Illinois, during his junior year, he led St. Joseph to the State Finals and was considered one of the top college prospects in the country. Thomas was recruited to play basketball for Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers. Although he received mail saying Knight tied up his players and beat them, when Knight visited the Thomas home, one of Isiahs brothers, who wanted him to attend DePaul, embarrassed him by insulting the Indiana coach and engaging him in a shouting match. Nevertheless, Thomas chose Knight and Indiana because he felt that away to Bloomington would be good for him. Thomas quickly had to adjust to Knights disciplinarian style, at the 1979 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico Knight got so mad at Thomas he threatened to put him on a plane home. Knight recalled yelling at the freshman-to-be, You ought to go to DePaul, Isiah, prior to the start of his freshman year, the 1979–80 season, Knight became so upset with Thomas that he kicked him out of a practice. According to Thomas, Knight was making a point that no player, however, Thomas quickly proved his skills as a player and became a favorite with both Knight and Indiana fans. His superior abilities eventually would cause Knight to adjust his coaching style, fans would display bed sheets with quotations from the Book of Isaiah and nicknamed him Mr. Wonderful. Because of Thomas relatively short stature at 6 ft 1 in, Thomas and Mike Woodson led the Hoosiers to the Big Ten championship and advanced to the 1980 Sweet Sixteen. The following year, the 1980–81 season, Knight made Thomas the captain, Thomas responded so positively that, as the season unfolded, Knight and Thomas grew as friends. When a Purdue player took a shot at Isiah in a game at Bloomington. And 19 days later, when Thomas hit an Iowa player and was ejected from a game and that year Thomas and the Hoosiers once again won a conference title and won the 1981 NCAA tournament, the schools fourth national title. The sophomore earned the tournaments Most Outstanding Player award, and made eligible for the upcoming NBA draft. In the 1981 NBA draft, the Detroit Pistons chose Thomas with the No.2 pick, Thomas made the All-Rookie team and started for the Eastern Conference in the 1982 All-Star Game
Isiah Thomas
–
Isiah Thomas coaching the Knicks
Isiah Thomas
–
A press conference for Isiah Thomas at the
U.S. Century Bank Arena at
Florida International University in Miami.
34.
Larry Brown (basketball)
–
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
Larry Brown (basketball)
–
Brown in 2005 as coach of the
New York Knicks
35.
Stephen Jackson
–
Jackson won an NBA championship in 2003 as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. Jackson was born in Port Arthur, Texas and spent his childhood there, growing up, Jackson was raised by his mother, Judyette, a single parent who worked two jobs. As a teenager, Jackson worked in his grandfathers soul food restaurant in Port Arthur, at the age of 16, Jacksons half-brother Donald Buckner died at 25 years old from head injuries after being jumped. Following the violent tragedy, Jackson said that he wished he could have been there to assist and you cant tell me seeing his brother die that way hasnt had an effect, recalls Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh. To me, its why he is coming to the help of his teammates. Jackson led Lincoln High School to a championship in his junior year before transferring to Oak Hill Academy. He was the scorer in the 1996 McDonalds All-American game, on a team that included Kobe Bryant, Jermaine ONeal. Following a commitment to join the University of Arizona, Jackson was ruled academically ineligible and he attended Butler County Community College of El Dorado, Kansas for one semester but did not play basketball there. Jackson was selected 42nd overall in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns, yet did not receive an opportunity to perform, additionally, Jackson played four games in 1998 with the Sydney Kings in Australias National Basketball League. Continuing his basketball journey, Jackson played professionally in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, throughout the spring and summer of 2000, Jackson played in those Latin American countries, with the Dominican Republic teams San Carlos and Pueblo Nuevo and Venezuelan Marinos. Jackson did not play an NBA game until the 2000–01 season with the New Jersey Nets and he appeared in 77 games, in which he averaged 8.2 points per game, and established a close friendship with star point guard Stephon Marbury. Jackson was selected to play in the Schick Rookie Game at the 2001 All-Star Weekend, before the 2001–2002 NBA season, he was signed by the San Antonio Spurs. Following a somewhat successful campaign, Jackson was hampered by injuries and team expectations in 2001. Former assistant coach Mike Brown stated, The first year we had him in San Antonio, he was on the most of the year. At first, he didnt understand why because he probably was the most talented player we had on that team and he was the best teammate on our team that first year. His season averages were 3.9 points and 1.1 rebounds, during the 2002–2003 NBA season, Jackson became a key member of the Spurs. Appearing in 80 games, his averages were 11.8 points,3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 28.2 minutes per game. Jacksons first foray into the playoffs produced variable results in terms of individual performances, through the course of the postseason, Jackson vacillated between fourth quarter heroics and clutch shooting and uneven, mistake-prone play
Stephen Jackson
–
Jackson with the Clippers in December 2013
Stephen Jackson
–
Jackson (left) with Pacers teammates
Jermaine O'Neal and
Dale Davis and coach
Rick Carlisle
Stephen Jackson
–
Jackson takes a jump shot during a regular season Warriors game
36.
Jamaal Tinsley
–
Jamaal Lee Tinsley is an American professional basketball player. Tinsley had a collegiate career at Iowa State University. He has played in the NBA for the Pacers, the Grizzlies, as a teen, Tinsley developed his game playing streetball at New York Citys legendary Rucker Park. Tinsleys streetball nickname is Mel The Abuser and he played junior college ball at Mt. San Jacinto Community College before breaking onto the national scene at Big 12 powerhouse Iowa State University. In Tinsleys junior year at Iowa State, he received Big 12 Conference Player of the Year honors and he led Iowa State to a No.2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The team, along with fellow star Marcus Fizer, reached the Elite Eight before losing to eventual champion Michigan State, in his senior year Tinsley earned First Team All-American honors. Tinsley established himself as the point guard under Pacers coach Isiah Thomas. He put up statistics of 9.4 points and 8.1 assists per game in 2001–02, on November 16,2001, he recorded the 9th five-by-five in NBA history since the 1985–86 season. At 23 years and 261 days, he was the youngest to do so until Andrei Kirilenko in 2003, Tinsley played 73 games for the Pacers in 2002–03, starting 69 of them, and his averages dipped to 7.8 points and 7.5 assists per contest. The following year, Rick Carlisle replaced Thomas as the Pacers head coach, when Anderson and Johnson went down with injuries, Tinsley regained his status as a starter. As the Pacers advanced to the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals, Tinsley started all 16 playoff games. Tinsley spent the majority of the 2004–05 season on injured reserve due to a left foot, but the team played its way to a 44–38 record. Tinsley missed the first four games of the Pacers first-round series against the Boston Celtics, but made a return in a Game 5 victory. In that game on May 3,2005, Tinsley made 7 assists,5 steals, and 6 points, Tinsleys injury problems continued during the 2007–08 season, he only played in 39 games, during which he averaged a career-high 8.4 assists. For the 2008–09 season, Tinsley was replaced in the lineup by point guard T. J. Ford. Tinsley then requested a contract buyout through his agent, the NBA Players Association filed a grievance against the Pacers on Tinsleys behalf on February 11,2009. On July 22,2009, the Pacers waived Tinsley, on November 14,2009, the Memphis Grizzlies signed Tinsley as a free agent. Chris Wallace, the General Manager of the Grizzlies, stated that he was the best available player out on the board, the Grizzlies did not guarantee Tinsley a starting spot, but told him he would be allowed to compete for the point guard position
Jamaal Tinsley
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Tinsley wore #11 during his tenure at Iowa State and while with the Indiana Pacers.
37.
The Palace of Auburn Hills
–
The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly referred to as The Palace, is a sports and entertainment venue in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, in the U. S. state of Michigan. The arena opened in 1988 and is the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association, from 1957 to 1978, the Pistons competed in Detroits Olympia Stadium, Memorial Building, and Cobo Arena. While the Silverdome could accommodate massive crowds, it offered substandard sight lines for basketball viewing, a group led by Davidson bought vacant land in Auburn Hills from Joseph Shewach and built The Palace there for the relatively low cost of $70 million, using entirely private funding. The Davidson family held a controlling interest in the arena until Tom Gores bought it as part of his purchase of the Pistons in 2011, the arena opened in time for the Pistons first NBA championship season, in 1988–1989. Since then, when one of The Palaces basketball occupants has won a championship and its current address is 6 Championship Drive, reflecting the Pistons three NBA titles and the Detroit Shocks three WNBA titles. The original address was 3777 Lapeer Road, sting performed during his. Nothing Like the Sun Tour on August 13,1988, becoming the very first musical act to perform at The Palace. The Cure performed two shows, during their Wish Tour on July 18–19,1992, with The Cranes as their opening act. The shows were recorded and released as an album, entitled Show. Grand Funk Railroad performed a show for the nation of Bosnia. The show also featured Peter Frampton, Alto Reed, Paul Shaffer, the performance was recorded, and released as the double-live Bosnia album in October of that year. Demi Lovato performed a show at the Palace on March 13,2014, the show was recorded for a Vevo Presents. The Palace was the site of an attempt on Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, while he was on tour, with former band mate Robert Plant. On March 31,1995, Lance Alworth Cunningham, a 23-year-old and he waited until the song Kashmir started and then made his charge for the stage, waving the weapon. The man was tackled by patrons and security about 50 feet from the stage, madonna performed two sold–out shows during her Drowned World Tour on August 25–26,2001. The shows were recorded and broadcast live on HBO and were released as a DVD. On November 19,2004, a fight broke–out between members of the NBAs Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. As the on-court fight died down, a fan threw a cup of Diet Coke at Pacers forward Ron Artest, the fight resulted in the suspension of nine players, criminal charges against five players, and criminal charges against five spectators. The offending fans were banned from attending games at The Palace, in the aftermath of the fight, the NBA decided to increase the security presence between players and spectators
The Palace of Auburn Hills
The Palace of Auburn Hills
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The Palace of Auburn Hills
The Palace of Auburn Hills
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Exterior view of The Palace of Auburn Hills
38.
Ron Artest
–
Metta World Peace is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. He was known as Ron Artest before legally changing his name in September 2011. World Peace gained a reputation as one of the premier defenders as he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004. He was a participant in several controversial on-court incidents, most notably the Malice at the Palace and he won an NBA championship in 2010 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Artest played high school basketball at La Salle Academy and college basketball at St. Johns University, World Peace has played for six teams in the NBA. Metta World Peace was born Ronald William Artest, Jr. and raised in the Queensbridge projects in Queens and he has two younger brothers, Isaiah and Daniel. He played high school basketball at La Salle Academy, Artest played college basketball at St. Johns University from 1997 to 1999. At St. Johns, he majored in mathematics, in 1999, he led the Red Storm to a 14-4 record in the Big East Conference and 28-9 overall and the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division I Tournament, losing to Ohio State. As a teenager, Artest was teamed with future NBA players Elton Brand, growing up, Artest witnessed the murder of a fellow player on a basketball court in Niagara Falls, New York. It was so competitive, they broke a leg from a table and they threw it, it went right through his heart, so Im accustomed to playing basketball really rough. The player to whom Artest was referring was 19-year-old Lloyd Newton, Artest was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 16th pick of the 1999 NBA draft. Artest played a total of 175 games for the Bulls over 2-1/2 years and he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in the 1999–2000 season. During the 2003–04 season with the Pacers, he averaged 18.3 points per game,5.7 rebounds per game, Artest made the 2004 NBA All-Star Game as a reserve and was named the Defensive Player of the Year. He wore three numbers for the Pacers,15,23, and 91. On November 19,2004, Artest was at the center of an altercation among players and fans during a game in Auburn Hills, Michigan, the fight resulted in the game being stopped with less than a minute remaining. Jermaine ONeal, Jackson and Wallace were suspended indefinitely the day after the game, a day later, the NBA suspended Artest for the rest of the regular season, plus any playoff games. Artest missed 86 games, the longest suspension for an incident in NBA history. Early in the 2005–06 season, Artest requested a trade from the Indiana Pacers and was put on the inactive roster
Ron Artest
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World Peace in 2010
Ron Artest
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Artest during his tenure with the Sacramento Kings.
Ron Artest
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Artest playing for the
Houston Rockets in the
2008–09 NBA season.
Ron Artest
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Artest with
Trevor Booker of Washington in 2010.
39.
ESPN
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ESPN is a U. S. -based global cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc. a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the Hearst Corporation. ESPN broadcasts primarily from studio facilities located in Bristol, Connecticut, the network also operates offices in Miami, New York City, Seattle, Charlotte, and Los Angeles. John Skipper currently serves as president of ESPN, a position he has held since January 1,2012, as of February 2015, ESPN is available to approximately 94,396,000 paid television households in the United States. In 2011, ESPNs history and rise was chronicled by These Guys Have All the Fun, Bill Rasmussen conceived the concept of ESPN in late May 1978, after he was fired from his job with the World Hockey Associations New England Whalers. One of the first steps in Bill and his son Scotts process was finding land to build the channels broadcasting facilities, the Rasmussens first rented office space in Plainville, Connecticut. However, the plan to base ESPN there was put on hold because a local ordinance prohibiting buildings from bearing rooftop satellite dishes and this helped the credibility of the fledgling company, however there were still many doubters to the viability of their sports channel concept. ESPN launched on September 7,1979, beginning with the first telecast of what would become the flagship program. Taped in front of a live audience inside the Bristol studios. ESPNs next big break came when the acquired the rights to broadcast coverage of the early rounds of the NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament. It first aired the NCAA tournament in March 1980, creating the modern day television event known as March Madness. The channels tournament coverage also launched the career of Dick Vitale. In April of that year, ESPN created another made-for-TV spectacle, the next major stepping stone for ESPN came over the course of a couple of months in 1984. During this time period, the American Broadcasting Company purchased 100% of ESPN from the Rasmussens, for years, the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball refused to consider cable as a means of broadcasting some of their games. However, with the backing of ABC, ESPNs ability to compete for major sports contracts greatly increased, later in 1984, the U. S. ESPNs Sunday Night Football games would become the highest-rated NFL telecasts for the next 17 years. In 1992, ESPN launched ESPN Radio, a sports talk radio network providing analysis. It became the fastest growing cable channel in the U. S. during the 1990s, ownership of ABC, and in effect control of ESPN, was acquired first by Capital Cities Communications in 1985, and then by The Walt Disney Company in 1996. In 2012, ESPN generated more revenue for Disney than any of its other properties combined, alongside its live sports broadcasts, ESPN also airs a variety of sports highlight, talk, and documentary-styled shows. 30 for 30 started airing in 2009 and continues airing to this day, each episode is through the eyes of a well known filmmaker and has featured some of the biggest directors in Hollywood
ESPN
–
ESPN headquarters in
Bristol, Connecticut
ESPN
–
ESPN
40.
Mark Cuban
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Mark Cuban is an American businessman, investor, author, television personality, and philanthropist. He is the owner of the NBAs Dallas Mavericks, co-owner of 2929 Entertainment and he is also one of the main shark investors on the ABC reality television series, Shark Tank. In 2011, Cuban wrote an e-book, How to Win at the Sport of Business, in which he chronicles his experiences in business. Mark Cuban was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and his father, Norton Cuban, was an automobile upholsterer, while Cuban has described his mother, Shirley, as someone with a different job or different career goal every other week. He grew up in the suburb of Mount Lebanon, in a Jewish working-class family and his paternal grandfather changed the family name from Chabenisky to Cuban after his family emigrated from Russia through Ellis Island. His maternal grandparents, who were also Jewish, came from Romania, Cubans first step into the business world occurred at age 12, when he sold garbage bags to pay for a pair of expensive basketball shoes. At age 16, Cuban took advantage of a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette strike by running newspapers from Cleveland to Pittsburgh, instead of attending high school for his senior year, he enrolled as a full-time student at the University of Pittsburgh where he joined the Pi Lambda Phi International fraternity. While attending the University of Pittsburgh, he held a variety of including a bartender, disco dancing instructor. He chose Indianas Kelley School of Business without even visiting the campus because it had the least expensive tuition of all the schools on the top 10 list. During college he had business ventures, including a bar, disco lessons. In 1982, Cuban moved to Dallas, Texas, where he first found work as a bartender and he was fired less than a year later, after meeting with a client to procure new business instead of opening the store. Cuban started his own company, MicroSolutions, with support from his previous customers from Your Business Software, MicroSolutions was initially a system integrator and software reseller. The company was a proponent of technologies such as Carbon Copy, Lotus Notes. One of the companys largest clients was Perot Systems, in 1990, Cuban sold MicroSolutions to CompuServe—then a subsidiary of H&R Block—for $6 million. He made approximately $2 million after taxes on the deal, in 1995, Chris Jaeb and fellow Indiana University alumnus Todd Wagner started Audionet, combining their mutual interest in Indiana Hoosier college basketball and webcasting. With a single server and an ISDN line, Audionet became Broadcast. com in 1998, by 1999, Broadcast. com had grown to 330 employees and $13.5 million in revenue for the second quarter. In 1999, Broadcast. com helped launch the first live-streamed Victorias Secret Fashion Show and that year, during the dot com boom, Broadcast. com was acquired by Yahoo. for $5.7 billion in Yahoo. stock. After the sale of Broadcast. com, Cuban diversified his wealth to avoid exposure to a market crash, in 2011, Cuban was No.211 on Forbes list of Worlds Richest People, with a net worth of $2.6 billion
Mark Cuban
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Cuban in 2008.
41.
Avery Johnson
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Avery DeWitt Johnson is an American basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide mens basketball team. Johnson spent 16 years in the National Basketball Association as a player and he led the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance and to three consecutive 50+ win seasons. As a high school senior in 1983, Johnson led New Orleans St. Augustine High School to a 35–0 record, in that season, he also averaged 11. Upon graduation in 1988, Johnson was not selected in the NBA draft, Johnson spent the summer of 1988 with Palm Beach Stingrays of the United States Basketball League. In 43 games, Johnson averaged 1.6 points and 1.7 assists as a reserve, Johnson also played in six playoff games for the Stingrays. In the 1989–90 season, Johnson played 53 games with 10 starts for the Seattle SuperSonics and he made 18 assists on January 5,1990 against the Miami Heat. On October 24,1990, the SuperSonics traded Johnson to the Denver Nuggets for a pick in the 1997 NBA draft. After playing 21 games, Johnson was waived from the Nuggets in December before signing with the San Antonio Spurs on January 17,1991. Johnson played 47 games with seven starts for the Spurs and averaged 9.4 points,2.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. In the beginning of the 1991–92 season, Johnson played 20 games, on January 10,1992, Johnson signed the first of several 10-day contracts with the Houston Rockets that preceded a longer-term contract. Johnson scored a career-high 22 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 28, signed as an unrestricted free agent, Johnson returned to the Spurs on November 19,1992. Promoted to starter, Johnson averaged 8.7 points,1.9 rebounds, in the playoffs, Johnson averaged 8.2 points and 8.1 assists. Johnson signed with the Golden State Warriors on October 25,1993 and was named team captain just nine days into his signing. Starting 70 of 82 games, Johnson reached a new career high 10.9 points per game, third in the league among point guards, in addition to 5.3 assists per game. Johnson is best known for his time with the Spurs from 1994 to 2001, most notably, Johnson made the go-ahead, championship-clinching shot in Game 5 on a jumper with 47 seconds remaining in the game. The Spurs retired Johnsons number 6 on December 22,2007 and he was also inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame on February 20,2009. On July 19,2001, Johnson signed as an agent with the Denver Nuggets. Johnson played 51 games with the Nuggets and averaged 9.4 points,1.3 rebounds, the Nuggets traded Johnson and three other players to the Dallas Mavericks on February 21,2002
Avery Johnson
–
Avery Johnson as coach of the Mavericks in 2008
42.
Denver Nuggets
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The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the Denver Larks in 1967 as a franchise of the American Basketball Association. It changed its name again to the Nuggets in 1974, after the name change, the Nuggets played for the final ABA Championship title in 1976, losing to the New York Nets. The team has had periods of success, qualifying for the ABA Playoffs for all seasons from 1967 to the 1976 ABA playoffs where it lost in the finals. The team joined the NBA in 1976 after the ABA–NBA merger and qualified for the NBA playoffs in nine seasons in the 1980s. However, it has not made an appearance in a round since its last year in the ABA. The Nuggets play their games at Pepsi Center, which they share with the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League. In 1967, one of the ABAs charter franchises was awarded to a group in Kansas City, Missouri, however, Trindle was unable to find a suitable arena in the Kansas City area. League commissioner George Mikan suggested moving the team to Denver, after agreeing to name Denver native and former NBA player Vince Boryla as general manager, Trindle moved his team to Denver as the Denver Larks, named after Colorados state bird. The Trindle group was severely undercapitalized, leading Mikan to order the Larks to post a $100,000 performance bond or lose the franchise, hours before the deadline, Trindle sold a ⅔ controlling interest to Denver trucking magnate Bill Ringsby for $350,000. Ringsby then renamed the team the Rockets, after his companys long-haul trucks, playing at the Denver Auditorium Arena, the Rockets had early successes on the court, developing a solid fan base along the way. However, the team had a history of early playoff exits, early, they had a solid lineup led by Byron Beck and Larry Jones, then later by Beck and Ralph Simpson. Wright played four seasons with Denver, controversial rookie Spencer Haywood joined the team for the 1969–70 season. Haywood was one of the first players to turn pro before graduating from college, and the NBA initially refused to let him play in the league. Haywood averaged nearly 30 points and 19.5 rebounds per game in his only ABA season, being named ABA MVP, ABA rookie of the year, the team finished 51-33, winning their division, before exiting the playoffs in the 2nd round. Just before the start of the 1970–71 season, Haywood signed with the Seattle SuperSonics, the team tumbled to a 30-54 record and attendance suffered. Ringsby sold the team to San Diego businessmen Frank Goldberg and Bud Fischer in 1972
Denver Nuggets
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Denver Rockets (1967–76)
Denver Nuggets
–
Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
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Classic "Rainbow" logo (1982–93)
Denver Nuggets
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Dikembe Mutombo (shown with the 76ers) was drafted by the Nuggets in 1991.
43.
San Antonio Spurs
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The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its games at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. The Spurs are one of four former American Basketball Association teams to remain intact in the NBA after the 1976 ABA–NBA merger, the Spurs five NBA championships are the fourth most in history behind only the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Chicago Bulls. The Spurs currently rank first among active franchises for the highest winning percentage in NBA history, in their 40 NBA seasons since 1976–77, the Spurs have won 21 division titles. With their 50th win in the 2016–17 season, the Spurs extended their record for most consecutive 50-win seasons to 18. Thus, since the 1997–98 season, the Spurs have had 20 consecutive seasons with a percentage of.610 or greater during the regular season which is also an NBA record. Only the teams current head coach, Gregg Popovich, who had been the general manager before replacing Bob Hill in 1996, has had a longer tenure with the Spurs. The Spurs are the only team in any of the four major U. S. professional sports leagues. Since 2003, the team has been forced on a road trip for much of February since the AT&T Center hosts the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. This is informally known as the Rodeo Road Trip, the Spurs have consistently posted winning road records during this period, including an NBA-record longest single road trip winning streak. When the Spurs have won the NBA title, the victory parades have been boat trips on the San Antonio River Walk. The San Antonio Spurs started out as the Dallas Chaparrals of the version of the American Basketball Association. Coached by player/coach Cliff Hagan the Dallas Chaparrals were one of 11 teams to take the floor in the season of the upstart ABA. The Chaps second season was a bit of a disappointment, as the finished in 4th place with a mediocre 41–37 record. In the playoffs the Chaparrals quickly fell to the New Orleans Buccaneers, the team suffered from poor attendance and general disinterest in Dallas. While the Chaparrals had been successful on the court, they were sinking financially by their third season. After missing the playoffs for the first time in their existence in the 1972–73 season, a group of 36 San Antonio businessmen, led by Manager/Angelo Drossos, Chairman of the Board/John Schaefer and President/Red McCombs, worked out a lend-lease deal with the Dallas ownership group
San Antonio Spurs
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The team's name derives from a
spur, a metal tool designed to be worn on the heels of cowboy boots for the purpose of controlling a horse's movement and direction
San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
–
The Alamodome, home to the Spurs from 1993 to 2002.
San Antonio Spurs
–
The drafting of
Tim Duncan in 1997 was a turning point in the history of the Spurs.
44.
2014 NBA Finals
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The 2014 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2013–14 season of the National Basketball Association and the conclusion of the seasons playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeated the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in five games for the Spurs fifth NBA championship in the franchises history, the Spurs outscored the Heat in the series by the largest average point differential in Finals history. San Antonios Kawhi Leonard was named the Finals Most Valuable Player and this was a finals rematch from the previous NBA season, which Miami won in seven games, handing the Spurs the franchises first ever Finals defeat in 2013. This marked the 12th Finals rematch, but only the fifth since the ABA–NBA merger in 1976, the Spurs had home-court advantage since the team finished the regular season with a better record than the Heat. For the first time since 1984, the Finals was played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format, the series began on June 5,2014, and ended on June 15,2014. Although LeBron James did not repeat as league MVP, he was still among the top players in the league for the defending champions. Dwyane Wade was rested regularly during the season to preserve his knees. The third All-Star of the Big Three for Miami, Chris Bosh and this was the Miami Heats fourth straight appearance in the NBA Finals. They were seeking to become the first NBA team to three-peat since the 2002 Los Angeles Lakers, heading into the postseason, the Heat had a 11–14 record in the last 25 games. In the first round, they eliminated the Charlotte Bobcats and won 4–0, in the Conference Semifinals, they eliminated the Brooklyn Nets and won 4–1, despite being swept by Brooklyn in the regular season. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they played the Indiana Pacers in a rematch of the previous years Conference Finals. Miami won the series 4–2, eliminating the Indiana Pacers from the playoffs for the third straight year, the Spurs had a deep roster, with no player averaging 30 minutes during the regular season. Their offense relied on movement, being called one of the most beautiful-to-watch teams in the NBA by USA Today. In the Conference Semifinals, they eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers, after winning their first four over nine seasons, this was their first since 2007. San Antonio blew out Miami in each of their four wins and they outscored Miami by an average of 14.0 points in the series, the largest differential in Finals history. The Spurs finished the playoffs with 12 wins by 15 points or more, Miami had won 11 straight playoffs series, which was the fifth longest in league history. Overall, he averaged 17.8 points on 61 percent shooting in the series, Leonard was the third-youngest recipient of the award since its inception in 1969, and the youngest since Magic Johnson in 1982. Tim Duncan of the Spurs led all players in the series with 50 rebounds and he was followed by teammate Boris Diaw, who was inserted into the starting lineup beginning in Game 3
2014 NBA Finals
–
2014 NBA Finals
45.
Pianist
–
A pianist is an individual musician who plays the piano. Most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, consequently, pianists have a wide variety of repertoire and styles to choose from, including traditionally classical music, Jazz, blues and all sorts of popular music, including rock music. Most pianists can, to an extent, play other keyboard-related instruments such as the synthesizer, harpsichord, celesta. Perhaps the greatest pianist of all time was Franz Liszt, whose mastery was described by Anton Rubinstein, In comparison with Liszt. Modern classical pianists dedicate their careers to performing, recording, teaching, researching as well as learning new works/expanding their repertoire and they generally do not write or transcribe music as pianists did in the 19th century. Some classical pianists might specialize in accompaniment and chamber music while others perform as full-time piano soloists. Mozart could be considered the first concert pianist as he performed widely on the piano, composers Beethoven and Clementi from the classical era were also famed for their playing, as were, from the romantic era, Liszt, Brahms, Chopin, Mendelssohn and Rachmaninoff. From that era, leading performers less known as composers were Clara Schumann, however, as we do not have modern audio recordings of most of these pianists, we rely mainly on written commentary to give us an account of their technique and style. Jazz pianists almost always perform with other musicians and their playing is freer than that of classical pianists and they create an air of spontaneity in their performances. They generally do not write down their compositions, improvisation is a significant part of their work, well known Jazz pianists include Art Tatum, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson and Bud Powell. Popular pianists might work as performers, session musicians, arrangers most likely feel at home with synthesizers. A single listing of pianists in all genres would be impractical, the following is an incomplete list of such musicians. As a result, there are prominent communities of amateur pianists all over the world play at quite a high level and give concerts just because of their love to music. The International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, held annually in Paris and it was only after the competition that he started pursuing a career as a classical pianist. The German pianist Davide Martello is known for traveling around conflict zones to play his moving piano, Martello has previously been recognised by the European parliament for his “outstanding contribution to European cooperation and the promotion of common values”
Pianist
46.
Private pilot
–
A private pilot is the holder of a private pilot license. With a private pilot license, a pilot is allowed to fly aeroplanes of the category, Private pilots are not permitted to profit from any flight. In order to be compensated for services, a pilot must hold a commercial pilot license. Private pilots are allowed to fly in Visual Meteorological Conditions under Visual Flight Rules unless they obtain an instrument pilot rating See instrument rating. A private pilots license is the lowest class license defined by ICAO, ICAO defines three classes of pilots license, Private, Commercial, and Airline Transport Pilot. These three levels are essentially the same worldwide, and most countries recognize those issued by most other countries, the private license allows individual citizens to operate non-commercial aircraft for personal or recreational purposes. Most typical among these types are the manufactured by Cessna, Piper and Beechcraft, in addition to hundreds of amateur. They generally seat two to six people and have engines in the 60 to 300 horsepower range, Private pilots may use their airplane for the purpose of commuting to and from work, however, they may not carry passengers or freight for hire. In some cases, a group of persons may share costs of taking a trip, the types of aircraft one may fly depends on what they are certified for, e. g. Airplane Single Engine land. See Categories and Classes for a list, usually, a newly minted private pilot is certified to fly all planes in the generic category single engine piston, often abbreviated SEP. This includes the Cessna 172, PA-28, Diamond DA40, Robin DR400, more complex types, like those with retractable undercarriage or variable pitch props, require additional training and licensing. The recreational pilot license is similar to the private pilot license, but requires less training and has restrictions on the type of airplane that can be flown, as well as where, a Sport Pilot License allows a person to only operate Light-sport aircraft. They also do not need an FAA Medical, just as a Private Pilot, Sport Pilots are not allowed to be compensated for any flight service, and they are also severely limited on when and where they can fly. Licenses like Recreational pilot and Sport pilot are not governed by ICAO, leaving each country free to define the requirements, in the United States, a person must have a minimum of 40 hours of flight instruction in order to obtain a private pilots license. The forty hours is divided between time spent with the instructor actually in the aircraft and with the student practicing maneuvers, while there are some persons who have obtained their license with only the minimum hours required, most successful candidates complete their checkride between 50 and 65 hours. Prior to being allowed to solo a powered aircraft, the student pilot must obtain a Student Pilot Certificate which is part-and-parcel of the FAAs Airmans Medical Certificate, during private pilot training, the student must be able to meet the requirements of a third class medical. Also, students for a license must be 16 years of age before they are allowed to solo. Students for a rating may be only 14 years old
Private pilot
–
Picture of a flight computer and protractor used in the private pilot course
Private pilot
–
A typical Private Pilot airplane. A Cessna 172M.
Private pilot
–
An
ICON A5 Light Sport amphibious aircraft.
47.
Cirrus SR22T
–
The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine four- or five-seat composite aircraft built from 2001 by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota. It is a development of the Cirrus SR20, with a wing, higher fuel capacity. The SR22 has been the worlds best-selling general aviation airplane every year since 2002 and it is the most-produced GA aircraft made from composite material, accounting for over 30% of the entire piston aircraft market. The Cirrus SR22 is equipped with an emergency recovery parachute system. This has contributed to its success and has given it the name the plane with the parachute. The SR22, certified in November 2000, is a powerful version of the earlier SR20. The SR22 is a cantilever monoplane of composite construction, featuring fixed tricycle landing gear with a castering nose wheel. It is powered by a nose-mounted 310 hp Continental IO-550-N piston engine, the four-seat cabin is accessed through doors on either side of the fuselage. The Cirrus SR22 is equipped with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, in 2004, the company introduced the SR22 G2 and in 2007 the SR22 G3. Both were defined by airframe modifications, G2 by fuselage and G3 by modified wing and landing gear, robert Goyer of Flying magazine wrote in a 2012 review that the Cirrus SR22 is the most sophisticated single-engine civilian airplane ever built and by a long shot. In 2013, the introduced the SR22 G5. Key changes were an increase in weight to 3,600 lb. The G5 received only minor changes for 2014, including integrated LED lighting, in 2014, the SR22 and SR22T had been the best-selling four-to-five-seat fixed-wing aircraft in the world for 12 years in a row. In 2016, Cirrus introduced improvements to the SR Series, including Bluetooth wireless connectivity, remote keyless entry, convenience lighting system, in 2017, the company introduced the SR22 G6, with several major upgrades to the avionics and new navigation lighting. Cirrus introduced the SR22 Turbo in 2006, with a Tornado Alley turbonormalizing upgrade kit and it included twin turbonormalizers and twin intercoolers. The conversion includes built-in oxygen and a Hartzell three-blade lightweight composite propeller, the weight of the conversion reduces the SR22s useful load. Air conditioning is available with the SR22 Turbo, but this reduces the useful load. The turbo version has a ceiling of 25,000 feet, a maximum cruise speed of 211 knots
Cirrus SR22T
–
SR22
Cirrus SR22T
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Cirrus SR22T G3
Cirrus SR22T
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Cirrus SR22 G2 showing how the doors open
Cirrus SR22T
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Cirrus SR22 Gen 5
48.
2002 NBA Playoffs
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The 2002 NBA Playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Associations 2001–02 season. This was the postseason that held a best-of-5 first-round series. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets 4 games to 0, Shaquille ONeal was named NBA Finals MVP for the third straight year. Though they eventually lost to the Nets 4–2, they did create the biggest 4th quarter playoff comeback in Game 3, the Detroit Pistons won their first playoff series since 1991. They would lose in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Celtics in five games, the playoffs also marked the last appearance of the Charlotte Hornets in the playoffs until 2010. The Hornets moved the year to New Orleans, while an expansion team. The Hornets were renamed the Pelicans in 2013, after which the Bobcats reclaimed the Hornets name in 2014, the Hornets also reclaimed the history and records of the 1988–2002 Charlotte teams. The Charlotte Coliseum played host to its playoff game on May 12. The playoffs marked the last time NBC and TBS aired NBA games as regular TV partners of the league, the last TBS-aired game under its various contracts was Game 5 of the Lakers-Spurs series, while Game 4 of the NBA Finals marked the last telecast on NBC. TBS and NBC were replaced with ESPN and ABC the following season, TBS has aired some NBA basketball in the ensuing years due to conflicts on sister network TNT. Pat Riley also missed the playoffs for the first time in his coaching career, the total number of playoff games was 70, including the NBA Finals. The Sacramento Kings clinched the best record in the NBA, and this was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first meeting. The Lakers sweep the Blazers thanks to a series-winning 3 by Robert Horry with 2.1 seconds left in Game 3 and this was the 11th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning eight of the first ten meetings. Dirk Nowitzki was virtually unstoppable in this series, averaging 33 points and 16 rebounds per game and this was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Timberwolves. This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Kings, the Spurs led going into the fourth quarter of all five games, yet were able to win only one. It would be San Antonios final 2 home games in the Alamodome and this was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning five of the first seven meetings. The 2002 Western Conference Finals is widely regarded as one of the best series in NBA playoff history, two games were decided on game winning shots and Game 7 was decided in overtime. However, the series was marred by controversy and allegations of corruption, on June 10,2008, convicted NBA referee Tim Donaghys attorney filed a court document alleging that Game 6 was fixed by two referees
2002 NBA Playoffs
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2004 NBA Playoffs
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The 2004 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Associations 2003–04 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals, chauncey Billups was named NBA Finals MVP. As of the end of 2016 season, the Timberwolves hold the longest active streak without a playoff berth, the Indiana Pacers made the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since their NBA Finals run in 2000, after which they significantly changed the makeup of their team. Game 2 of the series with the Pistons was pivotal, as Tayshaun Prince blocked a lay-up by Reggie Miller late in the game to preserve the victory, the 2004 playoffs was the first appearance for the Memphis Grizzlies in their 9-year history which began in Vancouver. However, they failed to win a game in their first 3 playoff appearances, before earning their first playoff game. This was the last playoff appearance for the New York Knicks until 2011, the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz missed the playoffs for the first time since 1982 and 1983, respectively. This was the Denver Nuggets first playoff appearance since 1995, the New Orleans Hornets made their final postseason appearance as a member of the East. They would not make the playoffs again until 2008, as a member of the West and their playoff series with the Miami Heat, led by Dwyane Wade, was the last playoff series where the home team won all 7 games until 2008s Boston-Atlanta and Boston-Cleveland playoff series. 2004 was the first time in 14 years that all Texas teams made the playoffs, the Indiana Pacers clinched the best record in the NBA, and had earned home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. This was the playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Knicks winning the first two meetings. This was the playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first two meetings. In Game 1, Dwyane Wade hits the game winner with 1.3 seconds left and this was the first playoff meeting between the Heat and the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets franchise. This was the first playoff meeting between the Pacers and the Heat and this was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece. This was the playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first meeting. Champion, Los Angeles Lakers This was the first playoff meeting between the Nuggets and the Timberwolves and this was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning three series apiece. This was the first playoff meeting between the Grizzlies and the Spurs and this was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece. This was the first playoff meeting between the Timberwolves and the Kings and this was the tenth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning six of the first nine meetings. This was the playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first meeting
2004 NBA Playoffs
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The San Antonio Spurs hosting the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals at the
SBC Center.
