The National Basketball Association is based in New York, America. 29 of its 30 teams are based in America, with the exception being the Toronto Raptors of Canada. Beginning in 1946, the NBA now has a rich history. Many teams that are featured today have had a long history in the field of Basketball. There are two conferences in the NBA, the Western Conference, and the Eastern Conference. Both conferences have 15 teams divided into three divisions (6 altogether). This quiz will test what you know about the teams that make up the NBA. So, grab your orange basketball and dive into our quiz.
One of the oldest and most revered teams in the NBA is the Boston Celtics. Founded in 1946, they were one of the NBA’s original eight. Due to their long history, the Boston Celtics are seen as one of the most successful teams of the NBA. Along with rivals Los Angeles Lakers (prior to 1960 were known as Minneapolis Lakers), the Boston Celtics hold the most titles won in NBA history. Each team holds 17 titles. Out of the 21 finale appearances, the Boston Celtics has won 17 titles, and out of the 32 finale appearances, the Minneapolis/ Los Angles Lakers won 17 titles. The 1960’s was considered the era of the Boston Celtics. In the 1960’s, the Boston Celtics won 9 times in the decade. The only loss this team had was in 1967 to the Philadelphia 76ers. For the Boston Celtics, this era was called the Bill Russell Era. It was also during this time that the legendary rivalry between the Lakers and Celtics began as they would constantly clash in the finals.
Whenever two teams are in the finals, things are always going to get heated. During the 2006 NBA championships, the Dallas Mavericks were defeated by the Miami Heat. This was a huge deal for the Miami Heat, as this was their first ever championship. They also became the third team, behind the 1969 Boston Celtic and 1977 Portland Trail Blazers, to win the championships after losing the first two games. This championship was notable for other reasons.
During this championship, there was a league dress code put into effect this season. The NBA became the first association to have such a code. This code banned fashions most often associated with hip-hop culture. Things such as jeans, large jewelry and Timberland (or lookalike) boots were now forbidden. Instead, players were told to wear business or conservative attire when arriving and departing games, official charity events, when benched due to injury and at press conferences. This dress code is said to have linked to the celebrity status and image of these athletes.
Athletes are not just playing the game and then disappearing. They are now public figures and must maintain an image to get more brand deals and work. Micheal Jordan, at the height of his popularity in the 1990’s, starred in the cartoon-adaptive cult classic Space Jam (1996). LeBron James is going to star in the reboot of Space Jam in Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021).
However, this dress code did receive criticism from both a business standpoint and a personal standpoint. The business standpoint was that multiple athletes were sponsored by casual sportswear such as Adidas and Nike. The dress code makes it hard for these athletes to promote (as many would have to because of contracts) these clothes. Another criticism was that the dress code seems to be exclusively targeting things associated with black culture and hip-hop. It should be said that during the Black Lives Matter protests, many basketball players wore jerseys with the movement logo onto the field.
A year before this, during an NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, a brawl began between the Indiana Pistons center Ben Wallace and Pacers small forward Ron Artest after a foul. After this was sorted, a fan threw a drink at Artest. What ensued was a massive brawl that included both players and fans that lasted several minutes. This brawl resulted in a suspension of 9 players for a total of 146 games, 5 players being charged with assault (eventually serving a year on probation and community service) and 5 fans being permanently banned from The Palace (the home turf of the Detroit Pistons). This brawl made basketball players look dangerous because they were seen as attacking their fans. This did not look good for the NBA’s public image. The red on their logo was not meant to be blood.
Another team with consecutive NBA titles is the Chicago Bulls. The Chicago Bulls won 3 consecutive NBA titles in 1991, 1992 and 1993. In 2019, the Toronto Raptors became the NBA champions after beating the Goldern State Warriors. This was also the first time that the Raptors appeared in the NBA finals. With any sport, a team might be good in one era, but then need more work in another. In the latest NBA finals, the Milwaukee Bucks (who were beaten by the Toronto Raptors in 2019 just before the finals) beat the Pheonix Suns to be reigning champions.
