NBA HISTORY, FIRST PART

In this update we find the first part of the history of the NBA, from which emerge the best basketball players, as we have seen so far.

I hope you enjoy it a little more to know other countries and their cultures in sport.

In 1946 when the war just ended. A group of men, mostly owners of some sport halls of different American cities, meet at Madison Square Garden in New York, in order to find alternatives to fill its halls with more than hockey and boxing, what attracted alcanzanba much public but to fill the stadiums for an entire year. They start thinking about something completely different to be able to complete the calendar. Furthermore, the context of the American population needed a new entertainment. These men see in basketball the ideal event to achieve their goals. Thus, the June 6, 1946 the birth of what will become the most fantastic machine show and dollars of world sport, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) (which years later will become the signature NBA). The first charge is Maurice Podoloff, president of Hockey League (NHL). Eleven cities are fortunate to welcome a team to represent them, they are essentially located on the coast cities: New York, Chicago, Boston, Providence, Toronto, Cleveland, St. Louis, Washington, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

The main problem is presented to the newly formed BAA is that the number of basketball leagues created from the thirties is huge. A league in particular, brings together the best players in the country, the National Basketball League (NBL), which is comprised of teams located mainly on the west coast. This league is already well established for 1946.

 BAA has dollars and rooms, but lacks players of talent and expertise. This lack of players forces the owner to create a new policy to end the problem. This new policy is to recruit the best university in order to form a championship that combines the speed, talent and experience players.

Another important point is the establishment of the calendar, which is made up of three stages, the regular season, the playoffs and the finals of the championship.

 The first season is a success. The Warriors team becomes the first champion of the BAA. The press contributes to the development of the league, the newspapers, radio and television broadcast some of the games. Warriors players pocketed $ 2,000 for his victory.

Since the creation of the league, everybody talks about George Mikan, the best player in the NBL Chicago American which had been offered the largest salary of all history, $ 12,000 each year for cambiarce to BAA. However decided to switch to the Minneapolis Lakers team in the NBL. The media and public are surprised at the decision of the pivot that then dominated the league.

This constitutes an obstacle to the development of BAA. The passing season, in 1948, 60 games to 48 games per year. Four teams left the league - Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. All disaster for BAA. But fortunately in 1948, he begins the real adventure NBA, when four teams join the NBL BAA- Indianapolis, Rochester, Fort Wayne and Minneapolis Lakers-

This is how the Lakers dynasty begins within the BAA. They win their first championship before Washington in the final (4-2). George Mikan became the first star of the league scoring many points per game.

From next season, the NBL can no longer follow the pace imposed by the BAA. The last six franchises join the BAA to form the National Basketball Association (NBA) ,. Mikan will again be the leading scorer (27.4 points). Despite a difficult organizing the playoffs, and the Minneapolis Lakers star George Mikan takes his second title.

NBA failed to manage the new NBL franchises. As the number of computers 17, 11 in 1950 passes.

At this time it arises one of the most memorable teams of all time the Boston Celtics. This team is undoubtedly the one that produces the most spectacular game. Bob Cousy, the Celtics leading epitomizes this style of play dictated by the coach Red Auerbach.

In 1952-53, George Mikan gets his third title with the Lakers and was nicknamed as the "Big Man" of the NBA and became the first player legend.

Fans comenzan to lose interest in the matches, the game is too slow, the barrier of one hundred points is an almost inaccessible summit is why in 1954, Danny Biasone, owner of "Syracuse Nationals" presented a proposal to the leaders to limit the time of possession in the attack, which would give more mobility to the game.

This rule was a success. In the first game where the new rule ended with a high score of 98 -95 one of the greatest results from the creation of the league I was used. The average point of 79.5 to 93.1 passes. The Celtics become the first team to more than 100 points per game. This rule saved the NBA.

In 1956 the beginning of a new era begins. A player named Bill Russell of the University of San Francisco 22 is selected by the Boston Celtics. He dazzled the world at the Olympic Games and reaches the franchise Red Auerbach. The best player of the Celtics began to write its history in the NBA endowed with great defense that would be decisive in his career. Boston is qualified for the Finals and obliges St. Louis Hawks to show Party 7. Russell hit in the game with 19 points and 32 rebounds. Bob Pettit encestaría in the last second to give the victory to his team, so Boston gets its first championship, the first in a long series of eleven titles in thirteen years. Throughout this period, the Celtics would be almost untouchable. Twelve players of Boston between 1956 and 1969 would be part of the Hall of Fame. Russell helped his team in all aspects of the game averaging over 15 rebounds per game, and making more locks than any other player in history .. Unfortunately, the locks were not counted then. Surely he averaged ten blocks per game.

In 1966, Red Auerbach decided to retire after acquiring nine titles. Bill Russell will become the coach-player of the next season. He had some difficulty learning the ropes of the trade and Philadelphia took the title in 1967. Russell still acquired two titles before retiring in his long career of 35 years. Boston won nine consecutive titles from 1958-1966, NBA record.

This sovereignty of the Celtics could almost make us forget another giant: Wilt Chamberlain. After a stint with the Harlem Globetrotters, Chamberlain average. 37.6 points and 27 rebounds per game. He ended up leading the two statistical categories, won the title of Player of the Year and Rookie MVP title.

In the 1961-62 season, the player would certainly things that can never be matched by any other player. On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point mark against the New York Knicks and end the season with 50.4 points and 25.7 rebound average. Chamberlain was a monster. Media 2.13m and weighing 125kg which made him a dominant player. Despite this supremacy, only he acquired two titles, one with Philadelphia in 1966 and one with the Lakers in 1972, which remains the team best ever.

In addition to Chamberlain, the Lakers team had the services of Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Jim McMillan and Riley. Chamberlain achievement in this team to 33 straight wins.

After Mikan, Russell and Chamberlain, a giant room appear in the seventies Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after three degrees in the best team of all time, UCLA, Lew Alcindor comes to the NBA. Come in an intelligent and tall player so he was hired to play for the Milwaukee Bucks and only in the second season with the team manages to get the title. Other important players were sententa Julius Erving, Oscar Robertson, Frazie.

The NBA was becoming an important part of sports history, with their teams and their stars. However in 1967 a new league called the American Basketball Association (ABA) is created

Chamberlain retires at the end of the 37th season of his career but remains in the coaching of San Diego in the newly created league (ABA).

The thirty-second NBA season will be won by the Washington Bullets, 4-3 to Seattle. The pivot Wes Unseld is elected Finals MVP. This season will be characterized by the suspension of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for beating Kent Brenson, Bucks rookie.

At this time the eyes of the fans were not put into the NBA but rather in the NCAA where two players offered a bitter struggle: Larry Bird of Indiana State and Earvin Johnson from Michigan State. The latter gets the title for his university. The seventies were not dominated by any team, in fact there were eight different winners in ten years.

However, a hierarchy is quickly drawn in the eighties with a rivalry between the Lakers and Celtics. BIRD and Johnson will dominate the debates since 1980. Boston goes from 29 wins in 1979-61 victories in 1980 but the Lakers sweep in the finals the Celtics. Also at this time Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers seemed to have made a second youth as one of the best seasons of his career. This final pass to history as one of the most beautiful of all time. Despite an injury in Game, Kareem turns back to score a total of forty points.

In the sixth game, May 16, 1980, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is removed from the game. His wound was too serious so get Magic Johnson tube as a pivot in the fourth quarter. The Lakers get the title with a score of 123 to 107. Magic I became 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists to achieve decisive victory.