Minggu, 29 November 2009

UN Dihapus, DKI Siapkan Standar Nilai Provinsi

JAKARTA--Amar putusan Mahkamah Agung (MA) yang mengharuskan Departemen Pendidikan Nasional (Depdiknas) menghapuskan penyelenggaraan ujian nasional (UN) bagi tingkat SMP, SMA, serta tingkat sederajat, masih menjadi polemik. Sambil menunggu keputusan dari Depdiknas, Dinas Pendidikan DKI kini sedang menyiapkan standar nilai provinsi sebagai penentu standar kelulusan untuk menggantikan standar nilai UN bagi siswa SMP dan SMA DKI.

Kepala Dinas Pendidikan DKI Jakarta, Taufik Yudi Mulyanto, mengatakan, hingga saat ini pihaknya masih menunggu keputusan dari Departemen Pendidikan Nasional (Depdiknas) apakah akan melakukan amar putusan MA soal penghapusan penyelenggaraan ujian nasional (UN) bagi tingkat SMP, SMA, serta tingkat sederajat atau tidak

Kendati demikian, Dinas Pendidikan DKI sedang menyiapkan standar nilai UN yang akan diberlakukan jika Depdiknas menyatakan akan menghapus UN mulai tahun 2010. “Kami berinisiatif sendiri untuk mempersiapkan standar provinsi. Sebenarnya, untuk menentukan standar nilai kelulusan, sangat sulit jika diterapkan secara lokal dan sporadic,” kata Taufik Yudi di Jakarta, Jumat (27/11).

Namun Taufik berpendapat, jika UN harus dihapus, akan cukup merepotkan seluruh pihak. Sebab, UN diperlukan untuk mengukur kemampuan siswa dalam bersaing mencapai nilai tertinggi, serta sebagai penentu standar nilai dan angka kelulusan, baik secara regional maupun nasional.

Siswa SMP dan SMA serta tingkat sederajatnya mampu bersaing dengan siswa yang bersekolah di sekolah swasta atau sekolah khusus untuk anak-anak warga negara asing (WNA) yang saat ini sudah menjamur keberadaannya. “Justru dengan UN, siswa bisa lebih terpacu untuk meningkatkan kemampuannya. Jika alasan dihapusnya UN lantaran banyak daerah yang tidak mampu menjangkau tingkat kelulusannya, solusinya bukan UN dihapus. Tapi, bagaimana menpersiapkan siswa lebih siap lagi,” tegasnya kepada beritajakarta.com.

Jika benar-benar UN dihapuskan Depdiknas, Taufik menekankan sebagai ibu kota Indonesia, Provinsi DKI siap menjadi pelopor mencari alternatif. Dalam waktu dekat, para pakar pendidikan akan dikumpulkan untuk merumuskan metode baru dan mencari alternatif apa yang paling bisa dilakukan untuk meningkatkan kualitas pendidikan di ibu kota. ahi
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Waspada Kandungan Kalori Popcorn

Waspada Kandungan Kalori Popcorn CORBIS

GURIH: Waspadai asupan garam yang tinggi dari makanan gurih yang Anda konsumsi, seperti semangkuk popcorn atau chips kentang. Hal itu dapat memicu tekanan darah tinggi.

JAKARTA--Apakah Anda penggemar film yang senantiasa ditemani dengan seporsi popcorn dan minuman bersoda? Jika ya, sebaiknya Anda mulai mengurangi konsumsi kedua hidangan favorit itu. Berdasarkan riset yang dilakukan lembaga nirlaba di AS menyebutkan mengkonsumsi popcorn berukuran medium sama saja dengan menghabiskan 3/4 burger.

Lembaga itu juga mencatat Popcorn berukuran combo mengandung 1.160 kalori dan menyimpan lemak seberat 60 gram dalam tiga hari. Untuk ukuran kecil mengandung 670 kalori atau sama saja menghabiskan satu pizza ukuran personal.

"Terlalu sulit bagi warga AS untuk menjaga berat badan sekalipun berusaha keras mengurangsi porsi sarapan, makan siang dan malam," tukas Jayne Hurley, Nutrisionis asal Center for Science in the Public Interest (Semacam Puskesmas di AS) seperti yang dikutip dari Healthday, baru-baru ini.

Seperti diberitakan sebelumnya, Pemerintah AS dikejutkan dengan persoalan obesitas yang kian mengkhawatirkan. Kalangan medis ataupun lembaga kesehatan di AS menuntut pemerintahan Obama untuk mengatur regulasi khusus terkait masalah restoran yang menyajikan makanan ala junk food. Mereka berpendapat, hanya dengan regulasi yang ketat masalah obesitas di AS dapat ditekan. cr2/rin

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Fabregas Menikmati Jadi Kapten

Fabregas Menikmati Jadi KaptenWORPRESS.COM

CESC FABREGAS: Dikabarkan ingin balik ke Barca

LONDON--Ditunjuk sebagai kapten tim Arsenal sejak pertengahan musim lalu, Cesc Fabregas mengaku menikmati tanggung jawab barunya itu.

"Saya banyak belajar sejak menjadi kapten," ungkapnya di situs resmi UEFA.

Dia menuturkan pengalamannya, mulai dari merasa kesulitan saat pertama kali mengemban tugas tersebut, hingga merasa lebih mampu menjadi kapten di musim ini.

"Saya tahu tanggung jawab saya, tugas saya dan saya merasa semua orang membantu dan mendukung saya," ujar Fabregas lagi.

Karena itulah, dengan semangat dan dukungan dari banyak pihak, dia yakin bisa mengantar The Gunners menuai sukses di masa mendatang.

"Saya berharap bisa mengukir musim yang bagus bersama Arsenal. Saya sudah bermain di sejumlah laga final dan bersaing untuk titel Liga Primer Inggris, dan saya sangat senang dengan cara klub fokus memenangi tropi. Saya yakin kami bisa juara musim ini," tandas Fabregas. goal.com/itz

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Pasar Asuransi Syariah makin Kompetitif

Pasar Asuransi Syariah makin KompetitifREPUBLIKA

Gedung Asuransi Syariah Mubarakah

Industri asuransi syariah di Indonesia terus berkembang. Ini ditandai dengan makin banyaknya perusahaan asuransi syariah yang bermunculan.

Asuransi jenis ini kini menjadi alternatif lain bagi masyarakat yang menginginkan perlindungan atas diri dan keluarganya. Prinsip syariah yang dikembangkannya menjadi kelebihan tersendiri dibandingkan asuransi konvensional.

Melihat pasar yang masih besar tersebut, perusahaan asuransi asing pun mulai mengincar market di dalam negeri. Ini akan membuat industri asuransi makin kompetitif. Pakar asuransi syariah yang juga ketua umum Insurance Islamic Society (IIS), Muhammad Syakir Sula, mengatakan setidaknya akan ada tiga asuransi asing yang membuka unit syariah di 2009, yaitu Manulife, Sequislife, dan Sunlife.

Agar asuransi syariah lokal dapat bersaing dengan asuransi syariah asing tersebut, kata Syakir, mereka harus mengembangkan produk-produk inovatif di tahun mendatang. ''Selain itu, asuransi syariah lokal juga harus lebih taat masuk ke pasar, melakukan inovasi produk, sumber daya manusia (SDM)-nya diperbaiki dan modalnya dikembangkan,'' ujarnya beberapa waktu lalu.

Harus diakui, jelasnya, ketika asuransi asing membuka unit syariah, pertumbuhannya jauh lebih baik dari asuransi lokal. Penyebabnya, perusahaan asuransi asing benar-benar serius dalam mempersiapkan unit syariahnya. Untuk itu, asuransi lokal harus lebih serius dan optimal dalam mempersiapkan diri saat akan membuka unit syariah, baik dalam sosialisasi, SDM, dan modal.

Meski demikian, ia meyakini saat ini adalah era kebangkitan asuransi syariah lokal. Pasalnya, asuransi lokal secara finansial tidak terlalu terkena dampak krisis dan memiliki potensi kuat untuk bertahan kecuali asuransi syariah yang menyimpan dananya di pasar modal. ''Sedangkan perusahaan asuransi luar negeri bisa saja terkena dampak, karena sumber mereka adalah dari negara-negara yang terkena krisis seperti Eropa, Amerika, atau Jepang. Sedangkan asuransi syariah lokal hanya terkena riak-riak gelombang krisis ekonomi,'' jelasnya.

Direktur Utama PT Asuransi Syariah Mubarakah, Salim Al Bakry, menyambut baik adanya unit asuransi syariah asing. ''Kami senang saja karena masyarakat akan semakin teredukasi tentang asuransi syariah, dan niat mereka juga baik untuk mengembang kan asuransi syariah, tak hanya sekedar alasan bisnis,'' kata Salim.

Direktur Syariah, PT Asuransi Allianz Life Indonesia, Kiswati Soeryoko, mengakui potensi pasar asuransi syariah di Indonesia masih sangat besar. Karena itulah Allianz, raksasa asuransi asal Jerman pun tertarik masuk ke bisnis asuransi syariah di Indonesia. ''Selain potensi pasar yang sangat prospektif, Allianz juga berkomitmen menjadi penyedia layanan asuransi yang lengkap, sesuai dengan moto Allianz 'Solusi Asuransi dari A - Z bagi masyarakat Indonesia'. Apapun yang dibutuhkan berkaitan dengan proteksi, maka Allianz adalah pilihan utamanya,'' tutur Kiswati Soeryoko kepada Republika beberapa waktu lalu.

Salim mengemukakan, pasar asuransi di Indonesia, lanjutnya, masih cukup luas. Pemegang polis asuransi Indonesia termasuk terendah di Asia Tenggara yaitu kurang dari 10 persen. Untuk itu perlu adanya kerja sama edukasi dari pelaku perusahaan dan akademisi tentang betapa pentingnya asuransi. Hadirnya berbagai asuransi syariah asing, akan memacu Mubarakah untuk makin memperbaiki diri. ''Kehadiran asuransi lokal akan dapat memberi efek ganda karena dana akan tetap di Indonesia. Selain itu, juga bisa membangun sektor riil dan membuka lapangan pekerjaan,'' kata Salim.


Memasuki 2009, Mubarakah pun memiliki sejumlah strategi demi mencapai target premi Rp 1,5 triliun. Di antaranya adalah perluasan jaringan distribusi, jaringan kantor cabang dan pengembangan produk. 'Selain itu kami juga akan meningkatkan pelayanan asuransi untuk merebut pasar.

Pengembangan SDM
Hal penting yang harus diperhatikan oleh industri syariah Indonesia untuk bisa bersaing dengan pemain asing adalah meningkatkan kualitas sumber daya manusia (SDM). Hal ini menjadi sesuatu yang kata kunci guna mencapai pertumbuhan yang lebih tinggi di tahun ini.

Terkait dengan hal itu, Asosiasi Asuransi Syariah Indonesia (AASI) akan meningkatkan pengembangan sumber daya manusia (SDM) nya. Ketua AASI, M Shaifie Zein, mengungkapkan, SDM merupakan kunci penting di industri syariah. Karena itu kemampuan teknis mereka harus ditingkatkan karena akan banyak pesaing global yang masuk. ''Asuransi asing tersebut memiliki permodalan, jaringan dan portofolio yang cukup besar. Hal itu menjadi keuntungan tersendiri bagi mereka. Untuk itu SDM asuransi syariah kita harus ditingkatkan,'' katanya baru-baru ini.

Syakir Sula menambahkan, untuk meningkatkan kualitas SDM asuransi syariah, maka diperlukan sertifikasi hingga tingkat agen. Pasalnya, menjual produk asuransi syariah tak sama dengan asuransi konvensional. Saat ini rencana sertifikasi tersebut masih dalam proses dan diperkirakan dapat diberlakukan pertengahan tahun ini. ''Untuk menyiapkan materi workshop, bagaimana sistem sertifikasinya kira-kira membutuhkan waktu tiga sampai empat bulan,'' kata Syakir.
Dalam workshop tersebut, peserta akan diberikan materi tentang ilmu syariah dan etika penjualan produk sesuai prinsip Islam. Hal tersebut, lanjut Syakir, bukan berarti agen harus mengenakan pakaian muslim dalam memasarkan produknya, namun paling tidak memiliki gaya berpakaian sopan.

Dengan adanya sertifikasi tersebut, Syakir pun yakin hal tersebut dapat mendorong pertumbuhan asuransi syariah. Rata-rata pertumbuhan premi asuransi syariah antara 30 persen hingga 40 persen. ''Dengan adanya sertifikasi, maka pertumbuhan premi dapat melebihi 50 persen,'' tandas Syakir Sula.

Direktur Utama Harahap Business Consulting, Hadry Harahap pun menyatakan hal senada. Untuk mendukung pertumbuhan asuransi syariah, sertifikasi tak hanya di level manajemen, namun juga hingga level marketing. ''Sertifikasi hingga level marketing diperlukan agar mereka memiliki kapabilitas dan kompetensi cukup dalam menjual produk syariah,'' kata Hadry.jar/yto

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Sabtu, 07 November 2009

NBA

National Basketball Association

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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"NBA" redirects here. For other uses, see NBA (disambiguation).
National Basketball Association
Current season or competition:
2009–10 NBA season
NBA Logo.svg
NBA logo depicting Jerry West
Sport Basketball
Founded 1946
Commissioner David Stern
No. of teams 30
Country(ies) United States
Canada
Most recent champion(s) Los Angeles Lakers (15)
Most championships Boston Celtics (17)
TV partner(s) ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBA TV
Official website NBA.com

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league, composed of thirty teams in North America (twenty-nine in the United States and one in Canada). It is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB),[1] which is recognized by the International Basketball Federation as the National Governing Body (NGB) for basketball in the United States. The NBA is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues, which include Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL).

The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).[2] The league adopted the name National Basketball Association in 1949 after merging with the rival National Basketball League (NBL). The league's 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, New Jersey.

Contents

[hide]

[edit] History

[edit] 1940s: The BAA years

Main article: Basketball Association of America

The Basketball Association of America was founded in 1946 by the owners of the major ice hockey arenas in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. On November 1, 1946, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens, which the NBA now regards as the first game played in the league's history.[3] Although there had been earlier attempts at professional basketball leagues, including the American Basketball League and the NBL, the BAA was the first league to attempt to play primarily in large arenas in major cities. 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 league's 1948 title, and the 1948 NBL champion Minneapolis Lakers won the 1949 BAA title.

[edit] 1950s: The early years

On August 3, 1949, the BAA agreed to merge with the NBL, creating the new National Basketball Association. The new league had seventeen franchises located in a mix of large and small cities, as well as large arenas and smaller gymnasiums and armories. In 1950, the NBA consolidated to eleven franchises, a process that continued until 1954, when the league reached its smallest size of eight franchises, all of which are still in the league (the Knicks, Celtics, Warriors, Lakers, Royals/Kings, Pistons, Hawks, and Nationals/76ers).

The process of contraction saw the league's smaller-city franchises move to larger cities. The Hawks shifted from "Tri-Cities" (the area now known as the Quad Cities) to Milwaukee (in 1951) and then to St. Louis (in 1955); the Royals from Rochester to Cincinnati (in 1957); and the Pistons from Fort Wayne to Detroit (in 1957). In 1960, the Lakers relocated to Los Angeles, and the Warriors moved to San Francisco in 1963. The following year, the Nationals left upstate New York to bring basketball back to Philadelphia, changing their nickname from "Nationals" to "76ers." Thus far, out of the original eight franchises, only the Knicks and Celtics have not relocated.

Although Japanese-American Wataru Misaka technically broke the NBA color barrier in the 1947–48 season when he played for the New York Knicks, 1950 is recognized as the year the NBA integrated. This year witnessed the addition of African American players by several teams, including Chuck Cooper with the Boston Celtics, Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton with the New York Knicks, and Earl Lloyd with the Washington Capitols.

During this period, the Minneapolis Lakers, led by center George Mikan, won five NBA Championships and established themselves as the league's first dynasty. 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 field goal (or the ball fails to make contact with the rim) within 24 seconds of obtaining the ball, play is stopped and the ball given to its opponent.

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 the dominant individual star of the 1960s, setting new records in scoring (100) and rebounding (55). Russell's rivalry with Chamberlain became one of the great individual rivalries in the history of American team sports.

[edit] 1960s: The Celtics Dynasty

The 1960s were dominated by the Boston Celtics. Led by Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach, the Celtics won every championship in the NBA from the 1958-1959 season through 1965-1966. The streak is the longest in NBA history at 8 in a row. They did not repeat in 1966-1967 but regained the title in the 1967-1968 season and repeated in 1968-1969. The domination totaled nine of the 10 championship banners of the 1960's.[4]

Through this period, the NBA continued to strengthen with the shift of the Minneapolis Lakers to Los Angeles, the Philadelphia Warriors to San Francisco, and the Syracuse Nationals to Philadelphia, as well as the addition of its first expansion franchises. The Chicago Packers (now Washington Wizards) became the 9th NBA team in 1961. From 1966 to 1968, the league expanded from nine teams to fourteen, introducing the Chicago Bulls, Seattle SuperSonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder), San Diego Rockets (who relocated to Houston four years later), Milwaukee Bucks, and Phoenix Suns.

In 1967, the league faced a new external threat with the formation of the American Basketball Association. The leagues engaged in a bidding war. The NBA landed the most important college star of the era, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor). However, the NBA's leading scorer, Rick Barry jumped to the ABA, as did four veteran referees—Norm Drucker, Earl Strom, John Vanak, and Joe Gushue.

[edit] 1970s: The NBA vs. the ABA

The American Basketball Association also succeeded in signing a number of major stars, including Julius Erving of the Virginia Squires, in part because it allowed teams to sign college undergraduates. The NBA expanded rapidly during this period, one purpose being to tie up the most viable cities. From 1966 to 1974, the NBA grew from nine franchises to 18. In 1970 the Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Buffalo Braves (now the Los Angeles Clippers) all made their debuts expanding the league to 17. The New Orleans Jazz (now in Utah) came aboard in 1974 bringing the total to 18. Following the 1976 season, the leagues reached a settlement that provided for the addition of four ABA franchises to the NBA, raising the number of franchises in the league at that time to 22. The franchises added were the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and New York Nets (now the New Jersey Nets). Some of the biggest stars of this era were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Rick Barry, Dave Cowens, Julius Erving, Walt Frazier, Artis Gilmore, George Gervin, Dan Issel and Pete Maravich.

[edit] 1980s: Magic vs. Bird

The league added the ABA's innovative three-point field goal beginning in 1979 to open up the game. That same year, rookies Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson joined the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers respectively, initiating a period of significant growth in fan interest in the NBA throughout the country and the world. Bird went on to lead the Celtics to three titles, and Johnson went on to lead the Lakers to five. Also in the early '80s, the NBA added one more expansion franchise, the Dallas Mavericks, bringing the total to 23 teams. Later on, Larry Bird won the first two three-point shooting contests ever.

[edit] 1990s: The Jordan era

Michael Jordan entered the league in 1984 with the Chicago Bulls, providing an even more popular star to support growing interest in the league. This resulted in more cities demanding teams of their own. In 1988 and 1989, four cities got their wishes as the Charlotte Hornets (now the New Orleans Hornets), Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Minnesota Timberwolves made their NBA debuts.

Jordan and Scottie Pippen would lead the Bulls to six championships in eight years during the 1990s. Hakeem Olajuwon won back-to-back titles with the Houston Rockets in '94 and '95, during Jordan's first retirement.

The 1992 Olympic basketball Dream Team, the first to use current NBA stars, featured Michael Jordan as the anchor, along with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, Charles Barkley, and Christian Laettner.

In 1995, the NBA expanded to Canada with the addition of the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors. In 2001, the Vancouver Grizzlies were relocated to Memphis, which left the Raptors as the only Canadian team in the NBA.

In 1996, the NBA created a women's league, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

In 1998, the NBA owners began a lockout which lasted 191 days and was settled on January 18, 1999. As a result of this lockout the 1998–99 NBA season was reduced from 82 to 50 games. San Antonio won the championship on June 25 by beating the New York Knicks, the first, and to this date, the only 8th seed to ever make the NBA Finals.

[edit] 2000s: Lakers and Spurs

Since the break-up of the Chicago Bulls in the summer of 1998, the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs have combined to win the title in 8 of 11 years, and one or the other has won the Western Conference title every year except in 2006 (when the Dallas Mavericks won the conference title). Tim Duncan and David Robinson won the 1999 championship with the San Antonio Spurs, and Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant started the 2000s off with the three consecutive championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs reclaimed the title in 2003 against the Nets. In 2004 the Lakers returned to the Finals, only to fall to the Detroit Pistons. The following off-season, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat while the Spurs won their third championship in 2005. Miami with Dwyane Wade and O'Neal won the title in 2006 against the Dallas Mavericks.

The dominance of the Western Conference continued in the 2006–07 season with the triumph of the San Antonio Spurs in 2007 over the Cleveland Cavaliers. 2008 saw a rematch of the league's highest profile rivalry, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, with Boston prevailing. Kobe Bryant won his first NBA MVP award in his 12th season after leading the Lakers to their first conference title since the departure of Shaquille O'Neal. The Lakers returned to the Finals in 2009, this time winning over the Orlando Magic.

[edit] International influence

Following pioneers like Dražen Petrović (Croatia) who joined the NBA in the late 1980s, an increasing number of international players have moved directly from playing elsewhere in the world to starring in the NBA. Below is a short list of foreign players currently in the league:

On some occasions, young players, most but not all from the English-speaking world, have attended U.S. colleges before playing in the NBA. Notable examples are Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon (top draft pick in 1984, 12-time All-Star, 1994 MVP, and Hall of Famer), German Detlef Schrempf (Sixth Man Award winner in 1991 and 1992), Canadian Steve Nash (2005 and 2006 MVP) and Australians Luc Longley (3-times champion with the Michael Jordan led Chicago Bulls in 1990s) and Andrew Bogut, (top draft pick in 2005). Currently, the Toronto Raptors have the most international players in the NBA. The NBA is now televised in 212 nations in 42 languages.

Since 2006, the NBA has faced Euroleague teams in exhibition matches in the NBA Europe Live Tour.

The 2009–10 season season opened with a record of 83 international players on the opening night rosters, tying the record set in the 2006–07 season.[5]

[edit] Other developments

In 2001, an affiliated minor league, the National Basketball Development League, now called the NBA Development League (or D-League) was created. Before the league was started, there were strong rumors that the NBA would purchase the CBA, and call it its developmental league, as the Continental Basketball Association was its "minor league" affiliate for years.

In 2004, two years after the Hornets relocation to New Orleans, the NBA returned to North Carolina as the Charlotte Bobcats were formed.

In 2005, the Hornets relocated to Oklahoma City for two seasons. This was required due to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. In 2007, the Hornets returned to New Orleans.

On June 29, 2006, a new official game ball was introduced for the 2006–07 season, marking the first change to the ball in over 35 years and only the second in 60 seasons. Manufactured by Spalding, the new ball featured a new design and new synthetic material that Spalding claimed offered a better grip, feel, and consistency than the original ball. However, many players were vocal in their disdain for the new ball, saying that it was too sticky when dry, and too slippery when wet.

On December 11, 2006, Commissioner Stern announced that beginning January 1, 2007, the NBA would return to the traditional leather basketball in use prior to the 2006–2007 season. The change was influenced by frequent player complaints and confirmed hand injuries (cuts) caused by the microfiber ball.[6] The Players' Association had filed a suit in behalf of the players against the NBA over the new ball.[7] As of 2006, the NBA team jerseys are manufactured by Adidas, which purchased the previous supplier, Reebok.

On July 19, 2007, the FBI investigated allegations that veteran NBA referee Tim Donaghy bet on basketball games he officiated over the past two seasons and that he made calls affecting the point spread in those games.[8] On August 15, 2007, Donaghy pleaded guilty to two federal charges related to the investigation. However, he could face additional charges if it is determined that he deliberately miscalled individual games.

In June 2008, it was announced that the Seattle SuperSonics would be rendered inactive and the franchise itself would relocate to Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma City Thunder began playing in the 2008–2009 season. This marks the third NBA franchise to relocate in the past decade.

On October 11, 2008, the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets played the first outdoor game in the modern era of the NBA at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

On September 1, 2009, the contract between the NBA and its referees expired. On October 1, 2009, the first preseason games were played and replacement referees from the WNBA and NBDL were used. The last time replacement referees were used was beginning of the 1995-96 season.[9] The NBA and the regular referees reached a deal on October 23, 2009.[10]

[edit] Teams

See also: List of defunct National Basketball Association teams

The NBA originated in 1946 with 11 teams, and through a sequence of team expansions, reductions, and relocations currently consists of 30 teams. The United States is home to 29 teams and one is located in Canada. The Boston Celtics have won the most championships with 17 NBA Finals wins. The next most successful franchise is the Los Angeles Lakers, who have 15 overall championships (10 in Los Angeles, 5 in Minneapolis), including the most recent one. Following the Lakers are the Chicago Bulls with six championships, all of them over an 8-year span during the 1990s, and the San Antonio Spurs with four championships, all since 1999.

The current league organization divides thirty teams into two conferences of three divisions with five teams each. The current divisional alignment was introduced in the 2004–05 season.

Division Team City/Area Arena Founded Joined Head Coach
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Boston Celtics Boston, MA TD Garden 1946 Doc Rivers
New Jersey Nets East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center 1967 1976 Lawrence Frank
New York Knicks New York City, NY Madison Square Garden 1946 Mike D'Antoni
Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center 1946* 1949 Eddie Jordan
Toronto Raptors Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre 1995 Jay Triano
Central Chicago Bulls Chicago, IL United Center 1966 Vinny Del Negro
Cleveland Cavaliers Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena 1970 Mike Brown
Detroit Pistons Auburn Hills, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills 1941* 1948 John Kuester
Indiana Pacers Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse 1967 1976 Jim O'Brien
Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center 1968 Scott Skiles
Southeast Atlanta Hawks Atlanta, GA Philips Arena 1946* 1949 Mike Woodson
Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena 2004 Larry Brown
Miami Heat Miami, FL American Airlines Arena 1988 Erik Spoelstra
Orlando Magic Orlando, FL Amway Arena 1989 Stan Van Gundy
Washington Wizards Washington, D.C. Verizon Center 1961* Flip Saunders
Western Conference
Northwest Denver Nuggets Denver, CO Pepsi Center 1967 1976 George Karl
Minnesota Timberwolves Minneapolis, MN Target Center 1989 Kurt Rambis
Oklahoma City Thunder Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center 1967* Scott Brooks
Portland Trail Blazers Portland, OR Rose Garden 1970 Nate McMillan
Utah Jazz Salt Lake City, UT EnergySolutions Arena 1974* Jerry Sloan
Pacific Golden State Warriors Oakland, CA Oracle Arena 1946* Don Nelson
Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles, CA Staples Center 1970* Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles, CA Staples Center 1946* 1948 Phil Jackson
Phoenix Suns Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center 1968 Alvin Gentry
Sacramento Kings Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena 1945* 1948 Paul Westphal
Southwest Dallas Mavericks Dallas, TX American Airlines Center 1980 Rick Carlisle
Houston Rockets Houston, TX Toyota Center 1967* Rick Adelman
Memphis Grizzlies Memphis, TN FedExForum 1995* Lionel Hollins
New Orleans Hornets New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena 1988* Byron Scott
San Antonio Spurs San Antonio, TX AT&T Center 1967 1976 Gregg Popovich
Notes
  1. An asterisk (*) denotes a franchise move. See the respective team articles for more information.
  2. The Fort Wayne Pistons, Minneapolis Lakers and Rochester Royals all joined the NBA (BAA) in 1948 from the NBL.
  3. The Syracuse Nationals and Tri-Cities Blackhawks joined the NBA in 1949 as part of the BAA-NBL merger.
  4. The Indiana Pacers, New York Nets, San Antonio Spurs, and Denver Nuggets all joined the NBA in 1976 as part of the NBA-ABA merger.

[edit] Regular season

Following the summer break, teams hold training camps in October. Training camps allow the coaching staff to evaluate players (especially rookies), scout the team's strengths and weaknesses, prepare the players for the rigorous regular season, and determine the 12-man active roster (and a 3-man inactive list) with which they will begin the regular season. Teams have the ability to assign players with less than two years of experience to the NBA development league. After training camp, a series of preseason exhibition games are held. The NBA regular season begins in the first week of November. During the regular season, each team plays 82 games, 41 each home and away. A team faces opponents in its own division four times a year (16 games), teams from the other two divisions in its conference either three or four times (36 games), and teams in the other conference twice apiece (30 games). This asymmetrical structure means the strength of schedule will vary significantly between teams.

As of 2008, the NBA is one of only three major leagues in North America (besides the Canadian Football League) in which teams play every other team during the regular season (the others being the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer). Each team hosts and visits every other team at least once every season. However, this results in each team playing nearly double the number of games against teams from the opposite conference (30) as teams in their own division (16).

Milwaukee Bucks playing the Charlotte Bobcats in a regular season game

In February, the regular season pauses to celebrate the annual NBA All-Star Game. Fans vote throughout the United States, Canada, and on the Internet, and the top vote-getters at each position in each conference are given a starting spot on their conference's All-Star team. Coaches vote to choose the remaining 14 All-Stars. Then, Eastern conference players face the Western conference players in the All-Star game. The player with the best performance during the game is rewarded with a Game MVP award. Other attractions of the All-Star break include the Rookie Challenge, where the top rookies and second-year players in the NBA play against each other in a 5-on-5 basketball game; the Skills Challenge, where players compete to finish an obstacle course comprising of shooting, passing and dribbling in the fastest time; the Three Point Contest, where players compete to score the most amount of three-point field goals in a given time; and the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, where players compete to dunk the ball in the most entertaining way according to the judges. These other attractions have varying names which include the names of the various sponsors who have paid for naming rights.

Shortly after the All-Star break is the trade deadline, which is set to fall on the 16th Thursday of the season (usually in February) at 3pm Eastern Time.[11][12] After this date, teams are not allowed to exchange players with each other for the remainder of the season, although they may still sign and release players. Major trades are often completed right before the trading deadline, making that day a hectic time for general managers.

Around the end of April, the regular season ends. It is during this time that voting begins for individual awards, as well as the selection of the honorary, league-wide, post-season teams. The Sixth Man of the Year Award is given to the best player coming off the bench (must have more games coming off the bench than actual games started). The Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the most outstanding first-year player. The Most Improved Player Award is awarded to the player who is deemed to have shown the most improvement from the previous season. The Defensive Player of the Year Award is awarded to the league's best defender. The Coach of the Year Award is awarded to the coach that has made the most positive difference to a team. The Most Valuable Player Award is given to player deemed the most valuable for (his team) that season. Additionally, Sporting News awards an unofficial (but widely recognized) Executive of the Year Award to the general manager who is adjudged to have performed the best job for the benefit of his franchise.

The post-season teams are the All-NBA Team, the All-Defensive Team, and the All-Rookie Team; each consists of five players. There are three All-NBA teams, consisting of the top players at each position, with first-team status being the most desirable. There are two All-Defensive teams, consisting of the top defenders at each position. There are also two All-Rookie teams, consisting of the top first-year players regardless of position.

[edit] Playoffs

Main article: NBA Playoffs

NBA Playoffs begin in late April, with eight teams in each conference going for the Championship. The three division winners, along with the team with the next best record from the conference are given the top four seeds. The next four teams in terms of record are given the lower four seeds.

Having a higher seed offers several advantages. Since the first seed begins the playoffs playing against the eighth seed, the second seed plays the seventh seed, the third seed plays the sixth seed, and the fourth seed plays the fifth seed, having a higher seed means a team faces a weaker team in the first round. The team in each series with the better record has home court advantage, including the First Round. This means that, for example, if the team who receives the 5 (five) seed has a better record than the team with the 4 (four) seed (by virtue of a divisional championship), the 5 seed would have home court advantage, even though the other team has a higher seed. Therefore, the team with the best regular season record in the league is guaranteed home court advantage in every series it plays. For example, in 2006, the Denver Nuggets won 44 games and captured the Northwest Division and the #3 seed. Their opponent was the #6 seeded Los Angeles Clippers, who won 47 games and finished second in the Pacific Division. Although Denver won its much weaker division, the Clippers had home-court advantage and won the series in five games.

The playoffs follow a tournament format. Each team plays a rival in a best-of-seven series, with the first team to win four games advancing into the next round, while the other team is eliminated from the playoffs. In the next round, the successful team plays against another advancing team of the same conference. All but one team in each conference are eliminated from the playoffs. Since the NBA does not re-seed teams, the playoff bracket in each conference uses a traditional design, with the winner of the series matching the 1st and 8th seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the 4th and 5th seeded teams, and the winner of the series matching the 2nd and 7th seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the 3rd and 6th seeded teams. In every round except the NBA Finals, the best of seven series follows a 2-2-1-1-1 home-court pattern, meaning that one team will have home court in games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while the other plays at home in games 3, 4, and 6. For the final round (NBA Finals), the series follows a 2-3-2 pattern, meaning that one team will have home court in games 1, 2, 6, and 7, while the other plays at home in games 3, 4, and 5. The 2-3-2 pattern in the NBA Finals has been in place since 1985.

The final playoff round, a best-of-seven series between the victors of both conferences, is known as the NBA Finals, and is held annually in June. The victor in the NBA Finals wins the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Each player and major contributor—including coaches and the general manager—on the winning team receive a championship ring. In addition, the league awards a Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award to the best performing player of the series.

On August 2, 2006, the NBA announced the new playoff format. The new format takes the three division winners and the second-place team with the best record and rank them 1–4 by record. The other 4 slots are filled by best record other than those other 4 teams. Previously, the top three seeds went to the division winners.

[edit] International competitions

The National Basketball Association has sporadically participated in international club competitions. From 1987 to 1999 the NBA champions played against the continental champions of the Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) in the McDonald's Championship. This tournament was won by the NBA invitee every year it was held. FIBA is organizing a new World Club Championship to begin in 2010, and currently plans to invite the NBA champions starting in 2011.[13]

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