The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 and one of eight NBA teams (out of 23 total teams) to survive the league’s first decade, the team is owned by The Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which they share with the National Hockey League (NHL)’s Boston Bruins. The franchise’s 17 championships are the most of any NBA team, and account for 24.3 percent of all NBA championships since the league’s founding in 1946.[4] 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.[note 1]

They have played the Los Angeles Lakers a record 12 times in the NBA finals, including their most recent appearances in 2008 and 2010, where the Celtics have won nine meetings. Four Celtics players (Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Dave Cowens and Larry Bird) have won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for an NBA record total of 10 MVP awards.[5] Their mascot ‘Lucky the Leprechaun’ is a nod to the team’s Irish heritage and to Boston’s historically large Irish population.[6]

The Celtics rose again after struggling through the 1990s to win a championship in 2008 with the help of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen in what was known as the new “Big Three” era, following the original “Big Three” era of the 1980s that featured Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish.

After the end of the second “Big Three” era, general manager Danny Ainge began a rebuilding process with the help of new head coach Brad Stevens, who led the Celtics to a return to the playoffs from 2015 to 2017. During the 2016–17 season, the Celtics clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They faced the Chicago Bulls in the first round and then the Washington Wizards in the second round winning in 7 games. The Boston Celtics then lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 5 games after Isaiah Thomas was injured.

 

Source:wikipedia

IBL History

Basketball has a long history in Indonesia. Since the 1930s, although not yet officially an independent country, several cities in Indonesia have their own local clubs. Not long ago the national sports parent, during the National Sports Week held in Solo in 1948, basketball has become one of the sporting events that competed and got quite lively both in terms of participants and spectators. Three years later, on October 23, 1951, the All-Indonesia Basketball Association was born, and later renamed the Indonesian Basketball Association (Perbasi) in 1955. Following the outcome of the VIII Congress to VIII in 1981, Perbasi finally held a competition Among the basketball clubs in Indonesia which is the highest competition followed by big clubs coming from the island of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi. April 3, 1982 is a historic date for the world of baskets in Indonesia. On that day, the match between Rajawali Jakarta Club took place in the spirit of Sinar Surya Yogyakarta thanks to the start of the first Basketball Competition (Kobatama) Competition as well as the beginning of the long history of the top club competitions in Indonesia. Indonesia Muda Jakarta listed itself as the first club to win the prestigious title of Champion Kobatama. Kobatama as an amateur basketball competition rolls for 20 years and lasts until the end of 2010. In 2003, the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) professional competition was held and attended by 10 top teams in Indonesia. Aspac Jakarta became the first winner in 2013. In 2004, Satria Muda emerged as a new power. Aspac in the grand final and appear to be the champion. Aspac won the championship title back in 2005. The following years (2006-2009) belonged to Satria Muda Jakarta.In addition to the regular annual competition, IBL also holds the IBL Cup Tournament at the beginning or end of the season. In 2009, Satria Muda Jakarta beat Pelita Jaya Jakarta in the final held at GOR C-Tra Arena Bandung. In 2008, Garuda Bandung successfully stole the previous IBL Cup Tournament title, in 2006 and 2007 also belonged to Satria Muda. Unfortunately, the development of IBL did not go as expected. After repeatedly changed the promoter, the league threatened to disband at the end of 2009. All club representatives of the participants asked PT DBL Indonesia to appear as a manager. Previously, DBL Indonesia was considered successful in managing Development Basketball League (DBL), the largest student basketball league in Indonesia, which in 2010 had reached 21 cities in Indonesia, followed by 25,000 players and officials. To reinstate this professional league, re-branding is inevitable. Starting 2010, IBL changed its name to National Basketball League (NBL) Indonesia. A number of changes were made, trying to increase the number of matches, bringing this league closer to the fans again. With NBL, Indonesia also has a new hope, a new spirit.

NBA History

The NBA began life as the Basketball Association of America in 1946 and played under that monkier for 3 years before, in 1949, merging with the National Basketball League and changing names to the NBA. The BAA started out with 11 teams in 1946 but lose four of them before the start of the next season. Despite the loss of four teams the BAA was having a lot of success against its rival the NBL and was able to entice four of the NBL’s premire franchises to join the BAA in 1948.When the two leagues merged in 1949 it brought the total number of teams to 16 but the new league would quickly start losing teams. After just six years the number of teams had dropped to just 8. Financial troubles plagued the league from the start and this was especially true for the NBL teams that joined during the merger due to them being in smaller seasons. The owner of the Fort Wayne Pistons, a former NBL team, named Frank Zollner was key in keeping the NBA financially afloat during this time. The NBA continued with 8 teams from 1955 until 1961 when the Chicago Packers joined the league. The Packers, now the Washington Wizards, are not considered to be the first expansion team, that distriction goes to the Chicago Bulls because the Bulls, who joined in 1966, had an actual expansion draft. From 1966 until 2004 the league seen an expansion boom with a total of 21 teams joining the league.

The NBA has always been a league that was dominated by what some historians have called “teams of the era”. The early decades of the NBA were dominated the Minneapolis Lakers and their star George Mikan. From 1948 until 1954 the Lakers won 5 NBA championships. From 1957 until 1969 the Boston Celtics won 11 championships in 13 seasons and the 1980s was dominated by the Lakers and Celtics who combined to win 8 of the 10 titles during that decade. The 1990s saw the rise of Michael Jordan‘s Chicago Bulls; who would capture 6 titles during the decade. The 2000s saw the Lakers again being domiante winning 5 titles during the decade. Only the 1970s and 2010s, as of today, did not see a franchise win at least 4 NBA titles.

In the 1960s as the NBA was going through a growth spurt by adding new teams, a rival spring up to challenge it in the ABA. The ABA would last from 1967 until 1976 when it merged with the NBA.

The 1980s saw the league and the game of basketball grow termendously and a lot of that had to do with the rivalry of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. The two have become the defination of what a rivalry is supposed to be and their teams would dominate the decade. Because of this rivalry a lot of interest grew in the America about the NBA and the first major TV deals started to be signed as well as another wave of expansion.

The 1990s saw the age of Jordan. No person in team sports perhaps has had such an impact that extended out side of the game. Jordan became the NBA and perhaps even bigger than the league. Had it not been for a two year retirement Jordan may have won 8 maybe 10 NBA titles.

The post Jordan NBA seen an increase in international players joining the NBA. The 2000s were truely an international league as players from every corner of the globe started joining the NBA and many of them, such as Dirk Nowitzki, started to find success in the league.

Now half way through the 2010s there are a lot of possibilites as to what direction the NBA could go. How big of a legacy will Lebron James have? What new locations will the NBA be in during the next 5 years? and what new legands have yet to set foot on an NBA court? Only time will tell.

 

Source : nbahoopsonline.com

 

Basketball History

The history of basketball began with its invention in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts by Canadian physical education instructor James Naismith as a less injury-prone sport than football. The game became established fairly quickly and grew very popular as the 20th century progressed, first in America and then throughout the world. After basketball became established in American colleges, the professional game followed. The American National Basketball Association (NBA), established in 1946, grew to a multibillion-dollar enterprise by the end of the century, and basketball became an integral part of American culture.

Source: Wikipedia.org