Our NBA Short Film

Short Description

The following video is a short film or mockumentary that our blogging group made which follows the life of an upcoming NBA superstar who in this case is Tony. On the other hand, the two other members played roles of being a mentor and coach for Tony, who were played by Gabriel and Kevin respectively.

This was filmed and edited over a course a few days using two cameras, a tripod, and an external microphone. The location you see within the video is filmed completely around the campus of Macquarie University, along with editing for extra aesthetic.

Contributions

Kevin - Responsible for mainly directing, writing, editing, filming, and playing the role of a coach within the video.

Gabriel - Contributions to writing, filming and playing the role of a mentor within the video.

Tony - Contributions to filming, providing props, suggesting the filming location, and playing the main role as the uprising NBA superstar.

Toronto Raptors onto the ECF

On Sunday night playoff match, Game 7 between the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors, most people were on the edge of their seats to see who would come victorious and advance to the semi-finals of the NBA season. Raptors with the home court advantage on this tiebreaker decision maker showed who really was the better team with great finesse and teamwork, the Raptors came up on top to win Game 7 and send the Heat packing back to the sunny state of Miami, (89-116).
Kyle Lowry led the charge putting up 35 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists with Demar DeRozan backing him up with 28 points and 8 rebounds. The Raptors showed great teamwork with their starting line up scoring more than 10 points each and a total of 50 team rebounds to break through with the lead in the 4th quarter, outscoring the Heat (30-11 in the 4th).

(Video Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yQfaPnrBck)

The Toronto Raptors proceed to the Eastern Conference Finals where they match up against Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, whilst the Oklahoma City Thunder meet the Golden State Warriors for the Western Conference Finals. These games are not to miss, stay tuned! 

(Image from: https://basketball-society.com/2014/10/20/part1-eastpreview/)

The Champion Ring of NBA

People who likes NBA will know about the champion ring. The champion ring is an annual award given by the National Basketball Association to the team that wins the Final Games. Rings are presented to the team’s players and coach. The ring have been handed out since the first NBA finals in 1947. And it consist of silver or gold include team name which win the finals and year of winner with player name. Rings make by hands only. Usually it was made by 75-100 workers and takes average 10 weeks to finish. Obviously, each ring is expensive.

(source:http://fullcourtstars.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kobe-bryant-muse-showtime-documentary-01.jpg)

The ring is expensive not only because of its value. It also represent reputation. Every player in NBA will feel honour to get these rings. And it’s the best souvenir for every player who was played in NBA. Philip Jackson was got the maximum 13 rings in the history of NBA. But most of these ring got in his coach period. Bill Russell has the most rings as a player (11).

(source:https://sportsweeksportslist.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/what-20-players-have-the-most-world-series-rings-that-what-sports-list-of-the-day-readers-want-to-know-the-most.jpg)

Those famous NBA players with familiar names such as Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan also got many rings. Here are pictures that the player shows champion rings.

(source of image:http://images.complex.com/complex/image/upload/c_limit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_680/xqvcpw6latd8nuvquag7.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Phil_Jackson_3_cropped.jpg)

Future Star

After fierce competition for days, I have some summary and ideas about the top 5 board based on the conversations with executives and scouts during the combine activities. The first one is Ben Simmons. He is not simply tracked by the NBA from his native Australia to high school but Simmons was the consensus No. 1 at the start of the season and held the spot as his LSU one-and-done season ended with the Tigers. The second one is Brandon Ingram. As a freshman, Ingram has enough ball handing skills and is so smoothing. He is good at creating his own shot on the perimeter or playing above the rim when he moves inside. The third one is . As the European background. he's a bit of Kristaps Porzingis. But the difference between them is that Bender is better distributor and KP has better range. The forth one is Jaylen Brown. Brown was the Pacific 12 Conference Freshman of the Year. He is a a great open-court player, a good rebounder for a wing and the potential to be a high-level defender. He is elite athleticism. And the last one is Kris Dunn.He is the top 10 barring an unexpected development. Though some front offices don't like that Dunn, he is more developed physically and emotionally .

(imagesource:https://s3media.247sports.com/Uploads/Assets/793/520/26_3520793.jpg,http://cdn.slamonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/dragan-bender-e1449561180898.jpeg,http://content.sny.tv/assets/images/2/8/2/167478282/cuts/Brandon_Ingram_1si3v5fm_7t5jolal.jpg.http://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ben-simmons-is-everything-you-want-him-to-be-is-that-enough-1451949518.jpg.)

The Miami Heat vs. the Toronto Raptors - Game 6

What a crazy series! This game has allowed the Heat to bring in a 7th game against the Raptors due to their most recent win of 103-91. This does bring an awesome series into the world of NBA but we also have to consider that whoever comes up on top in this series alone will be very tired. As a result the Cavaliers may have an easy game coming back onto the court since there will be a long rest period for them. Funnily enough, this makes the Cavaliers the real winners in the end. Who knows, maybe we'll also see an 8th game coming up through some crazy turn of events.

Both reams played great but I should mention Toronto's offense was lacking just a bit throughout this game. With nothing really exciting happening, we even find Joseph taking a nap in the middle of the play. In my opinion, he hasn't been playing to his full potential lately with some questionable plays pushing the game into overtime and losing in the end. Maybe the Raptors could've taken the game if it weren't for these small mistakes? In the end, I can't imagine how frustrating it could be to be a Raptors fan and witness this game.

Watch some of the highlights below.

Image source: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/S9AfewyCE1E/maxresdefault.jpg

Spurs knocked out of the playoffs!

Today the San Antonio Spurs faced off with the Oklahoma City Thunders, potentially for the last time if OKC got the win and that was just the case! OKC took out their round 2 opponents with a convincing lead, winning Game 6, 113-99 on their home turf.
The Thunder move onto the next round, which is the Western Conference Finals.
Major factors contributing to their victory was a 17-2 run in the 2nd quarter with Kevin Durant knocking down a 3-pointer withe 2.3 seconds on the clock. Kevin Durant scored 37 for the night with a staggering 9 rebounds (all defensive) and Russell Westbrook put on a spectacular guard performance with double-double stats of 28 points and 12 assists. A well deserved win by the OKC Thunders.

At the Western Conference Finals, the OKC Thunders face off against the reigning champs Golden State Warriors and the current MVP Steph Curry who swept the Portland Trailblazers  (4-0) Wednesday night. This matchup will be very close with both teams being of high caliber play and expertise, without a doubt this these two teams are the best of the best and will showcase a display of blood, sweat and tears. Join the NBA on the 16th of May as the Conference Finals kick off, make sure not to miss out on these highly anticipated games.

Image source: http://blackathlete.net/2014/12/thunderous-christmas-san-anto-thunder-beat-spurs/

Spurs vs Thunder in Game 5

I was excited that with the score of 95:91 Thunder vs Spurs, Thunder has won yesterday game. This success gave credit to Westbrook who leads Thunder pasts Spurs for 3-2 lead. And because Thunder railed in the forth quarter to beat the Spurs on yesterday night and take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.  In the game, Westbrook had 35 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. He had sealed the victory with a three-point play with 6.3 seconds remaining, scoring after the Spurs weren't able to foul him intentionally and he drove for a layup while being fouled. Before that Tony Parker missed the second of free throws to make it to 92-91. Parker also missed a 12-foot jumper. So after an erratic first half Westbrook had settled and committed six of the Thunder's 13 first-half turnovers.Now there is a really hard situation for Spurs. They lost game5 which means Thunder win one more game can weed Spurs out. Here is a video to show some wonderful moment of game.

Could Westbrook and Durant be the best duo in the NBA?

Without a doubt Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are both outstanding players who are feared by most of the league. Kevin Durant's size, stamina and ability to shoot the ball make him a big man with skill whilst Russell Westbrook's speed, power and finesse makes him one of the best guard's in today's league. With incredible basketball IQ, combined they're an unstoppable force, breaking and shattering the oppositions defence. So could it be that these two that we are witnessing are the best duo in the league today?

From today's game (Game 5) of the OKC Thunder vs. the SA Spurs we saw Russell Westbrook gave it his all whilst clutching it in the final moments of the game to break away from this nail bitter to give the OKC the W and a lead on the games won (3-2). Westbrook dropped 35 points and 9 assists, unquestionable from the season leader in assists, whilst KD dropped 23 points and 6 rebounds to secure the game.

What sets them apart from all else duos in the league is their chemistry, with their 7th consecutive season playing together, you could say that they're used to each other, they know the ins and outs of each playing style and use it to their advantage every game whilst utilising their teammates to secure every win as possible.

Image from: http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/oklahoma-city-thunder-russell-westbrook-kevin-durant-mock-super-bowl-020816

The way these two play today is reminiscent of the reign and terror of the vintage Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. It's unquestionable that this pair is one of the best duos in the NBA today, if not THE best.

Funny guy in NBA

(Image source:https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/1c/6d/6b/1c6d6b30521d64fb14ff7cc1592a4c80.jpg)

Everyone knows Shaquille O’Neal who was one of the best centre in NBA . In his peakedness career period, he was played in Orlando Magic (1992-1996), Los Angeles Lakers(1996-2004 which got 3 champions in this period ) , and Miami Heat(2004-2008 got one champion). And got some wonderful record such as 61 score, 28 rebound, 10 assists in one match respectively.  Also he got 28596 score, 13099 rebound, 3026 assists, 739 steals, and 2732 block in his total career period. These data in centre position is really high. He was played 15 times in All-Star game and got the most value player many times.  

Who was the best centre in NBA. You may speak out many names. But who was the most funny player in NBA? The answer should be Shaquille O’neal. Lots of  NBA funny moment was created by O’Neal , such as play street dancing with Lebron James and Howard in All star games, was played with YaoMing like shooting guard,played a role of Christmas bear, host NBA funny talk show, or even as a guest in Justin Biber’s concert, singing “baby” with him. Here is a video to shows some funny moment by Shaquille O’Neal. 

The Miami Heat vs. the Toronto Raptors - Game 4

With an ending score of 94-87 in favour of the Heat, you would definitely expect a nail-biting experience to ensue when watching this game. However, these are one of those game where it wasn't the case. Both sides put in all their effort but we did not see the game we were hoping to see. From a vanilla looking offense by Toronto to little ball movement by both sides. And to top this all off, we witnessed one of the most anticlimactic shots of all time with a jump-ball. Mind you, I actually found that rare shot to be quite amazing. Have a look below and you'll see why.

Derozan's performance

Definitely a player which I can easily identify for their questionable performance. One of the biggest drop-offs in performance was witnessed by many viewers this game. From the bad decision-making to terrible plays, Derozan had it all. I don't want to put the complete blame on him but his plays definitely contributed to the loss.


Based on the overall game, it was not one of the best series for my entertainment but regardless, these games are always entertaining to watch as everything is very unexpected, whereby you'll never what could happen.

Check out the highlights below.

The Cleveland Cavaliers vs. The Atlanta Hawks

Just an incredibly close match to watch in game 4, ending on 100-99 in favour of the Cavaliers and with only one point that made all the difference. As a result this gives the Cavaliers much time to rest up before the bigger games in the Eastern Conference finals. The Cavaliers gave an excellent performance these playoff, which have allowed them to succeed for straight wins.

Lebron James' performance was also incredible and should be pointed out. Scoring 21 points he gave the team significant leverage in making it into the winning side of the game. One interesting point in the game for me, was when James had a video review overturn a call that Cleveland had knocked the ball out of bounds. Soon after, James was on the wind against Millsap. Amazingly, James was able to score which allowed the Cavaliers to surpass the Hawks once again, pushing them to 100-97.

This was a turning point that gave the Cavaliers the motivation to gain stronger defense - which allowed them to take the series and wipe out the Hawks.

Kevin Love's playoff performance

Just wanted to give mention to Kevin Love for his exceptional performance. Apart from scoring 27 points in this game. During the playoffs, Love can only be described as an undefeated man. Not only has he been giving a consistent performance throughout the playoffs but he remains to be undefeated in the fact that he has never lost a game within the playoffs. Here's a simple breakdown of his career performance thus far:

• 4-0 against the Celtics in 2015
• 4-0 against the Pistons in 2016
• 4-0 against the Hawks most recently in 2016

Check out some highlights below:

Image source: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/b3IyGA0XHuY/hqdefault.jpg

San Antonio Spurs vs OKC Thunder Game4

(source:http://sas.suplitodomedia.com/articles_images/GamblersPalace/SA-SPURS-vs.-OKC-THUNDE.jpg)

San Antonio Spurs vs OKC Thunder Game4 was finished yesterday. The total score of each team is 97-110.  In Spurs, Parker got the highest score 22 with 3 assists. Leonard got 21 and Aldridge 20  respectively.In OKC Thunder,Kevin Durant who's one of the best shooting guard in NBA got 41 which is the highest score in the game. Now the total score of Western Conference Semi Finals is 2-2. It means the next game is important for both terms.  Winner of next game can get psychological advantage and match point. 

I was watch Spurs's match from 2004. The of team were consisted by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. They were from different countries which always made magic game in NBA. Although total age of three "old man" exceed than 120. So in the next game. Hoping Spurs can play well and show the OKC boys that younger is better but experience is the best for basketball.

Naismith memorial basketball hall of fame

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is known to be both an American history museum and hall of fame, located in Massachsetts. Holding great amounts of knowledge and history it is considered to be one of the most complete sporting history museums. With its opening in 1959, much time has passed over the years, and as of 2015 being its most recent induction ceremony, the Basketball Hall of Fame had honoured 345 individuals and 10 teams.




Image source: https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/12893045_f520.jpg

History of the Springfield building

The Naismith Hall of Fame was established in 1959 by Lee Williams.

Established by Lee Williams in the 1960s, the Basketball Hall of Fame had troubles with funding from the beginning. Regardless of the hardship the place was officially opened in Feb. 17, 1968. The Basketball Hall of Fame's Board named four inductees in its first year. During the time of 1979, the Hall of Fame sponsored the Tip-Off Classic, which is known to be a college basketball exhibition.

Popularity began to grow and grow where up until 1985, the erection to an $11 million facility was constructed. Years after the construction, the Basketball Hall of Fame's second facility drew far more visitors than ever anticipated, due to both the incredible architecture but also the rising popularity of the game itself.

As time passed by, the second Basketball Hall of Fame was converted into an LA Fitness health club. The current Basketball Hall of Fame however, features Center Court, a full-sized basketball court on which visitors can play. Along with many other interactive exhibitions and modern displays of technology.




Image source: http://1090593.nwinetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/baksetball_hall_1.jpg

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame displayed lots of pictures of famous basketball players who make the contribution to basketball or representation of NBA, Names were well-known by all people around the world such as: Wilt Chamberlain (who’s legend basketball centre was got 100 points in one match in NBA and the record never break up until today). Micheal Jordan ( famous basketball player around the world). Earvin Johnson, Larry Bird, John Stockton…and so on. These famous name is being part of NBA history. Lots of famous were played by these famous players. One person should be mentioned. Yao Ming also become a member on the memorial hall on 4th Apirl 2016. I’m so proud of Yao who’s the first Chinese basketball played well-known by world. 

Image source: http://i.cdn.turner.com/drp/nba/rockets/sites/default/files/yao_1170x780.jpg

Continue reading on the Wiki article

The Portland Trail Blazers defeat The Golden State Warriors

The Portland Trail Blazers vs. The Golden State Warriors - Game 3

Going into this game, I had high hopes for the Golden State Warriors to take this one home especially with a star player such as Stephen Curry. Unfortunately for me and fortunately for many others, I was wrong. The Portland Trail Blazers, took this one in the bag scoring 120-108 in their favour.

From the start I was definitely expecting a strong match from both teams, there's no doubt about that. In the previous games, we've seen a strong contestant in the Portland team - Dame Lillard, who has consistently played to his best. One notable trend to point out is that Lillard has amazingly scored over 40 points for all of the three games at home against the Golden State Warrirors. To add further to Lillard's strong game ability, he is definitely someone you would not want to face on the opposing team to you, as every time there was a glimmer of hope for the Golden State Warriors when Klay or Green take the ball, we just find it to shattered soon after Lillard gets his hands on the ball.

Overall, a great performance by Dame Lillard, with another honourable mention to Draymond Green for his showcase of talent as well, which definitely helped out with keeping the scores high for the Golden State Warriors. His efforts should not go unnoticed as I was simply blown away.

Please find some awesome highlights of the game below.

Sources

Image: http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1054920/TeamMatchupsWarriors.jpg

Cleveland Cavaliers defeat Atlanta Hawks

Lebron's crash

One memorable moment to take away from this game is simply Lebron's amazing ability to manage his team but to also check on his fans. We can witness him crashing into fans at one point, however he quickly got up and made sure his fans were okay before going straight back into the game again.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks - Game 3

Again, it was just great to witness a good game of basketball in the NBA after a long week. Such a relaxing way to just spend the weekend by witnessing some amazing shots by such talented players. Especially to see such a well-known player such as Lebron James giving it his best. Honestly, I was expecting a good game from the beginning, as this was the third game and we'd expect teams to get a rough idea of how things should be playing out by the opposing team.

Straight from the beginning we see a good start by both teams with the Hawks making the first 2 point score. With amazing plays by both teams it was expected that the game would be quite close or at least very neck-and-neck. This was exactly what we were witnessing, along with tremendous plays by the talented bunch.

I's like to point out that Kevin Love definitely put in a great effort this game by having such a strong defensive game. With his defensive skills almost lacking for the majority of the playoff, we got to see a significant improvement this game, and this was clear within the second half of the game. It was great to see!

In the end the final score was 121-108 with The Cavaliers taking home the win. After all, it was a well deserve win based on the teams cohesiveness and sheer talent-pool.

Check out the game below!

A great basketball player

To talk about a great basketball player as my first blogger -- Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American retired professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Bryant is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All NBA team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He Led the NBA scoring during two seasons, and ranks third on both the league's all time regular and all time postseason scoring lists. He holds the NBA record for the most seasons playing with one franchise for an entire career. Kobe Bryant is son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, Kobe Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High school in Pennsylvania, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He declared for the NBA drift upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets, who traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam, and he was named an All-Star by his second season. Despite a feun between them. Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. At 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points. He is also the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. Following his second year in the league, Bryant was chosen to start every All-Star Game until his retirement for a record 18 consecutive appearances, and his four All-Star awards are tied for the most in NBA history. At the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.he won gold medals as a member of the U.S.national team.

As we know, Micheal Jorden is the most famous basketball player in history. "If Bryant can play basketball in the same period with Jorden, who will win the game or become the most famous player? " I always see this discussion question. Now in my opinion, both of them are the best. Using words to discribe Jorden and Bryant respectively. Jorden can be represented by "genius" and " love".  He love play basketball since young child. From childhood period, Jorden shows  more genius skill on basketball than others. Bryant can be represented by "insist" and "clinging". He was used more time than any others for training everyday. Pricticing shooting again and again. He was insist on the match even in badly injured.  Now Bryant already retirement a month. I wanne add a video for commemorate this great basketball player.

Kyle Lowry goes for the unthinkable

One of Lowry's last plays sent the game into overtime with less than a second to spare on the timer, unfortunately the same can be said for his most recent game but for all the wrong reasons. With only moments to go of the game, you'd think there would be a pretty high chance of an overtime but with Lowry in possession of the ball, it was all hopes and dreams for him to make an amazing play and make it an easy win for the Raptors. However, this wasn't what we saw at all. What we saw was Lowry taking his time to make his way up the court and attempting to make a 3-pointer to win the game. Unfortunately this resulted in just an airball - causing the game into overtime. In my opinion he could've simply went for a 2 and guaranteed a win there and then instead of extending the game further. 

It's quite obvious the Lowry simply wanted to play the hero and make an amazing shot, but at the same time this placed his whole team in danger of losing. Thankfully for Lowry, the Raptors ended up winning, but by only a small amount with 96-92.

Based on the recent games of this series, we can almost expect there to be 7 games due to the plays witnessed after overtime.

The Toronto Raptors vs. The Miami Heat - Game 2

This game was just another great one to witness, with an amazingly close performance by both teams. At the beginning we find the Heat starting off strong with the Raptors only a few points behind trying to catch up. Only moments later into the game we find the Raptors catching their way up and surpassing the Heat with 13-12 with a soon to be 23-15 lead. 

One great play by the Heat was the deny by Richardson on Lowry, simply amazing to see the tables turn so quickly in this fast paced game. Overall, the regular time finishing of this game was great with so many amazing plays, but we can find that this was quite the opposite after overtime with some pretty anticlimactic plays.

Watch some of the highlights below to see what I mean.

A record broken!

Atlanta Hawks vs Cleveland Cavaliers - Game 2

As Gab pointed out in the previous post, the Cavaliers are definitely a strong powerhouse as shown in their most recent performance. I thought I’d just highlight a very interesting point from that specific game between the Hawks and Cavaliers. It’s the fact that a record was actually broken! As said by the TNT crew whilst I was watching this game, the highest recorded number of successful 3-pointers in a game is 23, and 21 in a playoff game. Notably, within this recent game, a total of 25 3-pointers were witnessed by many viewers, and was of course achieved by the Cavaliers. Absolutely smashing the previous 2 records mentioned out of the court. Such an amazing feat shown from this match and definitely one that I did not expect to see myself as well.

However, with the way the NBA is looking this year around, I am sure that this record will be broken again within only a couple of years. Overall, it was definitely an insane match to watch!

Atlanta no match for the almighty Cavs

Game 2 of the second round: Atlanta Hawks vs Cleveland Cavaliers is a blow out!
You'd expect a much more interesting match for a second round bout, but in no way, shape or form is the Atlanta Hawks a solid matchup for Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers line up. Although the Hawks lost Game 1 by 11 points (104 - 93), you would want them to do better as the round progressed. Currently live in the 4th quarter, the Hawks are down 27 points with 9 minutes left on the clock. Lebron James leads the charge with 27 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds whilst J.R. Smith is showcasing tremendous shooting, sinking 7 of 13 attempted shots from the 3-point line.

Atlanta Hawks need to step up their game with better performance if they want to compete for the Western Conference Finals.

Kyle Lowry sends it into overtime

Miami Heat vs. Toronto Raptors - Game 1

What can I say? This game was simply an amazing one to witness. The majority of the game was neck and neck with Heat in the lead by only a few points. Even though I'm only a new viewer I could definitely appreciate this quality display of sports. Just watching the video above you will witness Lowry sending the game into overtime when he throws the ball straight into the hoop with less than a second left on the buzzer, not only that but from the half-way point! Making an extremely difficult shot is one thing, but to make such a critical shot of the game is another. It is no secret the Lowry is considered to be an NBA player receiving a lot of backlash for his skill. But this shot has proved many fans wrong in his favour.

Unfortunately for Lowry the game ended with The Heat beating The Raptors with 102-96. But overall, it was a very intense game where the points were constantly close to each other by only a few points. However, in the end, the main highlight is definitely that crucial shot by Lowry making it into the hoop.

Please find some highlights of the game below for your own entertainment if you had happen to miss such an amazing game.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

Sorry for this blog post being so delayed! I've been quite busy with other things in life which has also caused a delay in when I'm able to watch the game. This was actually one of the first games I've watched from the NBA, and I gotta say it is very intense to watch whilst keeping me on the edge of my seat at all times (and I didn't even watch it live). Therefore it should be noted that I just wanted to make this post as a way of sharing my first experience with you guys.

The Game - San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Game 1)

Going into the game, I had no idea who was going to win or who the team really were, but that didn't deter me from getting more and more into the game. I'm glad that this was my first time witnessing a game because I did indeed recognise a few players such as Durant, Aldridge, and Leonard.

From the beginning of the game it was already filled with excitement as the Spurs took possession and went straight for the first dunk by Kawhi Leonard. Other notable plays that really caught my eye was a shot that Aldridge was still able to make even though he fell over, simply incredible. Within only 30 minutes or so it was obvious that the Spurs were a relentless force with 38 points on the scoreboard.

Overall, it was amazing effort from both teams but definitely an unexpected result with the Spurs striking out the Thunder (horrible pun intended). If you missed out on action, watch the highlights below for the entertainment.

Image source: http://cdn3.oddsshark.com/cdn/farfuture/YLQJCDo12ANe3xgTNYRmzcwy5EDePFefbKEjOW4xTFY/mtime:1378231087/sites/default/files/sb_news/2012/05/25/spurs-thunder-western-conference-odds.jpg

What you need to know

Basics

So I thought it would be wise to first introduce what the NBA is all about and how exactly basketball is played. As easy as it may look to just throw a ball into the opposing team's basketball hoop, basketball does in fact involve a lot of rules that many are unaware of. This is the perfect starter's guide to getting into the sport and to have a better viewing or playing experience.

What is the NBA?

NBA stands for the National Basketball Association, and is considered to be the most well-known association when it comes to the sport of basketball - making it one of the most viewed sports in the world. Notably, there are an overall number of 30 teams within the association.

Originally it was referred to as the Basketball Association of America which was founded in 1946, in areas of the United States and Canada. However, during the year of 1946, on the 1st of November, the Toronto Huskies actually hosted a game of basketball called the New York Knickerbockers. This event was held at Maple Leaf Gardens, and is known to be the first NBA game played in history.

What are the objectives?

A basic of any sport (besides golf) also follows into the profession of basketball which is to score more points than the opposing player or in this case the opposing team. Teams are usually made up of 15 players, but normally with only 5 players on the basketball court at one time. Each of the 5 players take up designated roles consisting of two guards, two forwards, and a center.

How is it played?

The beginning of the game generally starts off with a tip off whereby each team tries to take possession of the ball. When possession occurs, the team 'attacking' has up to 24 seconds to score by shooting the ball into the opponent's basket. The ball may move up the court through the common methods of dribbling or simply passing the ball to a teammate. 

Shots which occur within the arc give an additional 2 points to the scoring team, whereas as scoring from outside the arc gives 3 points (commonly referred to as a 3-pointer). Free throws given to a team on the other hand gives a score of 1 point if the shot is successful. 

A 'defending' team can take the ball off the 'attacker' through the common methods of:

• Blocking
• Stealing
• Rebounding a missed shot

On an international level of basketball, there are 4 x 10 minute quarters, and 2 x 10 minute halves in the NCAA. However, in our case of the NBA there are 4 x 12 minutes quarters. A tie however will result in overtime until a winning team is decided upon.

What are the rules?

There are an abundance of rules when it comes to a standard game of basketball in the NBA. Therefore, we'll try to cover the most common as the more uncommon rules involve a lot of technicalities.

Rules can simply be broken down into two of the following categories, with these being the most common:

• Violations (breaking a rule)
• Shot-clock violation - Failing to score within 24 seconds of possession.
• Double dribble - Dribbling the ball again after stopping in motion and stopping dribbling
• Travelling - Taking too many steps without dribbling the ball
• Three in the key - Staying in the opponent's key for more than 3 seconds
• Charging - Attacking player charges or runs into a defender that is stationary
• Foals 
• Personal foul - Interfering with another player using illegal contact
• Flagrant foul - Violent contact against another player
• Technical foul - Not defined as personal or flagrant foals, such as unsportsmanlike conduct.

For a much more in-depth read of the rules, please click here.

Sources

• http://www.nba.com/heritageweek2007/newleague_071207.html
• http://www.nba.com/canada/History_of_Basketball_in_Canad-Canada_Generic_Article-18023.html
• https://turnernbahangtime.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/official-nba-rule-book-2015-16.pdf
• Image source (NBA logo): http://www.officialpsds.com/images/thumbs/NBA-logo-psd15019.png 
• Image source (rule book): http://www.ifslcentral.com/shfs/NBA/images/1.jpg