The National Basketball Association is comprised of 30 professional teams playing basketball in the United States and Canada.

On March 26, 2009, the league changed the rule for having too many player on the court. Under the new policy, if a technical foul is given for too many men, the non-offending team has the choice to keep the previous play or void the action and revert the game clock.ESPN.com: NBA Approves New Rule for Violation

According to The Washington Times, the NBA is set to borrow $175 million from JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America on February 26, 2009. The funds will be distributed to 15 teams to help eliminate revenue losses caused by the economic recession.The Washington Times: NBA Gets a Loan

Each team plays a six month, 82-game regular season within two conferences, each of which have three geographical divisions. The NBA All-Star Game is held each February. Every four seasons, the league allows elite players to represent their country in the Summer Olympics.

Following the regular season, 16 teams qualify for the NBA Playoffs. After three rounds are played to determine each conference champion, the two remaining teams participate in the NBA Finals.

Originally founded as the Basketball Association of America on June 6, 1946, with 11 teams. The first game was played on November 1, 1946, in Toronto where the New York Knickerbockers defeated the Toronto Huskies 68-66. In 1949, the Basketball Association of America merged with the National Basketball League, forming the NBA. The league first started with 17 teams, then cut the league to 11 teams the following year. In 1976 the NBA absorbed four teams from the struggling American Basketball Association. The fall of the ABA was satirized in the 2008 Will Ferrell film Semi-Pro.

As of September 23, 2009, the NBA and the referees' union have been unable to come to a contract agreement, which means the season could start with replacement referees. Reportedly, the two sides are about $1 million apart.http://blogs.usatoday.com/gameon/2009/09/wednesday-eyeopener-3.html Replacement referees are scheduled to work starting the preseason on October 1.http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2009-09-29-referee-lockout_N.htm After replacement referees handled all the preseason games, the 57 NBA referees agreed to a collective bargaining deal on October 23 and will start the regular season on October 27.http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4590031

The use of instant replay by the NBA started in the 2002-2003 season. It was used automatically to determine if a shot was made with no time remaining on the clock at the end of the first, second and third quarters and at the end of the game if the shot could determine the outcome of the game. It was also used to determine if a shooting foul was called with no time remaining on the clock in each quarter or if the foul could determine the outcome of the game.http://www.nba.com/news/replay_020729.html

Starting in the 2008-2009 season, replay was used to determine whether a shot was a two point or three point field goal and whether or not a shooter was fouled taking a two point or three point shot. Referees were allowed to use replay when dealing with clock malfunctions at the end of the quarter.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/sports/basketball/03nba.html

On October 2, 2009 the use of replay was expanded further. It can now help determine whether a shot attempt was released or a foul committed before the shot clock expires. It's also used in the final two minutes to determine who touched the ball that goes out of bounds.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/sports/basketball/03nba.html

• Atlanta Hawks
• Boston Celtics
• Charlotte Bobcats
• Chicago Bulls
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Dallas Mavericks
• Denver Nuggets
• Detroit Pistons
• Golden State Warriors
• Houston Rockets
• Indiana Pacers
• Los Angeles Clippers
• Los Angeles Lakers
• Memphis Grizzlies
• Miami Heat
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• New Jersey Nets
• New Orleans Hornets
• New York Knicks
• Oklahoma City Thunder
• Orlando Magic
• Philadelphia 76ers
• Phoenix Suns
• Portland Trailblazers
• Sacramento Kings
• San Antonio Spurs
• Toronto Raptors
• Utah Jazz
• Washington Wizards

Most Championships

• Boston Celtics 17
• Los Angeles Lakers 15
• Chicago Bulls 6
• San Antonio Spurs 4
• Detroit Pistons 3
• Golden State Warriors 3
• Philadelphia 76ers 3
• Houston Rockets 2
• New York Knicks 2
• Baltimore Bullets 1 (no longer an NBA team)
• Miami Heat 1
• Milwaukee Bucks 1
• Rochester Royals (now Sacramento Kings) 1
• Seattle Supersonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder) 1
• St. Louis Hawks (now Atlanta Hawks) 1
• Washington Bullets (now Washington Wizards) 1