MB
Bio
I am a bird aficionado and really enjoy spotting them them on hikes. I greatly appreciate the variety of birds cross North America and the world. They are amazing and intelligent creatures, each so unique and with a wonderful life.
Stories (156/0)
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is an American professional basketball team, based in Orlando, Florida. The Wonder plays as a member of the Eastern Conference in the league's Southeast Division of the National Basketball Association. The franchise was established in 1989 as an expansion franchise, and such notable NBA stars as Shaquille O'Neal, Penny Hardaway, Patrick Ewing, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis, Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, Dominique Wilkins, and Hedo Türkoğlu played for the club in their early history. The franchise spent almost half of its history in the NBA playoffs as of 2019, and went twice, in 1995 and 2009, to the NBA Finals. Orlando was the second most successful of the four expansion teams brought into the league in 1988 and 1989 behind only the Miami Heat in terms of winning percentage. Orlando businessman Jim L. Hewitt told Philadelphia 76ers general manager Pat Williams in September 1985, when they met in Texas about his vision of bringing an NBA team to Orlando. Intrigued by the prospect of an NBA team located in Orlando, Williams was the front man of the investment company one year later, after he left the 76ers. On 19 June 1986 the two scheduled a press conference to announce their intention to seek an NBA franchise. In its first year, the Wonder went on to select Nick Anderson in the first round of the 1989 NBA Draft, who had just won both the Mr. Basketball and the College Player of the Year awards. He was the squad's first Franchise star and highest scorer as a 10th selection for a decade. The very first game The Magic played on October 13, 1989 was an exhibition game against the then-reigning Detroit Pistons, won by the Magic. Anderson was quoted as saying that the atmosphere was like NBA Finals Game 7. In 1998–99, with the drafting of Michael Doleac and Matt Harpring in the 1998 draft with the 12th and 15th picks, and a healthy Penny Hardaway and Nick Anderson, the Magic tied to the Miami Heat in the lockout-shortened season, 33–17, for the best record in the Eastern League. Armstrong once again led the team effectively, winning NBA's Sixth-Man and Most Valuable Player honours. Orlando, along with Gerald's brother, had acquired great Dominique Wilkins from the NBA who had gone through their benefits but were still in use as NBA teams. The Penny Hardaway-led Magic was ranked number 3 in the playoffs thanks to tiebreakers, and played the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers, led in the first round by Allen Iverson, have upset the Magic 3–1. The players changed their uniforms for the first time ever too, switching from pinstripes to stars. During off-season weisbrod dissolved the squad completely. Although Davis stayed as a coach he shook the roster of players, keeping just a few players from last season. The most notable trade was in Tracy McGrady. Unhappy with the Magic, McGrady wanted to move on; Weisbrod accused McGrady of being "slacked off" and not attending classes. The Strong traded McGrady along with Reece Gaines, Tyronn Lue and Juwan Howard to the Houston Rockets for Steve Francis, Kelvin Cato and Cuttino Mobley. The Magic has received Cleveland Cavaliers 'Tony Battie center and two second-round draft picks in exchange for the draft rights of Drew Gooden, Steven Hunter and Anderson Varejão. Afterwards the Strong signed free agent Hedo Türkoğlu. With the number one draft selection, the Magic selected high school phenomenon and future All-Star and franchise champion Dwight Howard, and a draft day trade with the Denver Nuggets took point guard Jameer Nelson to them. The new tv announcing team for the Orlando Magic is play-by-play announcer David Steele and color analyst Jeff Turner. Turner played with the Magic from the 1989 inaugural season until 1996. Paul Kennedy and Dante Marchetelli serve as court commentators while Marchetelli, former coach Brian Hill and former magic player Nick Anderson present pre-game, half-time and post-game shows. In 2007–08, TV broadcasts were broken up between Fox Sports Florida and Sun Sports. Broadcasts were transmitted in the intervening 18 years by Sun Sports and local TV stations, first WKCF and, later, WRBW.
By MB4 years ago in Unbalanced
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, or more simply as the Knicks, are a professional American basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks play within the National Basketball Association as part of the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. The squad plays its home games at Madison Square Park, an arena that they share with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. They are one of two New York City-based NBA teams; the other the Brooklyn Nets. Besides the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are one of two original NBA teams left at their original venue. The team, formed in 1946 by Ned Irish, was one of the founding members of the American Basketball Association, which became the NBA after integrating with the current National Basketball League in 1949. The Knicks had been successful in their early years and were perennial playoff competitors under the franchise's first head coach, Joe Lapchick. Beginning in 1950 the Knicks made three consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals, all of them missed commitment. Lapchick left in 1956 and the team went on to falter afterwards. It wasn't until the late 1960s that the Knicks started to regain their old dominance, after Red Holzman was the head coach. Holzman successfully led the Knicks to two NBA championships, in 1970 and 1973. The Knicks of the 1980s had mixed success which included six playoff appearances; however, they did not compete in the NBA Finals. The Patrick Ewing Future Hall of Fame center led the 1990s playoff-level Knicks; this time was characterized by violent rivalries with the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat. During this time they were known for playing strong defense under the head coaches Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy, making two appearances at the 1994 and 1999 NBA Finals. They were, however, unable to win an NBA championship during this time. Since 2000 the Knicks have struggled to reclaim their previous victories but they won their first division title in 19 years in 2012–13, led by a nucleus of forward Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. In the Eastern Conference semifinals they were eventually defeated by the Indiana Pacers, and have failed to reach the playoffs ever since. In 1946, basketball, especially college basketball, became a growing, highly lucrative sport in New York City. At the time, hockey was another popular sport and generated considerable profits; however, the stadiums were not commonly used. The 1930s, after meeting Boston Garden owner Walter A. Brown, the sports editor at the Boston American was Max Kase, a New York sportswriter. Kase invented the idea of an amateur football league to highlight college talent after graduation, and felt it would become profitable if properly arranged. Brown, intrigued by the opportunity to collect additional cash when the hockey teams were either not playing or on the road, contacted some arena owners. On 6 June 1946, Kase and Brown, along with a group of seventeen others, met at the Commodore Hotel in New York City as the Basketball Association of America, where charter franchises were granted to major cities around the country. In 1964, franchise fortunes started to take a gradual turn. Willis Reed, who made an immediate impact on the floor with his efforts and was named NBA Rookie of the Year, has been drafted by The Knicks. Nevertheless the members of the team were still in action. In an attempt to reorganize the Knicks named former star Harry Gallatin as head coach, thus reassigning Donovan to the position of general manager. After a bad start in 1965, another retired Knick, Dick McGuire, replaced his retired Gallatin teammate at halfway through the season. The organization broke it into five new contracts in preparation for the 2019–20 season as a result of having a projected $74 million in cap space following the Porziis contract. The Knicks agreed terms with Wayne Ellington and Taj Gibson, former position players, and also signed forward Bobby Portis. The Squad then signed former lottery picks Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle. The Knicks fired Steve Mills on 4 February 2020 after seven seasons as tyrant with Scott Perry taking over on an temporary basis. On March 2nd Leon Rose was named Team Chief.
By MB4 years ago in Unbalanced
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics is an American basketball league club based in Massachusetts. The Celtics play as a member of the nba, the NBA's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. The Celtics play their home games at TD Garden, which they share with the Boston Bruins National Hockey League, founded in 1946 as one of the league's first eight members. The Celtics are known to be the most successful basketball team in NBA history; with 17, the franchise has won the most League titles, and is currently holds the record for the most recorded victories by any NBA club. The Celtics are one of two BAA franchise franchises that continue to compete in their original city today. The Celtics are in famous competition with the Los Angeles Lakers who won 16 NBA titles, second behind the Celtics. The rivalry was heavily emphasised in the 1960s and 1980s. The team played the Lakers a record twelve times in the NBA Playoffs, nine times won by the Celtics. Four Celtics stars with a League record of 10 MVP awards in total earned the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Often a nod to the comparatively large Irish community in Boston are the acronym "Celtics" as well as their nickname "Lucky the Leprechaun" In the late 1950s, the Celtics 'rise to dominance began with the addition of the Bill Russell centre in 1956 in a draught day trade, which would become the foundation of the Celtics dynasty. The Celtics, led by Russell and iconic point guard Bob Cousy, captured their first NBA championship in 1957. Russell, along with a legendary support cast of the future Hall of Famers including John Havlicek, Tom Heinsohn, K. C. Jones, Sam Jones, Satch Sanders and Bill Sharman, helped lead the Celtics to the finest time in franchise history, winning eight consecutive NBA titles in the 1960s. The Celtics began a rebuilding period after Russell's retirement in 1969. Led by JoJo White, Dave Cowens centre and point guard, the Celtics returned to championship status in 1974 and 1976 and won two NBA titles. The Celtics reclaimed dominance again in the 1980's. The Celtics won the Championships in 1981, 1984 and 1986, led by the "Big Three" including Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Since winning 16 championships in the 20th century, the Celtics soared again in 2008 to earn a championship with the help of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen in what was known as the new "Big Three" era after losing in the 1990's. The Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals in 2010 only to lose to the Lakers in a seven game series. By the outset of the 2013 season, neither of the "Big Three" were already signed — Ray Allen had already ended a season guiding the franchise into a new era. The team, with the aid of newly hired head coach Brad Stevens, started rebuilding. In his second season Stevens led the Celtics on a trip to the playoffs in 2015. During the next season, the Celtics clinched the top seed at the Eastern Conference but were beaten at the Conference Finals. That prompted an ambitious overhaul in 2017, during which the franchise signed All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Nonetheless, the pair struggled with suspensions during the 2017–18 season, and the team was vanquished again in the Eastern Conference Finals, despite pushing the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven matches. NBC Sports Boston is the Boston Celtics 'official television partner, which has been broadcasting the games since 1981, when the network was PRISM New England branded. In 1983 it was rebranded as SportsChannel New England. As the other SportsChannel networks, after its owner Cablevision joined Liberty Radio and News Company in 1998 to form a alliance, the New England centre was rebranded as Fox Sports New England. In 2001, Comcast bought Cablevision's original network stake and acquired the remaining share in what was now FSN New England 2007, which rebranded the network to Comcast SportsNet New England. In 2017 all CSN networks were partnered as NBC Sports Regional Networks, a nod to Comcast's recent acquisition of NBCUniversal.
By MB4 years ago in Unbalanced
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls is a professional American basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls play within the National Basketball Association as members of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. On 16 January 1966, the team was founded and played their first game during the 1966–67 NBA season. The Bulls are playing their home games at the United Center, a facility on Chicago's west side shared by Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League. The Bulls achieved their biggest success in the 1990s as they played a significant role in popularising the worldwide NBA. We are known for becoming one of the NBA's greatest dynasties, winning six NBA titles between 1991 and 1998, and two tri-peats. All six of their Championship teams were led by Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and coach Phil Jackson. The Bulls were the first NBA franchise to win multiple titles in their history, while never losing an NBA Finals series. The Bulls won 72 games in the 1995–96 NBA season, setting an NBA record which stood until the Golden State Warriors played 73 NBA games in the 2015–16 season. The Bulls were the first team to win 70 or more games in a single season in NBA history, and the last NBA franchise to do so until the Warriors in 2015–16. Michael Jordan and Derrick Rose both won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award when they starred for the Bulls, for a total of six MVP awards. The Bulls are sharing rivalries with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat and The New York Knicks. Competition between the Bulls and the Pistons was heavily stressed during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Dick Klein wanted a name to represent Chicago's old meat packing business, and the similarities between the Chicago Stadium and the Union Stock Yards. Klein proposed names such as Matadors or Toreadors, but refused them, claiming, "If you think about it, no team with as many as three syllables in its nickname has ever had any success except one." Klein decided on Bulls after exploring alternate names with his father when his son Mark said, "Father, that's a lot of bulls!" The famous emblem is a red bull riding mask. The logo was designed by renowned American graphic artist Dean P. Wessel in 1966, and introduced. The Bulls had an alternate version to the same Bulls version at one time during the early 1970s, featuring a cloud that said "Windy City" behind the bull's nose. The Bulls now wear three different uniforms: a white uniform, a red uniform and a black replacement uniform. The original uniforms were aesthetically similar to what the Bulls wear today, with the shorts and block lettering around the Bulls logo getting the prominent diamond around. What distinguished the original uniforms was the black drop shadows, red or white side stripes with black borders and white lettering on the red uniforms. The red jerseys for the 1969–70 season were modified to incorporate the town name. The official mascot for the Chicago Bulls is Benny The Bull. This was first introduced in 1969. Benny is the no 1 holding pit bull. Benny is one of the oldest and most well recognised mascots in all professional sports. The Bulls also had a mascot which was nicknamed Da Bull. Benny's high-flying cousin, known for his dunking skills, was unveiled in 1995, and listed as being on the team website. In 2004 the man who was playing Da Bull was seized from his car for possession and selling of marijuana. The case Da Bull was shot shortly after. Although Benny has a family friendly look, Da Bull is built to be a more realistic animal. According to Benny Da Bull was diamond. There was also a cynical grin on his face, and he wore number 95. As of February 3, 2018, the team's games are broadcast on Entercom's WSCR. Between October 2015 and January 2018, games were broadcast on Cumulus Media's WLS in an deal which was expected to continue until the 2020-21 season, which was nullified in the middle of the 2017-18 season when Cumulus filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and annulled its major play-by-play and talent contracts.
By MB4 years ago in Unbalanced
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. As a member of the nba's Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference, the Hawks compete within the National Basketball Association. The squad plays at their home games at the State Farm Arena. The team's roots can be traced back to its establishment in 1946 in Buffalo, New York, of the Buffalo Bisons, a member of the National Basketball League founded by Ben Kerner and Leo Ferris. After 38 days at Buffalo, where they were named the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, the team moved to Moline, Illinois. They joined the NBA in 1949 as part of the merger between the NBL and the American Basketball Association, and for a short time they had Red Auerbach as coach. In 1951, Kerner moved the team to Milwaukee, where they changed their name to the Hawks. In 1955, Kerner and the players moved back to St. Louis, where they won their first NBA Championship in 1958 and in 1957, 1960 and 1961 qualified for the NBA Finals. On all four of their NBA Finals trips, the Hawks beat the Boston Celtics. The St. Louis Hawks moved to Atlanta in 1968, after Kerner sold the franchise to Georgia's former governor Thomas Cousins and Carl Sanders. The Hawks in turn own the second-longest drought with 60 seasons not to win an NBA title. The franchise's lone NBA title, as well as all four NBA Finals appearances, took place at the St. Louis based club. Meanwhile they have gone 48 years without advancing past the second round of the playoffs in either process, until finally breaking through in 2015. However, the Hawks are one of four NBA teams that emerged in the 21st century to play 10 straight seasons in the NBA playoffs. From 2008 till 2017 they accomplished this feat. The squad has endured numerous badge changes and modifications to the uniforms over the history of the team. On May 1, 2014, the team introduced a stylised version of the 'Pac-Man' logo that it used from 1972 to 1995. The 'Pac-Man' logo will become the franchise's signature symbol after the team finishes the 2014–15 season. On June 24, 2015, the team unveiled their new home, road and alternate jerseys as well as their updated logos and colours. Main colours: Torch Yellow, Volt Green, and Georgia Granite White. The players have unveiled their new socks and shoes, in line with the National Basketball Association contract with Stance's current official game footwear. Official socks for the game were generally either white or black, depending on the preference of a player. The club plans to wear green for home games, Georgia Granite Gray for road games and Torch Red as an alternate, custom shade. The Hawks hold the exclusive rights to the following unprotected draught picks who were played outside the NBA; A drafted player can sign with any non-NBA teams, either a foreign draftee or a college draftee who has not been signed by the team that drafted him. In this case, after a year after the non-NBA team's contract with the prospect has expired, the club owns the draught rights to the prospect in the NBA. The statement also includes the draught rights acquired from the transactions of other teams. The Celtics – Hawks rivalry is a rivalry that has persisted for over five decades in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association, though the two franchises have played together since the 1949–50 season, when the then-Tri-Cities Blackhawks joined the NBA as part of the National Basketball League and the American Basketball Association merger. However, the Blackhawks did not field a reliably productive roster after a four-year stopover at Milwaukee until they moved to St. Louis as the St. Louis Hawks. The two sides faced one another eleven times in the NBA playoffs, four times in the NBA Finals, with the Celtics winning ten out of twelve over the Hawks, and three out of four NBA Finals. While the Hawks have twice out of eleven games defeated the Celtics in the NBA Playoffs, they have always also managed to make their games with the Celtics unforgettable. The rivalry intensified in 2016 with Hawks All-Al Horford spurning the team and joining the Celtics.
By MB4 years ago in Unbalanced
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons is a professional basketball team based in Detroit, United States. As a member of the league's Central Division of the Eastern Conference, the Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association and play their home games at the Little Caesars Arena in Midtown. The team was founded in 1941 as Fort Wayne Pistons in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a member of the National Basketball League in which it won two NBL championships: in 1944 and 1945. The Pistons had entered the American Basketball League in earlier 1948. The NBL and BAA merged into the NBA in 1949, and the Pistons became a part of the new league. In 1957 the franchise was moved to Detroit. The Pistons won three NBA Championships: in 1989, 1990 and 2004. The Detroit Pistons franchise was known as the National Basketball League team Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Owner Fred Zollner's Zollner Company was a piston-making foundry, mainly for automobile, truck and locomotive engines. The Zollner Pistons had been part of the NBL from 1944 to 1945. They also won World Professional Basketball Championships in 1944, 1945, and 1946. The franchise became the Pistons of Fort Wayne in 1948, and competed in the American Basketball Association. In 1949 Fred Zollner brokered the creation of the National Basketball Association BAA and NBL at his kitchen table. There are rumours that the Pistons players conspired with gamblers during the seasons of 1953–54 and 1954–55 to skim points and ruin various games. In fact there are reports that the team may have intentionally lost the Syracuse Nationals to the NBA Finals of 1955. Late in the second quarter of the decisive Game 7, the Pistons led 41–24, before the Nationals rallied to tie. With 12 seconds left in the game on a free throw from George King, the Nationals prevailed. The closing moments included a palming error with 18 seconds remaining by George Yardley of the Pistons, a foul by Frank Brian with 12 seconds left that helped King win free throw, and a miss by Andy Phillip of the Pistons in the final seconds that gave them a opportunity to attempt the game winning shot. The next season the Pistons made it back to the NBA Finals. But the Philadelphia Warriors will beat them in five days. While the Pistons enjoyed a strong local following, Fort Wayne's small size made it difficult for them to survive, particularly as other early NBA franchises in smaller towns were folding or moving to larger markets. After the 1956–57 season, Zollner decided Fort Wayne was too weak to sustain an NBA team, and announced the team should play elsewhere in the coming season. He eventually settled on Detroit. While it was the fifth biggest city in the United States at the time, over a decade, Detroit hadn't seen professional basketball. They defeated the Detroit Tigers, the Detroit Gems of the NBL and Detroit Falcons of the BAA in 1947, and the Detroit Vagabond Kings of 1949, due to World War II. Zollner has opted to keep the name Pistons, feeling it makes sense to remember Detroit's status as the auto industry centre. George Yardley set the record for single-season NBA scoring with the Pistons in Detroit's first season, becoming the first player to score 2,000 points in one season. On 10 June 2008 the Pistons appointed Michael Curry as their new head coach. In November 2008 the Pistons traded key players including Allen Iverson, Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to the Denver Nuggets. McDyess was waived later on November 10 and rejoined the Pistons on December 9. Regardless of the free agent status Iverson received at the end of the season, trading was marked as the beginning of a new rebuilding cycle. Despite the relocation from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Detroit in 1957, the Pistons 'jerseys remained essentially intact for two decades, showing the word "Pistons" in blue block lettering. In the 1978–79 season, the team wore a kit featuring lightning bolts on the sides and in the wordmark at the front of the jerseys. The team dissected the lightning bolt concept, switching to their conventional block lettering and flat side panel style in 1981, sticking with that look until 1996. That year the Pistons changed their colours to teal, purple, yellow, and gold, and unveiled a new logo with a horse's head and a flaming mane. This uniform scheme lasted until 2001, when the squad went back to the traditional red, white and blue colours in a generic pattern from the 1981–96 strings. The Horse's head and flaming mane logo lasted until 2005, when the company switched to a more conventional design theme.
By MB4 years ago in Unbalanced
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers, also known as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball club based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers play within the National Basketball Association as a part of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The franchise began playing as an expansion team in 1970 with the Portland Trail Blazers and Buffalo Braves. Home games were first held at the Cleveland Arena from 1970 to 1974 followed by the Richfield Coliseum from 1974 to 1994. The Cavs play home games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland since 1994 and are shared with the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League and the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League. Since March 2005 the Squad is owned by Dan Gilbert. The Cavs started their first season losing their first 15 games and struggled in their early years, placing no more than sixth in the Eastern Conference in their first five seasons. The team captured its first Central Division championship in 1976, which also marked its first winning season and playoff appearance in franchise history, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. In 1980 Ted Stepien inherited the franchise. Stepien's tenure as owner was characterised by six ownership changes, contentious trades, drawn decisions and poor results resulting in $15 million in financial losses. During this time the Cavs went 66–180 and endured a 24-game losing streak between the 1981–82 and 1982–83 seasons. In 1983 George and Gordon Gund took over the franchise. The Cavs were a regular post-season competitor, led by players like Mark Price and Brad Daugherty in the second half of the 1980s and through much of the 1990s, progressing to the 1992 Eastern Conference Finals. Nonetheless, the Cavs have had six consecutive losing seasons without any post-season play since the team's postseason appearance in 1998. The 2003 draught provided the first overall selection for Cleveland, and they selected LeBron James. Behind James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Cavs once again were a consistent playoff candidate by 2005. They captured the first Eastern Conference championship in franchise history and made their first appearance in the 2007 NBA Playoffs. James left the Miami Heat in 2010 after failing to qualify to the NBA Finals in the three seasons that followed. Consequently, the Cavaliers finished last in the 2010–11 season league, enduring a 26-game losing streak that ranks the longest in NBA history for a single season and second overall as of 2017. Nevertheless, the team captured the first NBA lottery pick selected three times between 2010 and 2014, first when they picked Kyrie Irving in 2011 and again in 2013 and 2014. LeBron James returned to the Cavs in 2014 and led the franchise to four NBA Finals appearances in succession. In 2016, the Cavaliers won their 5th NBA Championship, becoming Cleveland's first major sports title to win since 1964. The victory over the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals was the first time a team has came back to win the series in the final's history after losing three games in one. The Cavs made 22 appearances in the playoffs, winning seven Central Division titles, five Eastern Conference championships, and one NBA championship. Wine and gold were the main colours on player jersey when the Cleveland Cavaliers debuted in the NBA in 1970. The first uniforms used for the feathered handling of letter C in Cavaliers. In 1974 they turned into the conventional block lettering and checkerboard design that became associated with the 1976 'Richfield Miracle' squa In 1980, the gold hue was changed from yellowish to black, and the uniforms removed the checkerboard pattern and put the lines above Cleveland and below the uniform number, the first time the town's name appeared on both home and away jerseys. The original logo was that of cavalier swashbuckling looking fine with a pointed blade, followed by the team's name and a net. A modernised Swashbuckling cavalier logo was later introduced by the Canton Charge, competitors of the Cavs 'NBA Development League.
By MB4 years ago in Unbalanced
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets is an American professional basketball franchise, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete as a member of the National Basketball Association's nba Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise is owned entirely by legendary NBA Hall-of-Fame Michael Jordan who bought a controlling interest in the club in 2010. The Hornets play at the Uptown Charlotte Spectrum Center, their home games. The original franchise of Hornets, owned by George Shinn, was founded in 1988 as an expansion team. In 2002, Shinn's franchise relocated to New Orleans, becoming the Hornets of New Orleans. In 2004, the NBA created the Charlotte Bobcats and was considered a new expansion franchise at the time. In 2013, the New Orleans franchise announced it would rebrand as the New Orleans Pelicans, ultimately restoring Charlotte with the logo, archives and official history of the Hornets. For the 2014–15 season the Charlotte Hornets is officially renamed as the Bobcats. In 1985 the NBA agreed to allow with three clubs for the 1988–1989 season, but then changed to require a total of four franchises for expansion. George Shinn, a Kannapolis billionaire, wanted to bring the Charlotte area to an NBA team and he put together a consortium of prominent local entrepreneurs to lead the prospective franchise. The Charlotte city has been a hotbed for college Basketball for a long time. Charlotte was once one of America's fastest-growing cities, and was once one of Carolina Cougars 'three major in-state homes at the American Basketball Association from 1969 to 1974. The Hornets 'second season was a struggle from start to finish. Unit members rebelled against Dick Harter's defence-oriented approach and are replaced by assistant Gene Littles at midway point after a start of 8–32 Following the move the team appeared to struggle and finished the season with a disappointing 19–63 record. It shortened season 1998–99. The season did not begin until April, as the lockout limited the regular season to just 50 games. For contrast, Glen Rice was traded to the Lakers for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell, and Dave Cowens left midway through the season. He was replaced by former Celtics teammate Paul Silas, who has been named the franchise's fifth head coach. The team finished with a 26–24 record but did not qualify for playoffs. In the 2005 NBA draught the Bobcats picked Raymond Felton and Sean May from North Carolina. The Bobcats have already opened the Charlotte Bobcats Arena with an overtime victory over the Celtics in their second season. They managed to end the season with four consecutive wins and finish with a record of 26–56, an improvement of eight games from the previous season, after struggling for most of the year. The Bobcats announced during the season that the franchise had purchased a minority stake from NBA player and native Michael Jordan of North Carolina. As part of the deal he was the head of basketball operations while Bickerstaff remained general manager. The first Hornets logo was an anthropomorphic teal and purple hornet wearing white shoes and dribbling an orange basketball glove. The words 'Charlotte Hornets' were written, in teal, above and below the line. The unofficial logo, which was used solely for the 1988–89 season, used a large teal letter 'C' with 'Charlotte' bent upward in black letters below. There was a smaller white letter 'H' written in teal under 'C,' with a black spotted hornet holding a basketball from the birds-eye view in the centre. The 'H' part of the logo featured on the 'warm-ups and waistband' jerseys before the 1991–92 season. Since 2004 to 2012, the main logo of the Bobcats consisted of a snarling orange bobcat facing the indented word 'Bobcats' in red above, with 'Charlotte' floating above it in the same blue colour. A change to a less vivid orange and brown was made in 2007, though retaining the same look. Further colour changes in 2012 turned the bobcat dark, incorporating the blue background of the word 'Charlotte,' which shifted from orange brown. A blue map of Carolina was then used all over the logo. The Bobcats unveiled a new logo in 2007 consisting of a snarling bobcat head faced forward on one side and shaded orange and blue on the other.
By MB4 years ago in Unbalanced
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks is a basketball club based in American professional Dallas. I play in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. The squad plays their home games in the American Airlines Arena, where they compete with the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars. The Mavericks, led by All-Stars Rolando Blackman and Mark Aguirre, had been a regular playoff team in the 1980s. The squad suffered in the 1990s and began a period of rebuilding. The franchise's fortunes would change significantly in 1998 with the arrival of Dirk Nowitzki, who will become the centre of franchise history's most successful era, leading the team to its first NBA title in 2011. Because of the 2017 season, the Mavericks have sold out 707 consecutive games since December 15, 2002, the longest consistently running sellout streak in North America's major league sports. In 1978, Californian businessman Garn Eckardt met Dallas lawyer Doug Adkins and revealed that he was seeking to raise money to bring an NBA team to the city. Asking for a possible match, Adkins recommended one of his clients, Don Carter, the Home Interiors and Gifts owner. Negotiations with Eckardt fell apart, but Carter stayed interested in the business as a gift to his wife Linda, who played basketball while at Duncanville High School. Buffalo Braves president and general manager Norm Sonju developed an interest in bringing the NBA down to Dallas at the same time as he investigated possible new locations for the ailing franchise. After the Braves headed to California as the San Diego Clippers, Sonju eventually returned to Texas and was met by Major Robert Folsom, one of the city's last major basketball team members and general president, the Dallas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association, who transferred to San Antonio in 1973 to form the San Antonio Spurs. Sonju and Carter intended to buy both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Kansas City Kings but the conflict over the move stalled the negotiations and forced them both to settle for an expansion franchise. Rolando Blackman led the Mavericks in the 1986 NBA All-Star Game Dallas hosted at Reunion Arena. The 1985–86 Mavericks were second in scoring at 115.3 points per game, winning their third straight playoff appearance. In the 1st round, they defeated Utah, three games to one. In the conference semi-finals, we ran into the Lakers once again, and L.A. Defeated at Houston, in six rounds. Yet four of those games were decided by four points or less, and Dallas won two of them, leaving Mavericks fans room to hope they could finally defeat the Lakers in the coming season. The Mavs drafted Michigan centre Roy Tarpley with the seventh overall pick, who would go on to become a very talented but troublesome member of the roster. With the Mavericks, the 1996–97 season was a year of transition as they basically re-designed their entire roster; for the Dallas franchise, 27 new teams saw action, setting an all-time NBA record. And by the time the season was over, rookie centre Samaki Walker was off the opening-day roster. The first big change came in December, when guards traded for the Phoenix Suns to Jason Kidd, Loren Meyer and Tony Dumas for Michael Finley and Sam Cassell, and forward A. C. Blue. By far the most notable of these signings was Finley, who, during his first half-season in Dallas, went on to average at or above 20 ppg for at least the next seven years of his Mavericks career. He made two visits to the NBA All-Star Game, and played in all of the Mavs 'games before the 2004–05 season. During the NBA season 2001–02, the Mavericks radically updated their logo and uniforms with a new midnight blue, royal blue, and Dallas Cowboys-inspired silver colour scheme. The new patches are a script called "Austin" on the home and on the road jerseys. "Dallas" is in dark blue on the home jersey around the chest and the numbers are in royal blue with silver trim while "Dallas" is in gold on the road jersey, with white trim in purple.
By MB4 years ago in Unbalanced
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team, based in Denver. The Nuggets play within the National Basketball Association as a part of the nba's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded in 1967 as the American Basketball Association's charter franchise as the Denver Larks, but had changed its name to Rockets before the first season. In 1974 it once again shortened its name to the Nuggets. After the name change, the Nuggets played in 1976 for the final ABA Championship title, losing to the New York Nets. The club has had some fruitful years, qualifying for all ABA playoff seasons from 1967 to the 1976 ABA playoffs where it lost in the final. Following the ABA – NBA merger, the franchise joined the NBA in 1976 and qualified in nine straight seasons and ten consecutive seasons between 2004 and 2013 for the NBA playoffs in the 1980s. Nevertheless, it hasn't made an appearance in a championship round since its last year in the ABA; as such, they're actually the only one of the four remaining actual ABA franchises to never reach the NBA Finals. The Nuggets play their home games at the Pepsi Center, which they compete with the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League and the Mammoth Rockies of the National Lacrosse League. During their franchise history, the Nuggets displayed numerous colour schemes, logos and uniforms, including their days as the National Basketball Association's "Denver Rockets." On July 16, 2008, former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby was traded by the Nuggets to the Los Angeles Clippers for a second-round draught pick at the close of NBA season 2007–08. This exchange was for the Nuggets to reduce the labour costs. With Carmelo Anthony averaging 22.8 points per game and Billups adding 6.4 assists in the 2008–09 NBA season the Nuggets accomplished a large number of franchise milestones. That record of 54–28 has been the most franchise wins since that incorporation in the NBA; their 27–14 start was also a winning mark in the first half of a season. This also marked the first time in league history that the team had back-to-back 50-win seasons. They are leading the Northwest division for much of the season, finally taking the championship and ranking # 2 in the Western Conference, moving closer to the highest the team has ever been ranked for playoffs. General Manager Mark Warkentien has received the NBA Executive of the Year Award for the Nuggets 'success. They won Game 1 of the playoffs in a blowout win over the New Orleans Hornets, they got a home-court edge for the first time since 1988 and even the 29-point triumph became the greatest achievement by any player in the first round of the 2009 Game 1 NBA Playoffs. Chauncey Billups set a Nuggets franchise record for the most three-pointers in a single game with 8 and his 19 three-pointers are also a Nuggets record for the threes made in a playoff series in general. We managed to smash the Hornets in 5, including a 58-point win in Game 4 that tied the most lopsided victory in NBA playoffs history. They then routed the sixth seed Dallas Mavericks in the Conference Semifinals with 4-to-1 games to make their first trip to the Western Conference Finals since 1985. This was also the first time the Nuggets had ever led 3–0 in a best-of-seven series. We held a three-point NBA playoffs-high and a 16-point cumulative margin of victory up to that point, the largest total margin of victory in the first 10 playoff games of NBA Playoff history. They lost the first Western Conference Finals game to the Los Angeles Lakers but won the second game to even out the series. Anthony joined the NBA in 1976 and became the first Denver player to score a total of 30 points in five consecutive playoff games. They lost the series 4–2, ending Denver's longest playoff run in team history.
By MB4 years ago in Unbalanced
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team, based in San Francisco. The Warriors play within the National Basketball Association as part of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Warriors, founded in Philadelphia in 1946, moved in 1962 to the San Francisco Bay Area and took on the name of the city, before changing their geographic moniker to Golden State in 1971. They play their home games in the Chase Center. The Kings, a founding member of the American Basketball League, became the Philadelphia Kings in 1946. We were the owners of Peter A. Tyrrell who once owned the Philadelphia Rockets in the American Hockey League. Tyrrell employed Eddie Gottlieb, a longtime proponent of basketball in the Philadelphia area, as coach and general manager. Unlike the Philadelphia Eagles, an old baseball club that took part in the American Basketball League in 1925, the owners signed up the franchise. The Warriors captured their second championship during the 1955–56 season, crushing the four-to - one Fort Wayne Pistons, during Philadelphia. The Warrior stars of this time included future Hall of Famers Paul Arizin, Tom Gola and Neil Johnston. Driven by early scoring phenomena Joe Fulks, the team won the inaugural championship league season in 1946–47 by crushing the Chicago Stags, four to one games. The NBA, established in 1949 by a merger, officially acknowledges that as its own first championship. Gottlieb bought the team in 1951. The franchise folded in the 1980s but became staples in the playoffs with stars Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin at the turn of the decade nicknamed "Run TMC." The team returned to title glory in 2015, led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green; they again won in 2017 and 2018, with the help of former MVP Kevin Durant. The Fighters have used several different logo and uniform designs throughout their history, with the most recent change taking place in 2010. On June 12, 2019, the Warriors have announced small improvements to their signature logo, including a new, personalised font. The squad unveiled six new uniform designs incorporating the newly refurbished logo on 17 September 2019. While the Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers played together after the Cavs joined the NBA in 1970, the competition between the two teams started to evolve during the 2014–15 season when they met in the first of four consecutive NBA finals. A group of teams have never played each other in more than two consecutive Seasons. The Warriors have won against the Cavaliers three of the four NBA finals, winning in 2015, 2017 and 2018. Bob Fitzgerald's play-by-play on tv, and the colour commentary by former Warriors swingman Kelenna Azubuike on the NBC Sports Bay Area with the Warriors, where they broadcast more than 70 Warrior games a year. We are also hosting Roundtable Live, a half hour pre-game show that leads to the televisioning of numerous Golden State home games, and also offers postgame commentary. Fitzgerald is the Warriors 'play-by-play man in his 23rd season, and is Azubuike's first colour analyst. The retired Warrior guard Jim Barnett was the TV colour analyst from 1985 to 2019, and is now the full-time colour man on the network. Other telecast crew members include Greg Papa and Garry St. Jean, mid-pregame expert, mid-game, half-time and post-game reporting, while Kerith Burke serves as the sideline reporter. Tim Roye did the radio play-by-play for Warrior sports after 1995. Also for home games former warriors join Tom Tolbert in the pit. He will now be replaced by full-time Jim Barnett beginning in 2019, who will report on all road and home games in colour, and has also been in the booth for national coverage and post-season matchups. On August 25, 2016, the Warriors announced they were leaving long-term KNBR station and will air all their games on KGMZ's 95.7 The Game. Roye, Fitzgerald and Barnett sit down together for the post-game radio commentary following each game and a preview of next season.
By MB4 years ago in Unbalanced
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers is an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete inside the National Basketball Association as a part of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were originally founded in 1967 as a member of the American Basketball Association, then became a member of the NBA as part of the 1976 ABA – NBA merger. They play their home games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The team takes its name from Indiana's association of the pace cars of the Indianapolis 500 and the racing harness industry. In early 1967 a group of six investors pooled their resources in buying a team in the nascent American Basketball League. During their first 7 years, they played at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum. In 1974, they relocated to the new, luxurious Market Square Arena in downtown Indianapolis where they were performing for 25 years. New Indiana Hoosiers excelled Bob "Slick" Leonard became the franchise's head coach with the Pacers early in the second season, succeeding Larry Staverman. Leonard was soon to become a Pacers juggernaut. His squads have been buoyed by the good play of superstars such as Mel Daniels, George McGinnis, Bob Netolicky, Rick Climb, Freddie Lewis and Roger Brown The Pacers have become-and have been-the most successful franchise in ABA's history, winning three ABA Championships in four years. In total they played in the ABA Finals, which was an ABA record, five times in the league's nine-year history. By the 1993–94 season, Larry Brown was brought along as Pacers 'coordinator, and Pacers' general manager Donnie Walsh made a then highly contested deal when he sent Schrempf to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for a little known Derrick McKey and Gerald Paddio. Yet finishing off with an NBA-era franchise-high 47 wins the Pacers played their season's last eight games. They charged for winning their first NBA playoff series victory in a first-round sweep past Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic and pulled off an upset by upsetting the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the semifinals of the tournament. In 2006, despite the absence of Reggie Miller, the Artest saga and other critical injuries, the Pacers made the playoffs for the 14th time in 15 years. We were also the first road team to win a playoff series for the first round in Game 1. However, New Jersey took Game 2 to bring Indiana back to the series at 1–1. In Game 3, Jermaine O'Neal tallied 37 points, as the Pacers took a 2–1 lead in the series. Nonetheless, the Nets took four and five games in the 3–2 series to take a lead. Anthony Johnson scored 40 points in Game 6 but with the Nets leading 96–90, the Pacers season ended. The Pacers finished the 2006–07 season as one of the worst seasons in franchise history. For the Pacers, who finished with a 35–47 record, nearly anything that could have gone wrong did. The tipping point of the season will be an 11-game losing streak that started round off the all-star break. The key reasons for the team's defeats were injuries to Jermaine O'Neal and Marquis Daniels, lack of a capable back-up point guard, divisive trade halfway through the season that threatened team morale, poor defensive efforts and becoming the NBA's worst offensive team. The April 15 loss to the New Jersey Nets put the Pacers out of the playoffs for the first time since the 1996–97 season. Following a good off season in 2019, the Pacers have named four new starters on the opening night. Holdover Myles Turner was joined by Domantas Sabonis, a reserve-turned starter, and recent arrivals including Malcolm Brogdon, T.J. Warren, and Jeremy Lamb who are expected to become a top backup as all-star guard Victor Oladipo returns from injury. Despite a 0–3 start to the season the Pacers had a 26–15 record halfway through the season and ranked them fifth in the Eastern League. Sabonis was later named All-Star of the NBA for the first time in his career.
By MB4 years ago in Unbalanced