History of ABA and NBA     ABA和NBA的历史

    The ABA, a former professional basketball league, lived for nine seasons (1967-1976). At the time of its inception, the NBA only had 10 teams. NBA expansion was needed but, due to enormous financial demands, wasn't happening. So, the ABA was formed.

    The ABA had major style. The basketball was wild, with patriotic red white and blue colors, as thought of by George Mikan, the first ABA commissioner. The players were wild as well, showcasing cool moves, fashionable (often ridiculously so) clothes and a bad attitude (in a good way). Many NBA stars first played in the ABA - Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Connie Hawkins, Artis Gilmore, George Gervin and Dan Issel, to name an impressive handful.

    Other ABA stars were: Rick Barry, Spencer Haywood, Bobby Jones, Maurice Lucas, Billy Cunningham and Steve Jones. The ABA coaches list includes such stars as Larry Brown, Hubie Brown, K.C. Jones, Lou Carnesecca, Al Bianchi and Doug Moe.

    The ABA brought cool nicknames: Bad News. Slick. Dr. J. The Iceman. Fatty. The American Basketball Association had all the flair everyone wanted the NBA to have. ABA games were more wild. Lots of running. Fast breaks everywhere. The ABA had runners and gunners - guys would fly up and down the court, attacking the basket one minute and firing 3-pointers the next (yes, the ABA had the 3-point basket while the NBA did not). The 3-point line tended to force defenders to step out and guard respectable outside shooters, opening up the lane for drives.

    The NBA only had the two-point shot, so defenses tended to huddle closer to the basket, encouraging outside shots and not allowing as much to develop close to the basket. Also, there was no fouling out in the ABA. So, while NBA stars would sometimes be forced to sit down due to foul trouble, ABA stars were on the court as much as their bodies and coaches would allow.

    ABA basketball was fun basketball.

    The NBA, however, had all the money. And therefore, it could advertise, bringing fans and media coverage. The ABA lacked funds, and therefore lacked the means to draw fans and receive the attention it deserved.

    The ABA was definitely not as good as the NBA when it was first created. Occasional ABA vs. NBA games were played, and NBA teams dominated. Over time, the quality of the ABA talent pool increased dramatically. While it's no longer a big deal for current NBA teams to draft high school players, NBA teams never did that years ago. ABA teams did, and therefore got the jump on a lot of talent that would have gone to the NBA if given the choice. In the later years of the ABA, ABA teams usually beat NBA teams in inter-league competition.

    Despite the rise in quality of the American Basketball Association teams as time went on, the NBA still had all the fame and fortune. The ABA was struggling. The league managed to prove itself in many ways - competitive, exciting games, and top notch basketball stars, but it was unable to prove itself as a business. The logical solution - merge with the NBA.

    The ABA - NBA merger took place in 1976, with four successful ABA teams - the San Antonio Spurs, New York Nets, Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers - joining the NBA. The rest of the ABA shut down for good.

    Almost half of the players in the first NBA All-Star game after the merger were former ABA players.

    ABA， 以前的专业篮球队，有九年的历史。在创建初期，只有十个队伍。NBA的扩张虽然是有必要的，但是由于当时的巨大财政短缺，没有成立，所以，只成立了ABA。

    NBA是National Basketball Association的缩写（国家篮球协会）。成立于1946年6月6日。成立时叫BAA，即全美篮协会（Basketball Association of America），是由十一家冰球馆和体育馆的老板为了让体育馆在冰球比赛以外的时间，不至于闲置而共同发起成立的。BAA 成立时共11支球队：纽约尼克斯队、波士顿凯尔特人队、华盛顿国会队、芝加哥牡鹿队、克利夫兰叛逆者队、底特律猎鹰队、费城武士队、匹兹保铁人队、普罗维登斯蒸气队、圣路易斯轰炸机队和多伦多爱斯基摩人队。1949年BAA吞并了当时的另外一个联盟（NBL），并改名为NBA 。1949-50赛季，NBA共17支球队。1976年NBA吞并了美国篮球协会（ABA），球队增加到22支。

    1980年达拉斯小牛队加入NBA。1988年，夏洛特黄蜂队和迈阿密热火队加入NBA。1990年奥兰多魔术队和明尼苏达森林狼队加入NBA。1995年两支加拿大球队加入NBA，多伦多猛龙队和温哥华灰熊队，使NBA的球队达到29支。