Major Basketball Events
With Basketball leagues present in every almost continent, there are countless Basketball events all over the Globe.
One major basketball event is the annual National Basketball League (NBA) Finals which happens every June. The NBA Finals is a best-of-seven series between the NBA's Eastern and Western Conference Champions.
The Eastern Conference/Division leads the Western Conference/Division in series won (35-27). The defunct Central Division won one championship. The Boston Celtics and Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers alone own more than half of the titles, having won a combined 33 of 64 championships.
Here's a list of recent NBA Champions:
2010 - Los Angeles Lakers defeats the Boston Celtics, 4 games to 3
2009 - Los Angeles Lakers defeats the Orlando Magic, 4 games to 1
2008 - Boston Celtics defeats the Los Angeles Lakers, 4 games to 2
2007 - San Antonio Spurs defeats the Cleveland Cavaliers, 4 games to none
2006 - Miami Heat defeats the Dallas Mavericks, 4 games to 2
2005 - San Antonio Spurs defeats the Detroit Pistons, 4 games to 3
2004 - Detroit Pistons defeats the Los Angeles Lakers, 4 games to 1
2003 - San Antonio Spurs defeats the New Jersey Nets, 4 games to 2
2002 - Los Angeles Lakers defeats the New Jersey Nets, 4 games to none
2001 - Los Angeles Lakers defeats the Philadelphia 76ers, 4 games to 1
2000 - Los Angeles Lakers defeats the Indiana Pacers, 4 games to 2
Another Major Basketball Event is the Olympic Basketball Tournament, which takes place every four years during the Summer Olympics. Men's Basketball has been played consistently at the Summer Olympic Games since 1936. The United States men's basketball team won all of the gold medals in the men's competition from 1936 to 1968.
The Soviet Union national basketball team won in the gold-medal game of the 1972 Summer Olympics in controversial fashion. The Americans refused to receive their silver medals and up to this day, the International Olympic Committee still possesses them.
In recent years, the Olympic Basketball Tournament has been synonymous with the US' Dream Team.
Another Major Basketball Event is the quadrennial International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Championship. Many consider that winning the World Championship gold medal is as prestigious as the Olympic Basketball Tournament gold medal.
The tournament structure is similar to the FIFA World Cup with regional champions competing for the championship. Additionally, both of these international competitions have been played in the same year since 1970. A parallel event for women's teams, the FIBA World Championship for Women, is also held in the same year as the men's event, but in a different country.
Of course, the finals series of the different basketball leagues all over the world is a major event in their respective regions. Europe has EuroLeague, even China has its own professional basketball league.
With lots of basketball action happening all year round, you'll never run out of basketball betting options. Check out the latest live basketball odds now.