Mesoland NBA
Current season, competition or edition: 2019 MNBA playoffs | |
 | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 9, 1969 Pelham, New Carlow, Mesoland |
| Inaugural season | 1969–70 |
| Commissioner | Horst Seedorf |
| No. of teams | 30 |
| Countries | Mesoland |
| Headquarters | Pelham |
| Region | Astyria |
| Continent | Ixalia |
| Most recent champion(s) | Port Kingston Buccaneers (2nd title) |
| Most titles | Tabarak Titans (12 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | Mesoland: |
The Mesoland National Basketball Association (MNBA) is a men's professional basketball league in Mesoland, composed of 30 teams. It is considered to be the premier men's professional basketball league in Astyria. The MNBA is one of the three major professional sports leagues in Mesoland. MNBA players are Mesoland's highest paid athletes by average annual salary per player.
The MNBA was founded in Pelham, New Carlow on September 9 1969. The MNBA maintains regional offices across Mesoland, with its head office located at 355 Fourth Avenue in downtown Pelham. Other major MNBA offices are located in Tabarak, Tabarak State, Ilungwe, Carrick, Union City, Hamilton and Deadhorse, Redmond.
History
Creation
Modern era
International influence
Other developments
Teams
The MNBA originated in 1969 with 30 teams. A number of teams have relocated and become defunct since the inception of the league, but every season of the league so far has been played with 30 teams. 15 teams are based in the east of Mesoland and 15 in the west.
The current league organization divides thirty teams into two conferences of three divisions with five teams each. Although more than two thirds of Mesoland's population reside in western Mesoland, an equal number of teams are based either side of the Humboldt Channel. This is due to the extreme popularity of basketball on the channel's east coast, especially in the states of New Carlow, Hamilton, Verlois and Yanka.
- Notes
- An asterisk (*) denotes a franchise move. See the respective team articles for more information.
Regular season
Following the summer break, teams begin training camps in late September. Training camps allow the coaching staff to evaluate players (especially rookies), scout the team's strengths and weaknesses, prepare the players for the regular season, and determine the 12-man active roster (and a 3-man inactive list) with which they will begin the regular season. After training camp, a series of preseason exhibition games are held. Preseason matches are sometimes held in non-NBA cities. The MNBA regular season begins in the last week of September.
During the regular season, each team plays 82 games, 41 each home and away. A team faces opponents in its own division four times a year (16 games). Each team plays six of the teams from the other two divisions in its conference four times (24 games), and the remaining four teams three times (12 games). Finally, each team plays all the teams in the other conference twice apiece (30 games). Over five seasons, each team will have played 80 games against their division (20 games against each opponent, 10 at home, 10 on the road), 180 games against the rest of their conference (18 games against each opponent, 9 at home, 9 on the road), and 150 games against the other conference (10 games against each team, 5 at home, 5 on the road). Each team hosts and visits every other team at least once every season.
In January, the regular season pauses to celebrate the annual MNBA All-Star Game. Fans vote throughout Mesoland, and the highest voted player in each conference are named captains. Fan votes determine the rest of the All-Star starters. Coaches vote to choose the remaining 14 All-Stars. Then, the highest voted player in each conference draft their own team from a player pool of chosen All-Stars. The highest voted player in the league earns first pick and so on. The player with the best performance during the game is rewarded with a Game MVP award. Other attractions of the All-Star break include the Rookie Invitational, where the top rookies and second-year players in the MNBA play in a 5-on-5 basketball game, with the current format pitting western conference players against those from the east; the Three Point Contest, where players compete to score the highest number of three-point field goals in a given time; and the MNBA Slam Dunk Contest, where players compete to dunk the ball in the most entertaining way according to a panel of judges.
Shortly after the All-Star break, the trade deadline commences, generally on the 16th Tuesday of the season. After this date, teams are not allowed to exchange players with each other for the remainder of the season, although they may still sign free agents and release players.
The MNBA regular season ends at the end of March. It is during this time that voting begins for individual awards, as well as the selection of the honorary, league-wide, post-season teams. The Sixth Man of the Year Award is given to the best player with more games off the bench than starts. The Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the best first-year player. The Most Improved Player Award is awarded to the player who is deemed to have improved most from the previous season. The Defensive Player of the Year Award is awarded to the league's best defender. The Coach of the Year Award is awarded to the coach that has made the most positive difference to a team. The Most Valuable Player Award is given to the player deemed the most valuable for (his team) that season.
The post-season teams are the All-MNBA Team, the All-Defensive Team, and the All-Rookie Team; each consists of five players. There are three All-NBA teams, consisting of the top players at each position, with first-team status being the most desirable. There are two All-Defensive and All-Offensive teams, consisting of the top defenders and offensive players respectively at each position. There are also two All-Rookie teams, consisting of the top first-year players regardless of position.
Playoffs
The NBA playoffs begin in April after the conclusion of the regular season with the top eight teams in each conference, regardless of divisional alignment, competing for the league title, the MNBA Championship Trophy. Seeds are awarded in order of regular season record (with a tiebreaker system used as needed).
Having a higher seed offers several advantages. The first seed begins the playoffs playing against the eighth seed, the second seed plays the seventh seed, the third seed plays the sixth seed, and the fourth seed plays the fifth seed. The team in each series with the better record has home court advantage, including the First Round.
The playoffs follow a tournament format. Each team plays an opponent in a best-of-seven series, with the first team to win four games advancing into the next round, while the other team is eliminated from the playoffs. In the next round, the successful team plays against another advancing team of the same conference. All but one team in each conference are eliminated from the playoffs. Since the MNBA does not re-seed teams, the playoff bracket in each conference uses a traditional design, with the winner of the series matching the first- and eighth-seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the fourth- and fifth-seeded teams, and the winner of the series matching the second- and seventh-seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the third- and sixth-seeded teams. In every round, the best-of-7 series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 home-court pattern, meaning that one team will have home court in games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while the other plays at home in games 3, 4, and 6.
The final playoff round, a best-of-seven series between the victors of both conferences, is known as the MNBA Final, and is held annually in late May. The winner of the MNBA Final receives the MNBA Championship Trophy. Each player and major contributor—including coaches and the general manager—on the winning team receive a championship ring. In addition, the league awards the MNBA Final Most Valuable Player Award to the best performing player of the series.
Championships
The Tabarak Titans have won the most titles in MNBA history with 12. The second most successful team are the Union City Warriors with 8 championships. Furthermore, both the Foxburg Brawlers and Ilungwe Bulls have won 4 titles.
| Teams | Win | Loss | Total | Year(s) won | Year(s) runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tabarak Titans | 12 | 7 | 19 | 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2014 | 1980, 1981, 1994, 2000, 2007, 2008, 2015 |
| Union City Warriors | 8 | 5 | 13 | 1973, 1974, 1980, 1983, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2017 | 1975, 1978, 1979, 2016, 2018 |
| Ilungwe Bulls | 4 | 3 | 7 | 1984, 1987, 1988, 1991 | 1973, 1989, 1992 |
| Foxburg Brawlers | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1982, 1997, 1998, 1999 | 1972, 2010 |
| Limoux Mesos | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1972, 1992, 1994 | 1995, 1997, 1999 |
| Bristol Ravens | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1990, 1995 | 1970, 1971 |
| Port Rogan Sentinels | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1981, 2009 | 1982 |
| Princeton Tigers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1970,1971 | |
| Port Kingston Buccaneers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2016, 2018 | |
| Waterford Irish | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1996 | 1977, 1990, 1991, 2014 |
| Arkwright Messengers | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1976 | 1974, 1996, 2017 |
| Lexington Islanders | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1985 | 1983, 1984, 1993 |
| Pelham Bears | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1989 | 1987, 1988 |
| Kalabat Rogues | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2010 | 2003, 2009 |
| Deadhorse Mustangs | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2012 | 1986, 2006 |
| Rojira Loopers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2013 | 2011, 2012 |
| North Linden Hammers (now Lokungalo Cheetahs) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1975 | |
| Tabarak Capitals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2011 | |
| Fairbanks Jets | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1998, 2004, 2005 | |
| Holden Foresters | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1976, 1985 | |
| Newoak Blazers | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2001, 2002 | |
| Missagua Beach Typhoons | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2013 |
Media coverage
International competitions
Ticket prices and viewership demographics
Viewership demographics
Notable people
Presidents and commissioners
Players
- 50 Greatest Players in MNBA History
- Lists of Mesoland National Basketball Association players
- List of foreign MNBA players, a list that is exclusively for players who are not from Mesoland