NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
Why did the NBA stop using trophy decals during the Finals? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The NBA Finals are the biggest stage in basketball, and for a while, the championship series had courts that fit the occasion.
After decades of on-court decals, the NBA had a brief stint where a massive decal of the Larry O’Brien Trophy would sit beneath the home team’s logo at midcourt for Finals games. It served as a glaring reminder of what’s at stake in the Finals and helped the games stand out from other playoff matchups.
Why exactly did the decals go away? And does the NBA do anything special with its courts in the Finals anymore?
Here’s what to know ahead of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.
When did the NBA start using on-court decals for the NBA Finals?
The NBA created individual logos for the Finals each year starting in 1986. The original template was in place for 10 years before the league updated the design in 1996. There have been several interactions since, and the NBA brought back a version of the iconic, scripted Finals font in 2022.
As for decals, the 1989 Finals between the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers was the first to feature an on-court decals displaying that year’s Finals logo. The NBA kept that practice in place through 2004 before making a major switch.
When did the NBA Finals have trophy logo at halfcourt?
The 2005 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons were the first to feature giant Larry O’Brien Trophy decals at halfcourt.
The league brought the decals back for the next four Finals, but they were last used in 2009 when the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic.
Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic go after the tipoff to start Game 5 of the 2009 NBA Finals on June 14, 2009, at Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
What did the NBA do once it removed trophy decals at the Finals?
The NBA returned to smaller on-court decals of the Finals logo from 2010 to 2014.
Court changes have mostly disappeared since. The Cavaliers incorporated the trophy with two on-court…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-did-nba-stop-using-175931229.html
Author : NBC Sports Boston
Publish date : 2024-06-05 17:59:31
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
