104In 1996, the NBA selected a group of the 50 greatest players. How many players selected were still active when they were chosen?
Answer: 10
Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, John Stockton, Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler, and Charles Barkley, and Shaquillie O'Neal were the 10 players.
107The Vancouver Grizzlies played at General Motors Place in Vancouver 1995-2001. The team then relocated to Memphis, Tennessee and began playing in what facility?
Answer: Pyramid Arena
The Memphis Grizzlies were at Pyramid Arena from 2001 to 2004; they then moved to the FedEx Forum. The Indiana Pacers began play at the Bankers Life Field House in Indianapolis in 1999. The Dallas Mavericks had home court at the American Airline Center starting in 2001.
Michael Jordan was named 1988 All-Star Game MVP after the Eastern Conference beat the Western Conference 133-138. The game was held in Chicago, IL, and was played on February 7, 1988.
109The Sixth Man Award was first presented for the 1982-83 season. Which Philadelphia 76er won the inaugural award?
Answer: Bobby Jones
At 31 years old, Bobby averaged just over 23-1/2 minutes per game in the season. While averaging nine points per game, he also averaged 4.6 rebounds. The 76ers went on to win the Atlantic Division in that season with Moses Malone leading the team with a 24.5 point average. They won the NBA Finals over the Lakers, four games to none.
111What was the first team ever to have 10-game winning and losing streaks in the same season?
Answer: Phoenix Suns
It was November 1996. The Suns' season had just begun (their first since trading Charles Barkley to Houston) and they were winless in their first 13 games. It looked like the season was already over. However, by the end of that same season, the Suns had crept into the seventh seed in the West after putting together a 10-game win streak near season's end. Credit Jason Kidd for turning their season around (he came to the team in December '96, was injured in his first game as a Sun, and came back in February '97 to turn a horrible team into a playoff team in just three months).
112Which team was the only team to beat the Celtics at Boston Garden in the 1985-1986 season?
Answer: Portland Trailblazers
On December 6, 1985, the Portland Trailblazers beat the Celtics at the Garden by a score of 121-103. This was the only home defeat of the season for the Celtics.
119In 1999 the Los Angeles Lakers moved to the Staples Center from which arena?
Answer: The Forum
The Lakers were at the Forum from 1967-1999. They played at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 1960-1967. The Cleveland Cavaliers moved into the Quicken Loan Arena in 1994. Key Arena was home court to the Seattle SuperSonics 1995-2007.
120What was the original name of the Detroit Pistons?
Answer: Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons were one of many "industrial" basketball teams in the American mid-west which were owned by industrial companies providing publicity for the company, and in many cases jobs for the players who, believe it or not, didn't make enough from basketball to live on year round. In the "semi-pro" era of American basketball, they actually pre-dated the formation of the NBA. Still owned by Fred Zollner's Piston company, they joined the NBA in 1949 as the Fort Wayne Pistons. They played in Ft. Wayne's War Memorial Coliseum for 8 seasons until moving to the Motor City in 1957.
121Who eliminated the Atlanta Hawks in the 2010 NBA Playoffs?
Answer: Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic defeated the Atlanta Hawks with a series sweep in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 4-3, in the first round before being swept by Orlando.
122The Wizards were able to beat the Bulls in the first round of the 2004-05 NBA playoffs. But, the Wizards weren't always the Wizards. What was the second name this franchise ever had?
Answer: Chicago Zephyrs
The Zephyrs existed for the 1962-1963 season. Originally the Zephyrs were the Chicago Packers when they were formed the year before. Since the Zephyrs moved, they have been the Capital Bullets, Washington Bullets, and Washington Wizards.
123As a rookie in 1992-93, Latrell Sprewell scored 15.4 points per game and made the All-Rookie Second Team. Why didn't he play in the rookie game that year?
Answer: There was no game
There was no rookie game that year, and the very first rookie game was played the following year (Penny Hardaway won the first ever Rookie MVP). The format has changed somewhat over the years. At first the two teams involved were formed as pickup games (no East/West or Rook/Soph division), had catchy names like the Phenoms and Sensations, as well as specially made uniforms. Then in 1996, the system changed to an East/West format with players donning their respective teams' uniforms. Finally, in 2000 they switched to the Rookies vs. Sophomores format (perhaps to include the rookies from the previous year, which did not have an All-Star Weekend due to the shortened season).