NBA unveils new Maurice Podoloff trophy given to team with best regular-season record
The NBA has expressed quite a bit of interest in replicating elements of international soccer as a business model. The inspiration for a mid-season tournament, expected to come in the next few years, comes from the world of soccer as teams compete for several different trophies over the course of a year. In that vein, the NBA has introduced a number of new trophies recently, including Eastern and Western Conference Finals MVP awards named for Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, respectively. Well, now, the league is introducing yet another trophy. On Tuesday, it unveiled the Maurice Podoloff trophy, named for the NBA's first commissioner. It will go to the team each season that has the best regular-season record. Last season, that would have been the Phoenix Suns. The NBA describes the trophy by saying that it "features a crystal ball cut into 82 panels, sitting on a pedestal that combines the structures of the...