From November to April, the collegiate basketball season normally lasts five months. In the NBA, the regular season usually lasts around six weeks per team. During this time, each team will play 50 games (including pre-season and post-season games). In Europe, the season is typically longer and starts in September or even August. The season consists of several phases, such as the preseason, the regular season, and the playoffs. Each phase has its own rules regarding how many games can be played within a certain period of time. In Japan's Nippon Professional Basketball league, the season is also long and starts in October or even July. Like in the United States, each team plays approximately twice as much as the other teams during the season. The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) has a shorter season than most professional leagues in Asia. The season starts in late September or early October and ends in mid-April. There are two rounds of games for each division. In each round, each team will play against all other teams once. At the end of the season, the team with the best record will be the champion.