Hint
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Answer
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This team's name is a reference to this indigenous bear species found in the Pacific Northwest
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Memphis Grizzlies
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This team's name was derived from a name-the-team survey; other options included Suntans and Beaches
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Miami Heat
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This team's name is a reference to the year the Declaration of Independence was signed in this city
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Philadelphia 76ers
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This team's name was inspired by a dinosaur species in Jurassic Park
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Toronto Raptors
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This team's name actually placed second in the name-the-team contest and refers to the history of westward expansion that led to its city's founding.
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Portland Trail Blazers
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This team's name was chosen to continue the theme of rhyming New York team names
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Brooklyn Nets
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This team's name was chosen to honor its state as being home to the largest population of this canine species in North America
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Minnesota Timberwolves
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The owner of this expansion team settled on this name-the-team winner because it represented "fearless men, whose life's pact was never surrender, no matter the odds."
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Cleveland Cavaliers
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After relocating to this sunny Southern California city in 1960, the team kept its name which is a reference to the nickname of its former home state
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Los Angeles Lakers
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A name-the-team contest determined this team's name which was a reference to a British general's alleged description of this city as being a "_____'s nest of rebellion" during the American Revolution
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Charlotte Hornets
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This team kept its original name after relocating to this mountainous state from its former city, the home of this musical genre
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Utah Jazz
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This team's avian name was shortened from its original name which was inspired by this Sauk Nation leader
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Atlanta Hawks
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This team's owner disavowed references to gun violence after the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and opened the team name through a contest
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Washington Wizards
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In 1947, this original team adopted the same name of a previous team from the 1925 American Basketball League that played in the same city
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Golden State Warriors
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In 2008, the ownership group named this team for the region's powerful storms and the city is home to the 45th Infantry Division
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Oklahoma City Thunder
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This team's name is a reference to its city's historically large Irish population
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Boston Celtics
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This name was selected through a contest and referenced large sailing ships that passed through the San Diego Bay
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Los Angeles Clippers
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The company of this team's first owner produced these car engine components in Fort Wayne; when the team relocated to Motown, the name stuck
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Detroit Pistons
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This team was initially set to be called the Gunslingers. However, before their first ever game, ownership started a name-the-name contest and this footwear modification was selected
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San Antonio Spurs
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This team name is a reference to its city's role in the meatpacking industry and its proximity to the Union Stock Yards
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Chicago Bulls
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This team changed its name to this monarch title to avoid confusion with the baseball team of its former city
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Sacramento Kings
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This team adopted its city's National Basketball League team name which referred to this 19th century mining boom for precious metals
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Denver Nuggets
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This team kept its original name from San Diego to create an aerospace theme with its baseball counterpart in this Texas city
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Houston Rockets
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This team's name is a reference to this city's largest tourist attraction, Disney World
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Orlando Magic
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Fans chose this team's name which was inspired by a popular TV Western and starred a member of the team's ownership group
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Dallas Mavericks
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This team's name is a homage to the state bird of Louisiana
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New Orleans Pelicans
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Judges of the name-the-team contest decided upon the second-place submission, noting that these forest animals were "spirited, good jumpers, fast and agile."
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Milwaukee Bucks
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This team's name is a reference to this state's NASCAR race and use of this type of car to establish speed since 1911
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Indiana Pacers
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This team's name was selected in a name-the-team contest and is a reference to its metro area's nickname, "Valley of the ___"
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Phoenix Suns
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The team's first ownership group selected this Dutch Colonial attire as a tribute to its city's heritage
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New York Knicks
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