Basketball Rule

Basketball Rule

Basketball is a sport of agility and endurance that develops hand-eye coordination. Dr. James Naismith of Ontario, Canada invented the game in 1891. Basketball even overtakes baseball as the unofficial American pastime.

Twelve nations will be participating in the men's basketball competitions at the 2004 Olympic Games at Athens, Greece. The preliminary rounds will be held at Hellinikon Olympic Complex, Indoor Arena and the final rounds will be held at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, Olympic Indoor Hall.

The New York Renaissance, the first all-black professional team was the one of the greatest, unheard of basketball teams. In one season, the team won 112 games, losing only 7 games. The New York Renaissance won championships despite the fact that they were never accepted professionally or socially. The New York Renaissance was created in 1922, and in their almost thirty-year existence, they compiled a 2588-529 record.

Basketball Rule

Though the rules of basketball have been modified over time, the essential principles remain the same. The team that has the ball is the offense and the opposing team becomes the defense. The offense has to get the ball through the opposing team's basket as much as possible and the defense has to stop them from doing so. That's basketball in a nutshell. The offense positions the players to take a shot, that is, throw the ball through the hoop. In the defense positions players block these shots. The dimensions of the basketball court and other equipment vary based on the level of play.

An organized basketball game has two teams consisting of 5 players each. Though the team can have more than five players, only five of them are allowed on court at a time. Reserve players can enter the game through a process called substitution. There are five positions on a traditional basketball team: point guard, shooting guard, power forward, small forward, and center. Traditionally, home teams wear light colored jerseys with their mascot name, while the visiting teams wear dark colored jerseys displaying the name of the city or college.

Official Rules of the National Basketball Association

The ball can be thrown or passed in any direction, but once the ball has crossed midcourt, it cannot be passed behind the midcourt line unless touched by a defensive player first. The ball can be batted away with one or both hands. Defensive players can block a shot while it is on its upward path to the basket. A player must dribble or pass the ball and not run with it. The ball has to be held in the hands or the arms of the player. The player cannot use his body to hold the ball or to obstruct the ball from getting to a player or going in the net. A player can be thrown out of a game for intent to injure. After five fouls in a quarter a team is in the penalty and the fouled team shoots two free throws. A player cannot touch the rim when the ball has been shot and is on its way into the basket. If a player does not throw the ball within five seconds, the ball is turned over to the other team. A player who is in-bounds must pass, shoot or dribble within five seconds or he will lose possession of the ball. There are three referees in an NBA game who call fouls and determine ejections. NBA referees determine possession of the ball. Separate timekeepers monitor the game clock and check substitute players into a game. A scorekeeper keeps the statistics of a game, such as the score, individual statistics and fouls. NBA games consist of two halves of four 12- minute periods. Games that are tied as time expires go into a five-minute overtime period. The duration between the first-second and third-fourth periods is about 130 seconds. The halftime break is 15 minutes between the two halves. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. If a game is tied, it goes into overtime, which continues until one team has more points at the end of a five-minute overtime period. The player foul limit is 6. The fifth foul per period is a bonus free throw. Five players, three defensive and two offensive are permitted on the free throw lane. The player in game calls the timeouts. There are 6 full and 1 20 second per half timeouts both in a televised and non-televised game.

Fouls

The following fouls results in a change of possession or the shooting of free throws:

Technical Foul (or "Tech") - This is a penalty for a violation of conduct, such as abusive language or fighting. Every technical foul awards a free throw to the opposing team. Two technical fouls in a single game mean an automatic ejection for the offending player or coach.

Offensive Foul - This is called when the player with the ball charges into a defender who is in a stationary, defensive position.

Defensive Foul - This is called after any unnecessary or illegal contact either on the ball or away from the ball.

Violations

The following violations result in a change of possession:

24-Second Violation - The NBA teams must attempt a shot within 24 seconds.
Three in the Key - An offensive or defensive player cannot remain in the lane (key) for more than three seconds at a time.
Double Dribble - This is a violation in which a player dribbles the ball, stops, and then begins to dribble again.
Charging - This is a violation in which an offensive player runs into a stationary opponent.
Traveling - This is a violation in which a player takes too many steps without dribbling the ball.
Eight-Second Violation - The offensive team has eight seconds to get the ball over midcourt after a basket.
Palming - This is a violation in which a player moves his hand under the ball and scoops it while dribbling.
Goaltending - When a defensive player interferes illegally with a shot on the rim or on a downward path to the hoop; the shot is assumed in and the offensive team receives the basket.

National Basketball Association / NBA Basketball

Professional basketball began in 1896 in New York City. It was not as popular as college basketball until the 1950s. It was a dull game, played at a snail's pace, with one team opening up a lead and freezing the ball until time ran out. The National Basketball League and the rival Basketball Association of America merged into the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1949. This led to the popularity of professional basketball.

Other factors that led to the popularity of the NBA were:

· Star players like George Mikan, who later became the first commissioner of the American Basketball Association
· Signing of black players starting from the year 1950
· Gambling scandals in college games in the early 1950s
· Implementation of the 24-second shot clock in 1954

The 24-second shot clock was the most exciting change in the league. A team now got 24 seconds to take a shot or else lose the possession of the ball. The number of fouls per team per quarter was also limited to prevent excessive fouling.

The success of the National Basketball Association (NBA) inspired the formation of several other competing leagues. One among these leagues was the American Basketball Association (ABA) that was formed in 1967 and later merged into the NBA in 1975. Charismatic players like "Magic" Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, and aggressive marketing made the National Basketball Association (NBA) hugely successful since the 1980s.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has teams from the United States and Canada, and is the major professional basketball league in the world. There are 29 NBA teams that are divided into two conferences, the Eastern and Western, each of which has two divisions. Each National Basketball Association (NBA) team conducts a training camp in October to determine its 12-player roster.

The training camp allows the team to:

· Evaluate players
· Assess the team's strengths and weaknesses
· Prepare players for the upcoming season

The National Basketball Association (NBA) begins its 82-game regular season in the first week of November. In February, the National Basketball Association (NBA) conducts the annual NBA All-Star Game, featuring the game's best players. The players are selected by the general balloting of fans throughout the United States and Canada. The National Basketball Association (NBA) season concludes in April, and 16 teams (8 teams from each conference) qualify for the playoffs. The two division winners in each conference are assured a playoff spot. Regardless of division, the remaining playoff spots in each conference are given on the basis of win-loss records to the six next-best teams. The playoffs follow a certain elimination scheme.

The playoffs start with the teams with better records playing the teams with worse records in a best-of-five series. Here, the winner is the first team to win three games. In subsequent rounds, the best-of-seven series are played, with the first team to earn four victories winning the round. The playoffs continue until a conference champion is crowned. The champions from the Eastern and Western conferences then meet in a best-of-seven series to determine the National Basketball Association (NBA) champion.

Basketball Tip

Coaches offer the best basketball tips to improve their teams' chances of winning and enjoying the game. Shooting is pushing the ball with one hand towards the basket. Learning the fundamentals of shooting the ball increases the chances of being successful in the game. Shooting styles are different for every player. Yet mastering the fundamental shots helps the player to reach his potential. Players need to maintain balance during the shot. Move towards the basket for power, except during a free throw. The player's eyes must remain on the target until the ball goes in. Leaning in towards the basket makes the shot much easier.