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The geography of the court
There are several designated regions of the court that are important to understanding how the game is played. The most important of these are the rectangular lines that outline the playing surface, but there are several others to note:
- The midcourt line separates the frontcourt from the backcourt. A team has 10 seconds to advance the ball past the halfcourt line on offense.
- The three-second lane is the painted rectangle around the basket that measures 16-feet wide and is almost 19 feet from the baseline to the free throw line. Players on offense cannot stand in this area for three seconds without being called for a violation. This is because it would be impossible to defend a player who could merely stand in the lane and wait for a pass, and also to create movement rather than having players stationary underneath the basket.
- The three-point line is the arc on the floor that is 22 feet from the center of the basket in the corners, widening to 23 feet, 9 inches at the top of the key, above the circle. Any made shot from beyond this line is worth three points. A "bomb from downtown" can be one of the most exciting plays in basketball.
Man-to-man and zone defenses
In high school, university/college and international basketball,
coaches have to make a decision on how they want their teams to
play defense.
A coach can select "man-to-man" defense, which requires each player to follow his opposing counterpart wherever he goes on the court. Or a coach may opt for a "zone" defense, where players are given the responsibility to cover an area of the floor, instead of an individual player.
In the NBA, zone defense is not allowed, which forces each player to play good individual defense. You will notice that bigger players, like Utah's Karl Malone, try using their strength to push opposing players away from the basket and they utilize their size to try and block the shots of their opponents. Smaller players, like Cleveland's Brevin Knight, often rely on quickness to help them defend by stealing the ball from their counterparts.
Rules
 Charging? The NBA on CTV helps clarify some basketball rules in these promotional spots:
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Zone defense is outlawed in the NBA, while it is permitted in international play. Illegal defense infractions in the NBA are called when a defensive team is utilizing some of the principles of zone, rather than man-to-man defense.
Goaltending is a rule that prevents a tall or high-leaping player from rejecting a shot attempt when the ball has either already centered the cylinder of the basket, or is on a downwards flight toward the cylinder.
Fouls are called when a defender impedes the offensive player from moving in a certain direction by force. They are also called when a defender is overly aggressive, or when an offensive player initiates contact with a defender.
Basketball is high-scoring
Unlike soccer, hockey and baseball, basketball provides fans with
scoring throughout the course of a game. This feature brings added
excitement because it is never clear how many points it will take
to win a game.
Even if one team races off to a double-digit lead, the trailing team has a chance to come back and win because of the 24-second clock. Since teams are required to shoot in 24 seconds, a team that gets far ahead can also have a period when it misses a number of shots, which then allows the other team to come back.
The three-point shot has added an extra dimension to the game in this regard, since it allows a trailing team to catch up quickly.
Types of shots
One of the great things about basketball is the tremendous variety
of shots that players use to attempt to score a basket:
- A jump shot, which is the most frequently used shot, requires a player to jump as high as he can in the air to shoot the ball over the defender and prevent him from blocking it. Watch for the great shooting of players like New York's Glen Rice or Golden State's Chris Mullin.
- Big players sometimes will use a hook shot, which is a shot taken with one outstretched hand directing the ball to the basket in a looping motion. Chris Webber of Sacramento is a notable hook shot artist.
- A finger roll or layup is an underhand shot where a player lets the ball go off his fingertips and sweeps gently toward the basket.
- A slam dunk, also called a slam, jam, stuff or dunk, occurs when a player reaches above the cylinder and propels the ball through the basket with force. Although taller players tend to dunk the basketball more often, many shorter players with great leaping ability, such as Eddie Jones of the Miami Heat, also try this shot, often with electrifying results.
Goaltending
Goaltending is a rule that prevents a tall or high-leaping player
from rejecting a shot attempt when the ball is either already over
the basket's center, or is on a downwards flight toward an
imaginary cylinder above the basket.
When the referee whistles the defense for goaltending, in his mind he feels that the ball was on its way into the basket, so the offensive team is awarded two points.
In the NBA, there is also a rule against offensive goaltending. This occurs when an offensive player helps guide the ball into the basket while it is on the rim or in the cylinder. Though this is a legal play in international competitions, it is not allowed in the NBA and the basket is not counted on the scoreboard.
The game changes from offense to defense quickly
One characteristic of basketball that makes it a fun sport to
watch on TV is that unlike football or baseball, which have
significant stoppages of play between downs or pitches, players are
required to switch from offense to defense and back. Like soccer
and hockey, the nonstop pace requires players to be in top
condition. It is marvelous to watch how gracefully these athletes,
many of them close to seven-feet tall, make the transition
automatically from an offensive position to a defensive
posture.
Point guard play
The point guard is the player who handles the ball the most for
his team, and it is his responsibility to begin the offensive
possession by dribbling the ball over halfcourt and passing the
ball to a player who is either in good position to take a shot or a
player in position to make one more pass that leads to a shot.
Point guards are usually the smallest and quickest players on the floor. A matchup of two quick, intelligent point guards, like Phoenix's Jason Kidd and Seattle's Gary Payton, makes for a thrilling game.
Ballhandling
NBA players often look like they have the basketball on a string,
since they can switch hands or switch directions without even
looking at the ball.
Watch how quickly New Jersey's Stephon Marbury or Vancouver's Mike Bibby dribbles the ball upcourt with their heads up, eyes scanning the floor for an open teammate.
Players like this can dribble the ball between their legs and behind their back without ever losing control. And watch them to whiz a quick pass to a teammate without even looking in his direction.
 Charles Oakley leaps to grab another rebound for Toronto. |
TeamworkNo matter how great an individual player is, his team won't win unless he and his teammates play together as a team. Michael Jordan and the Bulls did not become so successful until they learned how to help each other to become better players. Observe how well players help each other to play better, by talking to each other on the court, letting their teammates know where they will be and who they will be guarding.
On offense, you can look for players to set a pick and "pick off" that man's defender to try to free a teammate for a shot. On defense, watch for teammates to react and help out when a teammate is beaten on a drive to the basket. Charles Oakley of Toronto built a reputation as one of the NBA's best help defenders in his years with the New York Knicks.
Fakes
Basketball is partly a game of deception, where players often try
to make the opposition think they are going to do something, only
to quickly reverse field and do something entirely different.
A player dribbling the ball may fake to his left, then speed up and go to the right instead, hoping to get a step advantage over his defensive man.
An offensive player moving without the ball may fake as if he is going to run toward the player dribbling the basketball, then suddenly reverse his field and cut towards the basket in hopes of catching his defensive man off guard for an easy basket.
Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon has often befuddled opposing centers with his variety of fakes close to the basket.
Intensity and Desire
One of the most fascinating parts of watching an NBA game is to
see the intensity etched on the faces of the players. Unlike
football, hockey or baseball, the players don't wear helmets that
sometimes prevent fans from seeing the expressions on player's
faces. Players have spent their whole lives working hard to get to
the NBA, and you can see that animated desire clearly as you watch
the game.
 Miami Heat coach Pat Riley barks instructions from the sideline. |
Coaches Since they are unable to run out on the court and play, most coaches have a lot of pent-up energy to expend when they are on the sidelines. It can be a lot of fun to watch the facial expressions of coaches while play is going on, and to watch the coaches gesturing to their players (and referees!) on how they would like the game to be played. Most coaches consider themselves teachers, and they never stop trying to get their point across.
Two minute period
Often the last two minutes of a game is "crunch time" where the
games are close, the action is tense and more strategy is involved
on both offense and defense. That's a major reason why the "two
minute period" takes much longer than two minutes.
Good coaches will no doubt save a timeout or two for the game's final minutes in order to plan strategy to either protect the lead or to cut a deficit.
When a team is trailing in the two minute period, they often commit fouls to save time on the clock and try getting the ball back. Though these fouls gives the opponents a chance to make two free throws, it allows the trailing team a chance to stop the clock, get the ball back and cut the deficit by hitting a three-pointer.
