Introduction
Introduction
Basketball
The first pro league, the National Basketball League, was formed
in 1898 to protect players from exploitation and to promote a less
rough game. This league only lasted five years before disbanding; its
demise spawned a number of loosely organized leagues throughout
the northeastern United States . One of the first and greatest pro
teams was the Original Celtics, organized about 1915 in New York City
. They played as many as 150 games a season and dominated
basketball until 1936. The Harlem Globetrotters, founded in 1927, a
notable exhibition team, specializes in amusing court antics and expert
ball handling.
The NBA suffered a drop in popularity during the late 1970s, but
was resuscitated, principally through the growing popularity of its most
prominent players. Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, and Magic Johnson
of the Los Angeles Lakers are credited with injecting excitement into
the league in the 1980s through their superior skills and decade-long
rivalry. During the late 1980s Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls rose
to stardom and helped the Bulls dominate the NBA during the early
1990s. A new generation of basketball stars, including Shaquille O'Neal
of the Orlando Magic and Larry Johnson of the Charlotte Hornets, have
sustained the NBA's growth in popularity.
Rules of Basketball
Professional, college, and high school games are similar except
in length and in range of basic skills. Professional games are 48
minutes long, divided into quarters; college games, 40 minutes, played
in halves; and high school games, 32 minutes, broken into quarters. If
a game is tied at the end of regulation time, overtime (3 to 5 minutes,
depending on the level of competition) is played.
Two points are given for a field goal, which is a shot that goes
through the hoop--10 ft (3 m) high--while the ball is in play. The NBA
instituted, beginning with the 1979-1980 season, the 3-point field
goal, awarded to a player who scores from beyond a semicircle at a
distance of an even 22 ft (6.7 m) all the way around the basket. The
NCAA followed suit, beginning in 1986-87, with a 3-point semicircle
that averages 19.75 ft (6 m) from the basket. One point is awarded for
a free throw, or foul shot, which is attempted by a player who has
been fouled, or impeded physically, by an opponent. Free throws are
attempted, undefended, from a line drawn 15 ft (4.57 m) from the
basket.
· If the shot for goal misses, two free throws will be awarded.
· If the missed shot for goal was a three-point shot, three free throws
will be awarded.
If you have committed five fouls, you cannot take any further
part in the game.
When your team has committed seven player fouls in a half, any
fouls they commit will be penalized by the one and one rule. In this
case, the player who fouled is given one free throw (unless they were
in the act of shooting for goal, in which case the usual free throw rules
apply). The one and one rule means that, if you make the first free
throw, you are given a second shot. If you miss the first throw, you
don't get another one and the game continues in the normal way.
Equipment
How it is played
The game of basketball is played with a round ball by two teams, each
with five players usually two guards, two forwards and a centre (or in
modern basketball lingo – point guard, wings and post players).
The referee starts the game by tossing the ball up (a jump ball)
between the two opposing centre players, who stand facing each other
at the centre circle of the playing arc. The player who wins the ball
may then pass, throw, tap, roll or dribble the ball in any direction,
subject to the official rules. The aim of the game is to throw the ball
through the opponent's basket while pre-venting the other team from
getting the ball and scoring goals.
Shooting the ball through the basket scores two points for a field goal,
three points for a field goal made from outside the three-point line
drawn on the court and one point for a free throw. Naturally enough,
the team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
You cannot run with the ball - this is called travelling. Nor can you take
more than one step while holding the ball. If you stop dribbling, the
ball can only be moved by a pass or shot at the basket. If you start
dribbling again, you will be penalized for double dribbling. Each team is
allowed up to five substitutes, who must stay off the court until the
coach decides to replace an on-court player (known as making a
substitution). Substitutions may be made at time-outs, jump balls or
when play is stopped for a foul. If they do decide to make such a
substitution, their opponents can also make a substitution.
· The player causing the contact must not gain any advantage from it.