Unit 11: Sports in America

How the Game Is Played

A basketball court can vary slightly in dimensions, but they are all approximately 26 m long and 15 m wide. Professional courts tend to be a little longer. At each end a basket (actually a metal rim from which is suspended a net open at the bottom) is fixed to a board about 3.1 m from the floor. Backboards are now made of a transparent material so that spectators behind the basket can see the game. In earlier days with opaque backboards, no spectators sat at either end of the court.

The object of the game is to drop the basketball into the net, usually by shooting the ball into the air so that it drops in. This is a skill that can be developed, which explains why youngsters can be found practicing for hours at a time. If a player sinks a basket by throwing the ball from a distance of about 6 m, the team is awarded 3 points. If a player is closer than that, the team receives 2 points.

Dribble

The challenge in the game arises from the rule that players may not carry the ball. A player can throw (pass) the ball to a team mate, or he can bounce (dribble) the ball on the floor as he moves around the court. The defensive players naturally try to intercept a pass, or steal the ball while it is being dribbled. The defense also tries to prevent the offense from shooting the ball before the shot clock expires. If any one of these events occur, the defensive team gains possession. They can also get the ball if an offensive player is the last one to touch the ball before it goes out of bounds, or if the offense scores.

Players commit a foul if they touch another player. The player receiving the foul is awarded a free throw (or foul shot) from a distance about 4.6 m in front of the net. Under certain conditions the player can have two foul shots. Opposing players may not interfere and must stay away from the player when he takes his free throw. Other sorts of misbehavior or unsportsmanlike actions may bring down a technical foul, whereupon the team captain is awarded a free throw. Foul shots are worth one point each.

There are five players on each team, and collegiate games last forty minutes, while professional games go on for forty eight minutes. All games are broken into quarter periods of play measured by a game clock, which is stopped for time outs or when the ball is out of play. Towards the end of the game much thought is given to strategies to stop the clock by the losing team, and players are sometimes deliberately fouled in the hopes they will miss their free throws, thereby giving the other team a chance to score two or three points in a short period of time. If the score is tied at the end of the regular game period, additional overtime periods are played until one team emerges as the winner.

Previous Page        Next Page