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NBA Basketball Betting
Basketball Betting - NBA History - Tips - Winners - Glossary
NBA Glossary
game clock:
shows how much time remains in each of the four 12-minute quarters of an NBA game or two 20-minute halves of a college game.
guards:
the 2 players on each team who are the smallest on the court; they usually handle setting up plays and passing to teammates closer to the basket.
guarding:
the act of following an opponent around the court to prevent him from getting close to the basket, taking an open shot or making easy an pass, while avoiding illegal contact.
half-court or set offense:
when a team takes the time to develop a play in its frontcourt, such as the give-and-go or a screening play; opposite of fast break.
high percentage shot:
a shot that is likely to go in the basket, such as a layup.
high post:
an imaginary area outside either side of thefoul lane at the free-throw line extended.
in the paint:
being in the foul lane area which is painted a different color.
inbounds:
the area within the end lines and sidelines of the court; also the act of bringing the ball into this area by means of a throw-in.
incidental contact:
minor contact usually overlooked by officials.
inside shooting:
shots taken by a player near or under the basket.
jump ball:
2 opposing players jump for a ball an official tosses above and between them, to tap it to their teammates and gain possession; used to start the game (tip-off) and all overtimeperiods, and sometimes to restart play.
keepaway game:
a tactic used by the team that is leading near the end of the game to keep the ball from its opponents to prevent them from scoring while using up time off the game clock; also called freezing.
key or keyhole:
the area at each end of the court consisting of the foul circle, foul lane and free-throw line; named for the shape it had years ago.
layup or layin:
a shot taken after driving to the basket by leaping up under the basket and using one hand to drop the ball directly into the basket (layin) or to bank the ball off the backboard into it (layup).
leading the receiver:
when a passer throws the ball where he thinks a receiver is headed.
live ball:
as soon as a ball is given to a free-throwshooter or a thrower on a throw-in, it is live, but the game clock does not restart until the ball is alive.
loose ball:
a ball that is alive but not in the possession of either team.
low post:
an imaginary area outside either side of thefoul lane close to the basket.
lower percentage shot:
a shot that is less likely to go in the basket, such as one thrown by a player who is off balance or outside his shooting range.
man-to-man defense:
the defensive style where each defensive player is responsible for guarding one opponent.
March Madness:
see NCAA Tournament.
match-ups:
any pairing of players on opposing teams who guard each other.
MVP (Most Valuable Player):
an award recognizing the NBA player who contributed most to theregular season or to the Finals.
NBA (National Basketball Association):
a professional league created in 1949 that now has 27 teams in the U.S. and is adding 2 Canadian teams in 1995.
NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association):
a voluntary association of over 1,200 colleges and universities in the U.S. whose role is to establish standards and protect the integrity of amateurism for student-athletes.
NCAA Tournament:
an annual competition between 64 college teams to crown a national champion; also called March Madnessbecause the three-week-long event is held during March; see also Final Four.
NIT (National Invitational Tournament):
the oldest college tournament, in which 32 teams not selected to theNCAA Tournament compete each year.
off the dribble:
a shot taken while driving to the basket.
offense:
the team with possession of the ball.
offensive rebound:
a rebound of a team's own missed shot.
officials:
thecrew chief, referee and umpire who control the game, stop and start play, and impose penalties for violations and fouls.
1-and-1 or 1-plus-1:
in college, a free-throwattempt awarded for certain violations that earns the shooter a 2nd attempt only if the first is successful.
open:
when a player is unguarded by a defender.
out of bounds:
the area outside of and including the end linesand sidelines.
outside shooting:
shots taken from the perimeter.
over the limit:
when a team commits 5 or more team fouls per NBA period (4 in each overtime); 8 or more per WNBA half; 7 or more per half in college; this team is also said to be in the penalty.
overtime or OT:
the extra period(s) played after a regulation gameends tied.
pass:
when a passer throws the ball to a teammate; used to start plays, move the ball downcourt, keep it away from defenders and get it to a shooter.
passer:
the player who passes the ball to a teammate.
period:
any quarter, half or overtime segment.
perimeter:
the area beyond the foul circle away from the basket, including 3-point line, from which players take long-range shots.
personal foul:
contact between players that may result in injury or provide one team with an unfair advantage; players may not push, hold, trip, hack, elbow, restrain or charge into an opponent; these are also counted asteam fouls.
picked off:
refers to a defender who has been successfully prevented from reaching theball handler by an offensive screen.
pick-up games:
impromptu games played among players who just met.
pivot:
a center; also the foot that must remain touching the floor until aball handler who has stopped dribbling is ready to pass or shoot.
playmaker:
thepoint guard who generally sets up plays for his teammates.
point-shaving:
an illegal practice where players intentionally win a game, but by fewer points than the point spread; led to 2 major college scandals (involved 32 of the biggest stars in the 1950s, then 22 colleges in 1961).
point spread:
a device established by bookmakers to equalize 2 teams for betting purposes; e.g., if a team is considered to be 4 points better than another, the spread is 4 points; to win a bet on the favorite, that team would need to win by more than the spread (in this case, by more than 4 points); the margin of victory can be more important than whether a team wins or loses.
possession:
to be holding or in control of the ball.
possession arrow:
in college, used to determine which team's turn it is to inboundsthe ball to begin a period or in ajump ballsituation.
post position:
the position of a player standing in the low postorhigh post.
quadruple double:
a triple double with double-digits scored in 4 categories.
rebound:
when a player grabs a ball that is coming off the rim or backboardafter a shot attempt; see offensive rebound and defensive rebound.
receiver:
the player who receives a pass from the ball handler.
regulation game:
four 12-minute quarters in the NBA or two 20-minute halves in college; a game that ends without overtime periods.
release:
the moment that the ball leaves a shooter's hands.
rookie:
a player in his first NBA season.
roster:
the list of players on a team.
run:
occurs when one team scores several field goals in quick succession while its opponents score few or none.
salary cap:
an annual dollar limit that a single team may pay all its players.
scoring opportunity:
when a player gets open for a shot that is likely to score.
screen or screener:
the offensive player who stands between a teammate and a defender to gives his teammate the chance to take anopen shot.
shot clock:
a clock that limits the time a team with the ball has to shoot it; 24 secondsin the NBA; in college, 35 seconds for men, 30 secondsfor women.
shooter:
a player who takes a shot at thebasket.
shooter's roll:
the ability to get even an inaccurate shot to bounce lightly off the rim and into the basket
shooting range:
the distance from which a player is likely to make his shots.
sidelines:
2 boundary lines that run the length of the court.
sixth man:
the best substitute on a team; usually the first player to come off the bench to replace a starter.
slam dunk:
see dunk.
squaring up:
when a player's shoulders are facing the basket as he releases the ball for a shot; considered good shooting position.
starting lineup:
the 5 starters who begin a game; usually a team's best players.
substitute:
a player who comes into the game to replace a player on the court.
swing man:
a player who can play both the guard and forward positions.
team fouls:
each personal foul committed by a player is also counted against his team; when a team goes over the limit, its opponent is awardedfree-throwopportunities.
technical fouls or Ts:
procedural violations and misconduct that officials believe are detrimental to the game; penalized by a single free-throw opportunity to the non-offending team (2 free-throws and possession in college).
3-on-3:
a game played with only 3 players on the court for each team.
3-point play:
a 2-point field goal followed by a successful free-throw.
3-point shot:
a field goalworth 3 points because the shooter had both feet on the floorbehind the3-point line when he released the ball; also counts if one foot is behind the line while the other is in the air.
throw-in:
the method by which a team with possession inbounds the ball.
timeout:
when play is temporarily suspended by an official or at the request of a team to respond to an injured player or discuss strategy; there are fulltimeouts (100 or 60 seconds in NBA, 120 seconds in WNBA, 75 or 60 seconds in college) and 20-secondtimeouts (30 seconds in college).
tip-off:
the initialjump ball that starts the game.
transition:
the shift from offense to defense.
traveling:
a floor violation when the ball handler takes too many steps without dribbling; also called walking.
triple double:
when a player scores double-digits in 3 categories during one game (points, assists and rebounds are most common, but it can also be blocks or steals); a sign of great versatility.
turnover:
when the offense loses possession through its own fault by passing the ball out of bounds or committing a floor violation.
upset:
when a higher-seeded (better) team loses to a lower-seeded (inferior) one.
violation:
see floor violation.
weakside:
the side of the court away from the ball.
zone defense:
a defense where each defender is responsible for an area of the court and must guard any player who enters that area; compare with man-to-man defense.
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