Basketball For Dummies E-Book

Richard Phelps

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 602

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

The easy way to get the ins, outs, and intrigue on this beloved sport

The National Basketball Association (NBA), with 30 teams and an average attendance of more than 17,000 spectators per game, is the richest and most popular basketball league — and arguably the most viewed American sport — in the world. This new edition of Basketball For Dummies not only covers the rules and regulations of the NBA, but offers coverage on the WNBA, NCAA, and international basketball leagues.

Basketball For Dummies is a valuable resource to the many fans of this beloved sport, covering everything from players and personalities in the game to rules, regulations, and equipment. Completely updated with information and intrigue that's occurred in the sport since publication of the previous edition, Basketball For Dummies gets you up to speed on everything from NCAA Tournament brackets to college players en route to the NBA.

• Coverage of the rules and regulations of the NBA
• Interesting topics like LeBron the Phenom, ESPN'S influence on the NBA, and the UCONN women's basketball dynasty
• Digger's take on John Wooden

Whether you're a basketball player or a courtside spectator, Basketball For Dummies is a slam-dunk of information and intrigue for anyone who loves the sport.

Leseprobe

Basketball For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/basketball to view this book's cheat sheet.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Digger the Player, to Digger the Coach, to Digger the Fan

The Early Years

Tunnel Vision: Notre Dame

Building a Program

Digger the Fan

Introduction

Foolish Assumptions

How to Use This Book

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Basketball 101

Part II: The Fundamentals of Basketball

Part III: The Game

Part IV: And You Don’t Have to Pick Up a Ball

Part V: The Part of Tens

Part VI: Appendixes

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Basketball 101

Chapter 1: Bare-Bones Basketball

We’re Having a Ball

The Object of the Game, Simplified

Digger’s Ten Reasons to Like Basketball

Basketball is ballet

Basketball is a simple game

Basketball requires very little equipment

You don’t need anyone else to play

You’re watching people, not uniforms

You’re home by supper

The game flows

Weather or not, you can play

March Madness

Fun for boys and girls everywhere

Coaching a Team

Don’t Become a Tunnel-Vision Fan

Chapter 2: The Wear and Where of Basketball

The Wear of Basketball

Sneakers

Socks

A mouthpiece

Uniforms

Equipment

The Where of Basketball

Your own driveway

School yards or playgrounds

Basketball Hotbeds: Where the Best Players Come From

Chapter 3: The Rules

Naismith’s Original 13 Rules

The Court

The free throw lane and free throw line

The three-point arc

The back court and front court

The Players

The Game

To begin

Time-in, time-out

The shot clock

Ten seconds

Time-out

Overtime

The officials

Fouls

Offensive fouls

Technical fouls

Nonfoul Violations

Every League for Itself

Chapter 4: Statistics

Scoring: King of Stats

Scoring: One, two, three

Free throws

Field goals

Three- and four-point plays

The official scorer

Statistical genius: The box score

Other Statistics Worth Watching

Assists

Turnovers (not the cherry kind)

Blocked shots

Steals

Minutes

Ratios

Bench scoring

Second-chance points

Points off turnovers

Triple doubles

Quadruple doubles

Part II: The Fundamentals of Basketball

Chapter 5: Shooting

Becoming a Good Shooter

Putting a 9-inch ball through an 18-inch hoop

Developing a soft touch

Digger’s Five Keys to Shooting

Balance yourself

Shoot with your legs

Grab the rim

Control the ball with your fingertips

Arch your shot

Perfecting the Free Throw

Taking the pressure shot

Drilling home free throw mechanics

The Five Shooting Areas

Under the basket (the layup or dunk)

Beyond the arc

The elbows

The right or left wing

The right or left corner

Shooting for Variety

The bank shot

The baby jumper

The three-point shot

Shooting Drills

Drills without a defender

Drills with a defender

Great Shooters: Players to Emulate

Chapter 6: Offense

Establishing Your Position

Point guard (alias “Ball Handler”)

Shooting guard (alias “Two-Guard”)

Small forward (alias “Swingman”)

Power forward (alias “The Enforcer” or “Four-Spot”)

Center (alias “The Big Man”)

Playing to Your Strength

Offensive Plays and Maneuvers

The pass

The screen

The give-and-go

The pass and screen away

The pick and roll

The back door

Being Alert (The World Needs Lerts) on Offense

Setting the Tempo

Man-to-Man Offense

Patterns and continuity

The difference between basketball and football offense

Zone Offense

How the zone bothers the offense

How to attack the zone

Playing against a 2–3 zone

Playing against a 1–3–1 (point) zone

Getting the ball inside against a zone

Fast Break Offense

Why the fast break works

The three-man weave drill

The three-on-two, two-on-one drill

Press Offense

Breaking Half-Court Traps

Chapter 7: Defense

Playing with Your Head

Playing with Your Heart

Playing with Your Feet

In-the-paint drill

On-the-diagonal drill

Man-to-Man Defense

The three stages of an offensive player’s possession

The first day of practice

Defense is TEAM defense

The triangle principle of man-to-man defense

Playing guard in a man-to-man defense

Playing forward in a man-to-man defense

Playing center in a man-to-man defense

Playing post defense

Defending the entry pass

Defending screens: To switch or not to switch?

Defending the pick and roll

Digger’s switching rule

The Last Word on Man-to-Man

Zone Defense

2–3 zone

1–3–1 zone

Matchup zone

Gadget defenses

Meet the Press

The trap press

Defending the break

Chapter 8: Rebounding

Board-dom: A Glossary

Rebounding: The Key to Victory

The Team Concept of Rebounding

Rebounding Physics

Defensive Rebounding

Using your time wisely

Gaining leverage

Rebounding in a zone defense

Offensive Rebounding

Rebounding Drills

Circle the wagons drill

One-on-one rebounding drill

Dan Mara drill

Manhattan drill

Four-player full-court rebounding drill

Out-rebounding a Taller Player

Great Rebounders to Emulate

Chapter 9: Moves, Plays, and Strategies

Playing Center

Working to get open inside

Breaking contact with the defender

Moving without the ball

Moves for a Center

The drop step

Power move through the hoop

The pull-up jumper

Hook shot

The up-and-under move

Pass to the open player

Moves for a Guard

The crossover move

The pick and roll

Setting screens for the shooting guard

A move for a forward

The point forward

Last-Second Plays

Length-of-the-court game-winning play

Digger’s tips on last-second plays

To call time-out or not to call time-out: That is the question

Preparing for the Big Game

Scout the opposition — and yourself

Challenge the opposing team’s star

Play up a sense of rivalry

Prepare your team mentally

Lean on your support groups

Part III: The Game

Chapter 10: Pickup Basketball

The Traits of Pickup Basketball

Gimme the ball

Pass — or shoot — the rock!

Trash talk

The lane — No place for the faint of heart

Arguments

Don’t expect to run Coach K’s offense

Other pickup basketball customs and terms

Half court or full court?

Gentleman’s Rules of Pickup Basketball

To 11, 15, or 21 by ones

Winners

Gotta win by two

Call your own fouls

Take it back

We got next

Check

No free throws

Looking for Good Pickup Facilities

A good number of courts

A good variety of courts and games

Even baskets with nylon nets and rectangular backboards

Lights

A water fountain

Courtside concerns

Padding on the basket support

A level court

North-south orientation (if outdoors)

Bathroom facilities

Proper ventilation in the gym

Pickup Shooting Games

H-O-R-S-E

21

Around the World

5-3-1

From Driveways to Tournaments

Bookstore Basketball

Gus Macker

Chapter 11: High School Basketball

One School, Three Teams

Freshman

Junior varsity

Varsity

High School Basketball Is All Over the Map

High School Is the New College

From the Prom to the Pros

Understanding Hoosier Hysteria

The White Shadow

AAU Basketball: High School Hoops’ 600-Pound Gorilla

High School All-America Teams

Chapter 12: College Basketball

What Makes College Basketball Special?

March Madness

Diversity in size of players

Diversity in player personalities

Diversity in style of play

Governing Bodies

The NCAA

NAIA

Junior colleges

Conference structure

Team Size

Coaches

The roles of the college coach

Games

Other postseason tournaments

Polls

All-America Teams

Player of the Year Awards

NCAA Women’s Basketball

The smaller ball

Increased media attention

Upgrades to the game

One and Done

Chapter 13: Professional Basketball

National Basketball Association (NBA)

Schedule

The first game

Rosters

Playoffs

The NBA Has Come a Long Way

The shot clock: A rule that saved a league

Illegal defense: What is it?

Foreign Infusion

NBA Economics

One for the money, two for the show: Player salaries and league rankings

Bargains and busts, 2010–11

Coaching in the NBA

Gone but Not Forgotten: The ABA

Women’s Pro Hoops: The WNBA

Starts and stops

The D-League

The Harlem Globetrotters

Chapter 14: International Basketball

How Hoops Took Over the World

Winning at the 1960 Olympics

Losing at the 1972 Olympics

Yugoslavia defeating the Soviets

Touring American college teams

Dream Team I

International Players Infuse the U.S. College Ranks

It’s a different game

Hoops Cultural Exchange: International Influence on the American Game

Outside shooting by big men

Skip passing

Better passing

The three-point shot

A more perimeter-oriented game

Dribble penetration, then kick out for the three-pointer

Hoops Cultural Exchange: American Influence on the International Game

Improved ballhandling

Improved perimeter defense

Development of the inside game

Why the rest of the world has caught up with the United States

Worldwide Hoops: Top Pro Leagues

International Basketball Tournaments

The Olympic Games

The European Championships

The Pan American Games

The FIBA World Championship of Basketball

Part IV: And You Don’t Have to Pick Up a Ball

Chapter 15: You Don’t Need to Play to Be a Fan

Following a Game on TV

Anticipate the next pass

Watch the action away from the ball

When to avoid James-vision

When to get James-vision

Follow stats

Watch the officials

What I Watch For

Following a Game on the Radio

Following Your Team on the Internet (a.k.a. “Cyberspace Jam”)

Subscribing to Magazines and Other Publications

Watching Your Child Play

Participating in Fantasy Leagues

Setting up a fantasy league

Putting together your fantasy team

Visiting the Halls of Fame

Naismith Hall of Fame

College Basketball Hall of Fame

Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame

Chapter 16: Filling Out Your NCAA Tournament Bracket

Following the Chronology of the NCAA Tournament

Picking Your Teams Wisely

In-season publications and Internet sites

Selection Sunday shows on CBS and ESPN

Filling Out Your Bracket

Ratings

Strength of schedule

Player experience

Coaching experience

Conference tourney success

Conference ratings

Successful programs

It takes six wins . . . or seven

Who’s hot, who’s not

Who has the guards?

Winning close games

Season records: Stubbing your toe isn’t all that bad

The importance of seeding

Physical teams

Injuries and distractions

Teams on a mission

The charismatic leader factor

The Rodney Dangerfield theory

Haven’t we met before?

The importance of being ignorant

The princess of pick-em

Part V: The Part of Tens

Chapter 17: Ten Games That Changed the Course of Basketball History

Springfield YMCA 5, Springfield Teachers 1

Texas Western 72, Kentucky 65

Houston 71, UCLA 69

North Carolina 54, Kansas 53 (three overtimes)

Notre Dame 71, UCLA 70

Michigan State 75, Indiana State 64

Soviet Union 51, United States 50

Connecticut 77, Tennessee 66

Boston Celtics 135, Chicago Bulls 131, 2OT

New York Knicks 113, Los Angeles Lakers 99

Los Angeles Lakers 123, Philadelphia 76ers 107

Chapter 18: Ten Best Basketball Websites

Basketball-Reference.com

Rushthecourt.net

Collegeinsider.com

Truehoop.com

Hoopshype.com

Allbrackets.com

NBAhoopsonline.com

KenPom.com

Slamonline.com

Hoopsworld.com

Chapter 19: Ten NBA Legends

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Elgin Baylor

Larry Bird

Wilt Chamberlain

Bob Cousy

Julius Erving

Magic Johnson

Michael Jordan

Oscar Robertson

Bill Russell

Jerry West

Chapter 20: Ten Important Dates in Basketball History

December 29, 1891: First Basketball Game

December 30, 1936: Hank Luisetti’s One-Handed Shot

March 27, 1939: Oregon 46, Ohio State 33

November 1, 1946: New York Knicks 68, Toronto Huskies 66

March 2, 1962: Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-Point Game

January 20, 1968: UCLA, Houston Play “Game of the Century”

September 10, 1972: U.S.S.R Defeats U.S.A.

January 19, 1974: Notre Dame ends UCLA’s 88-Game Winning Streak

April 4, 1983: N.C. State Beats Houston

January 16, 1995: UCONN Meets Tennessee

Part VI: Appendixes

Appendix A: Glossary of Basketball Terms

Appendix B: Drilling the Basics

1-on-1 dribble, full court

Passing drill

Defend and recover drill

3-man weave to layup

Secondary break shooting drill

30-second shooting drill

50-shot drill

Two line shooting drill

Down screen, away screen drills

Defensive slide

Help and recover defense drill

Backdoor drills — offense and defense

Team defense drill

Defensive rotation drill

Defending the screen drill

8-player rebounding drill

Perimeter shooting drill

Fast-break drill

Cheat Sheet

Basketball For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

by Richard “Digger” Phelps with John Walters and Tim Bourret

Basketball For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Published byJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. Some of the exercises and dietary suggestions contained in this work may not be appropriate for all individuals, and readers should consult with a physician before commencing any exercise or dietary program.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Not all content that is available in standard print versions of this book may appear or be packaged in all book formats. If you have purchased a version of this book that did not include media that is referenced by or accompanies a standard print version, you may request this media by visiting http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit us at www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011936923

ISBN 978-1-118-07374-2 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-09267-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-09268-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-09270-5 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Authors

Richard “Digger” Phelps is the renowned basketball coach from Notre Dame, where he won more games than any coach in the school’s history. He led Notre Dame to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including the school’s only Final Four appearance in 1978. He also coached one year at Fordham where he guided the program to a 26-3 record and NCAA appearance in 1970-71. He is still the co-holder of the NCAA record for victories over number one teams with seven. Since 1994 he has been a college basketball analyst for ESPN.

John Walters is a writer at The Daily, an iPad-only national publication. He was a reporter and staff writer at Sports Illustrated for 14 years and won two Sports Emmys for his work at NBC Sports at both the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics. He was nominated for a Sports Emmy in 2006 for his work on “Olympic Ice” at the 2006 Winter Olympics. He is the author of, besides this book, The Same River Twice and Notre Dame Golden Moments.

Special contributor Tim Bourret is the Sports Information Director at Clemson University in South Carolina. In 33 years at the school he has edited over 100 publications that have won national and regional awards, including 15 that deal with basketball. He is also the color commentator on the Clemson Basketball Radio Network. Bourret, a Double Domer (1977 and ’78), has followed Digger Phelps’s career since 1974, when he was one of the 11,000 Notre Dame fans who stormed the court after the Fighting Irish ended UCLA’s 88-game winning streak.book

Dedication

To those who have been a part of my basketball life.

—Richard “Digger” Phelps

To my mom and dad who taught me to love sports for all the right reasons.

—Tim Bourret

Thanks to Tim B. and the staff at Starbucks and Cosi for the free WiFi.

—John Walters

Authors’ Acknowledgments

From Digger Phelps: To John Walters, Tim Bourret, and Rose Pietrzak, the writing team, as well as Team Wiley, for all your efforts to make this book become a reality. This book is all about teams and how they work together, and our South Bend-Chicago-Indianapolis team proved that the team concept really works!

From John Walters: Thanks to my managing editor Bill Colson, senior editor Dick Friedman, and the rest of the editors at Sports Illustrated for their patience. Also, to the indefatigable Sports Illustrated Library staff, especially Linda Wachtel. To Ted Lovick, the best basketball coach that I ever played for. To my parents, William and Phyllis, the former of whom never backed down from a game of one-on-one. And to my brother, George: You’ll beat me one of these days.

From Tim Bourret: To my proofreading parents, Chuck and Irene Bourret. To my good friend (Saint) Rose Pietrzak, who transcribed endless conversations between myself and Digger. Rose is now an expert on Notre Dame basketball of the 1970s and 1980s. To Bob Bradley, my Clemson mentor, who provided many an interesting college basketball anecdote from his over 40 years in college athletics. To Larry Shyatt, Dan Ahearn, Rick Barnes, Dennis Felton, Craig Miller, Steve Nelson, Reno Wilson, and Todd Wright for providing input for various chapters of this book. To Matt Cashore and Bob Waldrop for taking the photos in this book, and Merl Code, Gene Brtalik, R. C. Deer, Justin Dunn, Mike Empey, Chris Hogan, Ben Murphy, Willie MacKey, Stephen Tessier, and Gabe Thompson for being in the photos. To Mike Danch, Mike Enright, and John Heisler for helping to set up the photo shoot at Notre Dame. And to my army of assistants in the Clemson Sports Information Office who spent “off hours” typing and researching: Brett Berg, Sam Blackman, Marsha Byers, Adair Clairy, Brian Hennessey, Jeff Martin, Meredith Merritt, Amy Moore, Will Peeler, Brenda Rabon, Emily Rabon, Brett Sowell, Preston Greene, Philip Sikes, and Heath Bradley.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Vertical Websites

Project Editor: Susan Hobbs

Aquisitions Editor: Lindsay Lefevere

Copy Editor: Susan Hobbs

Assistant Editor: David Lutton

Editorial Program Coordinator: Joe Niesen

Technical Editor: KC Johnson

Editorial Manager: Carmen Krikorian

Editorial Assistant: Rachelle Amick

Art Coordinator: Alicia B. South

Cover Photos: © iStockphoto.com / Mark Herreid

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Katherine Crocker

Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers, Shawn Frazier, Joyce Haughey, Lavonne Roberts, Corrie Socolovitch

Proofreader: Nancy Rapoport

Indexer: BIM Indexing & Proofreading Services

Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Kathleen Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher

Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director

Ensley Eikenburg, Associate Publisher, Travel

Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Composition Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Prologue

Digger the Player, to Digger the Coach, to Digger the Fan

I played college basketball at Rider College in New Jersey. (My roommate was Nick Valvano, brother of the late, widely loved coach of North Carolina State, Jimmy Valvano.) When I graduated in 1963, I had no intention of pursuing the sport any further than recreationally. I had planned to enter the Simmons School of Embalming that summer, because that was the family business (hence my nickname). But I was born to coach the American game. Heck, I was even born on the 4th of July in 1941.

At the time, Tom Winterbottom was a high school coach in Beacon, New York. The previous winter, Tom had taken Beacon High to a 20–0 record, and now he wanted to start a summer league. He knew that I had played for Rider, and he asked me to coach one of his teams. Thus my career in embalming was forever sidetracked.