English proyect

About the NBA

Dr. James Naismith

Canadian Dr. James Naismith created the game of basketball from 13 original rules and while those rules have been modified over time, the essential principles remain constant.

The rules he exposed were this:

1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.

2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands.

3. A player cannot run with the ball, as he must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, with allowance to be made for a man who catches the ball when running at a good speed.

4. The ball must be held in or between the hands; the arms or the body must not be used for holding it.

5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping or striking in any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed. The first infringement of this rule by any person shall count as a foul, the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made, or if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game, no substitute allowed.

6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation of rules three and four and such described in rule five.

7. If either side makes consecutive fouls it shall count a goal for the opponents. 8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edge and the opponent moves the basket it shall count as a goal. 9. When the ball goes out of bounds it shall be thrown into the field and played by the first person touching it. In case of a dispute the umpire shall throw it into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds and if he holds it longer it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them.

10. The umpire shall be the judge of men, and shall note the fouls, and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have power to disqualify men according to rule five.

11. The referee shall be the judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in-bounds, and to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the goals with any other duties

that are usually performed by a referee.

12. The time shall be two fifteen-minute halves, with a five-minute rest between them.

13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In case of a draw the game may, by agreement of the captains, be continued until another goal is made.

NBA rules Nowadays

1. The ball may be thrown... This rule is still true, as the ball can be thrown or passed in any direction. The only change to this rule is the backcourt violation. Once the ball has crossed midcourt, it cannot be passed behind the midcourt line unless touched by a defensive player first.

2. The ball may be batted... The ball can still be batted away with one or both hands. It can be batted from a player's hands or batted away during a shot. This rule led to the evolution of the blocked shot, as defensive players can block a shot while it is on its upward path to the basket.

3. A player cannot run with... A player cannot run with the ball, as he must dribble or pass the ball. A player running with the ball is called for travelling.

4. The ball must be held... The ball can only be held in the hands or the arms of a player. A player cannot use his body to hold the ball or to obstruct the ball from getting to a player or going in the net.

5. No shouldering, holding... The noted offences still apply today and result in fouls or even ejections. Like the Naismith rule, a player can be thrown out of a game for intent to injure. A flagrant foul is unnecessary or excessive contact against an opponent that results in two shots and possession of the ball. A player that commits a flagrant foul may be ejected from the game or suspended for a period of time.

6. A foul is striking at the... NBA players today are permitted to be more creative, as they use passes like the chest pass, bounce pass, behind-the-back pass and even the occasional pass off the elbow.

7. If either side makes... Though this rule is no longer in effect, after five fouls in a quarter a team is in the penalty and the fouled team shoots two free throws.

8. A goal shall be made when... This rule has changed in the sense that the basket now has a hole in it and the ball does not stay there, it goes through. However, a player cannot touch the rim when the ball has been shot and is on its way to the basket. The goaltending violation originated from this rule.

9. When the ball goes out of... The five-second rule still exists today and if a player does not throw the ball in within five seconds, the ball is turned over to the other team. The five-second rule also states that a player who is in-bounds must pass, shoot or dribble within five seconds or he will lose possession of the ball.

10. The umpire shall be the... In the NBA today there are three referees who call fouls and determine ejections.

11. The referee shall be the... NBA referees still determine possession of the ball. However, there are separate timekeepers who monitor the game clock and check substitute players into a game. A scorekeeper keeps the statistics of a game such as the score, individual statistics and fouls.

12. The time shall be two... This has changed, as NBA games currently include two halves consisting of four 12-minute quarters. Games that are tied as time expires go into a five-minute overtime period. There is a 15-minute halftime break between the two halves.

13. The side making the most goals... The team with the most points at the end of the game is declared the winner. If a game is tied, it goes into overtime, which continues until one team has more points at the end of a five-minute overtime period.

This was an explanation of the NBA rules nowadays to understand the old rules.

Describing old times

Old times games were from a different era of low-scoring basketball, a time when hoops as a pro spectacle was just coming out of the dance halls. Players did not routinely slam-dunk. The fact of the matter was that the players did not and could not jump very well. Nor was there a 24-second clock; teams had unlimited time to shoot. The jump shot was a radical notion, and those who took it defied the belief of many coaches that nothing but trouble occurred when a player left his feet for a shot.

The group of owners who met on June 6, 1946, at the Hotel Commodore in New York to talk about a league they would name the Basketball Association of America couldn't have imagined today's NBA. They were composed primarily of members of the Arena Association of America, men who controlled the arenas in the major United States cities. Their experience was with hockey, ice shows, circuses and rodeos but they had little feeling for the game of basketball.

Later, 11 franchises were formed to compete in two divisions. The East consisted of the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia Warriors, Providence Steamrollers and Washington Capitols, as well as New York and Toronto. In the West were the Pittsburgh Ironmen, Chicago Stags, Detroit Falcons, St. Louis Bombers and Cleveland Rebels.

Each team paid a $10,000 franchise fee, the money going for league operating expenses including a salary for Maurice Podoloff, who like the arena owners who hired him was a hockey man first. Podoloff, a New Haven, CT lawyer who was President of the American Hockey League, agreed to also take on the duties of President of the new Basketball Association of America (BAA), which three seasons later, in a merger with the midwest-based National Basketball League, became the NBA.

Greatests Players in the NBA historyKareem Abdul-Jabbar: Scored more points, blocked more shots, won more MVP awards and played in more All-Star Games. His list of personal and team accomplishments is perhaps the most awesome in league history: Rookie of the Year, member of six NBA championship teams, six-time NBA MVP, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 19-time All-Star, two-time scoring champ.

Wilt Chamberlain: He was basketball's unstoppable force, the most awesome offensive force the game has ever seen. Asked to name the greatest players ever to play basketball, most fans would put Wilt Chamberlain at or near the top of the list. Dominating the game as few players in any sport ever have, Chamberlain seemed capable of scoring and rebounding at will, despite the double- and triple-teams and constant fouling tactics that opposing teams used to try to shut him down.

Bob Cousy: One of the greatest passers and playmakers in NBA history, was flashy before flashy was cool. "The Houdini of the Hardwood", he was the original "Human Highlight Film." He was magical before there was "Magic." Benched early in his college career because his coach didn't like his revolutionary, razzle-dazzle style, Cousy went on to help build the Boston Celtics of the 1950s and 1960s into basketball's most enduring dynasty-America's team.

Larry Bird: Once every generation or so, a player comes along who can truly be called a superstar. Larry Bird was such a player. For 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, from 1979-80 through 1991-92, Bird personified hustle, consistency and excellence in all areas of play as a scorer, a passer, a rebounder, a defender, a team player, and, perhaps above all, as a clutch performer.

Julius Erving: Known as the great and wondrous "Dr. J," was the dominant player of his era, an innovator who changed the way the game was played. He was a wizard with the ball, performing feats never before seen: midair spins and whirls punctuated by powerful slam dunks. Erving was one of the first players to make extemporaneous individual expression an integral part of the game, setting the style of play that would prevail in the decades to follow.

Earvin "Magic" Johnson: Few athletes are truly unique, changing the way their sport is played with their singular skills. Earvin "Magic" Johnson was one of them. Just how great a basketball player was Johnson? So great, perhaps, that future generations of hoop fans may wish they had entered the world years earlier-just so they could have seen Magic play in person instead of watching him only on highlight reels. He was what Bob Cousy was to the 1950s, what Oscar Robertson was to the 1960s, what Julius Erving was to the 1970s. Still, Earvin Johnson was even more than a revolutionary player who, at 6-9, was the tallest point guard in league history.

Oscar Robertson: Oscar Robertson, the "Big O," is the player against whom all others labeled "all-around" are judged, and he may remain the standard forever. Statistically, one need look no further than the numbers Robertson put up in 1961-62, just his second year in the league: 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game-an average of a triple-double for an entire season. Not even Magic Johnson or Larry Bird could match those numbers. During his 14-year NBA career with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks, Robertson amassed 26,710 points.

Jerry West: Combine a deadly jump shot, tenacious defense, obsessive perfectionism, unabashed confidence, and an uncompromising will to win, and you've got Jerry West, one of the greatest guards in NBA history. During his 14-year playing career with the L.A. Lakers, West became synonymous with brilliant basketball. He was the third player in league history to reach 25,000 points (after Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson). He was an All-Star every year of his career and led Los Angeles to the NBA Finals nine times.

Michael Jordan: By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time, although a summary of his basketball career and influence on the game inevitably fails to do justice to the man. A phenomenal athlete with a unique combination of grace, speed, power, artistry, improvisational ability and an unquenchable competitive desire, Jordan single-handedly redefined the NBA superstar.