A Bluffers Guide To… Basketball
American Football might have recently overtaken it as the most popular sport in America, but the impact basketball has had can be seen all over the world; no matter your country.
History of the game
It all began in December 1891, when a rainy day was keeping the Canadian physical education professor Dr. James Naismith and his students in-doors. He wanted to keep them active, so he nailed a fruit basket onto the wall and soccer balls were soon being thrown and swish-ed into them.
Over time, the peach baskets were replaced with metal hoops and backboards, the laced soccer balls were replaced with the laceless brown basketballs like we know today, and the limited movement (only bounce passes were allowed at first) was expanded to include dribbling too.
Naismith originally had no plans for it to become the global sensation it eventually became, but it proved to be a hit, and he eventually named it “basketball” in 1892 — not “Naismith ball”, like a player suggested — and the first official game was played the same year.
College basketball soon took American universities by storm, with the YMCA responsible for a lot of the sports early success. The love of the sport was developed here, along with the intricacies of it, and in 1946 the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was formed; eventually merging with National Basketball League to form the NBA, which is the widely recognised as the top basketball league.
The NBA-era is when basketball really hit its stride, producing talents like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, John Stockton, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan — who you’ll hear more about later. It was the later batch of NBA stars, now including names like Kobe Bryant and Steph Curry, that developed players as brands, as opposed to the teams or companies supplying the basketball shoes and balls. Phil Knight in particular paved the way for the branding in the sport, but it was also a result of postmodernism, and isn’t restricted to just basketball.
Phrases explained
“D!” — this is short for “Defence!”, and is usually reserved for when the opponent is on the break, or there is a gap in your team that an opponent could take advantage of.
“Alley-oop” — when the ball is thrown towards the basketball hoop, and a team mate catches it mid-air and dunks it.
“Brick!” — this is reserved for the ugliest and most inaccurate shots.
“Swish!” (see also “Nothin’ but net!”) — the dream basket; when the ball passes through the rim without touching it or any part of the basket.
“Winners/losers!” — a term often used in pick-up games, that determines who gets the ball when play restarts after a successful basket. “Winners” means the team that scored the basket gets the ball back, and “losers” means the team that conceded the basket gets the ball and restarts play.
Positions
As basketball has developed, the ideas of fixed positions have changed — similar to football. There is no longer just a centre mid in football, but there are deep-lying playmakers, box-to-box midfielders — very similar in basketball. The titles and descriptions below are what many consider to be the conventional basketball positions.
Point guard (aka, the “1”) — Generally the player best at passing and dribbling plays this position, since they tend to see a lot of the ball, and usually initiate the attacking plays. Height is not essential to this role, and they usually rely more on long distance shooting than dunking — although scoring points is not their main responsibility. For the best, see: Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, Isaiah Thomas.
Shooting guard (aka, the “2”) — Similar to a point guard, in that shooting guards are responsible for moving the ball down the basketball court and starting attacks, but shooting guards tend to be better at scoring long-range shots. They have more defensive responsibility too, and are usually tasked with guarding the opposing teams best perimeter player while they attack. For the best, see: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade.
Small forward (aka, the “3”) — Always looking for steals and rebounds, but are often penetrating defences with direct dribbling, and scoring points closer to the basket. For the best, see Larry Bird, Lebron James, Scottie Pippen.
Power forward (aka, the “4”) — These have to be comfortable with physical play, and are usually one of the tallest in the team. On attacks and defence, they can operate close to either hoop to take advantage of their rebound ability. For the best, see Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley.
Centre (aka, the “5”) — Similar to a striker in football, centres are mostly focused with opening up for passes and shooting. These are expected to chip in with rebounds and put-backs as well, and are usually the tallest in the team. A great centre is considered essential to winning any championships. For the best, see Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Shaquille O’neal.
MVP’s (Most Valuable Players)
Michael Jordan is the face of basketball for many people, and for good reason. He won 6 NBA titles, got MVP awards in 6 finals and for 5 regular seasons, and inspired a lot of the games present day greats— so it’s hard to look past MJ when discussing the games best.
However, while Jordan might have been one of the best ever going forward, Bill Russell is regarded as the best defender in the history of the sport.
He led the Boston Celtics to 11 NBA championships during his time at the club, was a 12-time All-Star, and won a staggering five NBA Most Valuable Player awards. It might be easier to get impressed by a sky high points ratio like Jordan or LeBron, but Russell often defied stats; controlling games and suffocating attacks every game. A different kind of magic. Speaking of magic…
Earvin “Magic” Johnson lived up to his nickname throughout his career; eventually reaching the impossibly high potential he garnered as a rookie when he was given the Finals MVP in the 1980 NBA Final, when he started in place of the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Staying loyal to Los Angeles Lakers, he won 5 NBA Championships, 3 MPV awards, and eventually managed the team in 1994.
Present day
Most recently, Cleveland Cavaliers beat Golden State Warriors to the NBA Championship in the 2015/16 season; a season where Stephen Curry won MVP for the season, Russell Westbrook dominated with Oklahoma City Thunder, and the legendary Kobe Bryant hung up his boots.
The new season begins on October 25th, and all eyes are set on the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers once again, with the former signing the phenomenal Kevin Durant in the summer. If you’re a betting man or woman though, GSW are the favourites to be ending the new season with the NBA Final trophy over their head.
You should check out…
Dream Team by Jack McCallum is regarded as one of the greatest books on basketball, and chronicles the story of the greatest team ever assembled, and how they changed the game of basketball forever,
If video games are your thing, NBA 2k17 is available for most video game consoles and does a stunning job of recreating the game, with incredible attention to detail. It is a surprisingly effective tool for learning the sport, but is also great for making the dream of scoring a winner in stoppage time in front of thousands, a reality.
We’ve also got to mention the seminal classic White Men Can’t Jump, starring very youthful versions of Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. Instead of following the glitzy life of NBA players, it focuses on two up-and-coming ballers on the streets of Los Angeles. It has laughs and drama in equal measure, and is a great look into the life of street-level basketball culture in the early nineties.
If this has got you itching to get on the court and play some basketball, we might be able to help you. With our app, you can find games in your local area, connect with other people that want to play, and you can even manage payments — essential if you’re usually left short changed when organising a game.
We’d love to invite you to a private beta test here, and remember you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram too. Until then…
