Excerpt From "Basketball Made Simple":
Chapter 5: Scoring

There are 2 ways to score in basketball: a field goal or a free-throw. A field goal is scored anytime the ball comes down through the top of the basket during play. It counts for 2 points, unless it is thrown by a player with both feet completely behind the 3-point line (or at least one foot if the other is in mid-air), where it counts as a 3-point shot. Inside shooting occurs near the basket, usually in the key, while outside (perimeter) shooting occurs from outside the key, near or beyond the foul line.

A free-throw is a shot taken from the foul line by a player who is unguarded. Each successful free-throw counts for 1 point. One or 2 free-throws are taken when a player "goes to the line" depending . . .

During the free-throw, players from both teams stand along either side of the foul lane to rebound any final free-throw that is missed, making sure not to step into the lane until the shooter releases the ball. (See Figure 6)

Copyright © 2002 First Base Sports, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Excerpt From "Basketball Made Simple":
Chapter 11: Things To Look For During Play / Strategy

ZONE DEFENSE
In a zone defense, each defender is responsible for an area of the court, and he must guard any player who ventures into that area. Usually, as soon as the ball enters a zone, the defender of that area will get some assistance from one or more of his teammates. The zone defense is used extensively at the college level, but was outlawed in the NBA from 1961 to 2001 (where it was called illegal defense) as the league tried to promote more exciting one-on-one match-ups. Starting with the 2001-2002 season, the zone defense was allowed again in the NBA, but its return has not changed the game very much for two key reasons: 1) an extra defender in one part of the floor leaves a player open elsewhere, and defenders are wary of leaving open very accurate NBA shooters, and 2) the league added an unprecedented 3-second rule for defenders; to stay in the paint for more than 3 seconds, a defender must be guarding a player there, so players cannot play zone near the basket.

There are 3 general types of zone defenses: the 3-2, the 2-3 and the 1-3-1. (See Figure 25) The numbers describe the position of the defenders as seen by the offense from midcourt. Which defense a team employs will depend on the relative strengths and weaknesses of its players and those of its opponents:

• 3-2 zone -- 3 defenders are positioned across the court in the front of the foul circle with 2 on the outer sides of the foul lane. Considered an offensive zone, it prepares a team to make a quick transition to a fast break with more players close to their basket.
  
  
• 2-3 zone -- this is more of a defensive zone that sets up 3 players near the basket to prevent the offense from getting a close shot or a layup. This is the defense preferred by teams with taller, slower players who are less likely to fast break.
  
  
• 1-3-1 zone -- also a defensive zone which sets up 1 player outside each side of the foul lane and 3 players in a line from the foul line to below the basket who will fall back to form a tight triangle below the basket as the offense advances. This is the defense sometimes used when the offensive team has at least one player who is good at shooting or passing from the top of the key because it places a defender there while the 3-2 and 2-3 defenses do not.

Copyright © 2002 First Base Sports, Inc. All Rights Reserved