180 Shooter

n. a player whose combined free throw percentage, 2-point field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage equals 180%.

In 2007-08, only five NBA players shot 180%: Steve Nash, Jose Calderon, Kyle Korver, Jason Kapono and Peja Stojakovic.

Jump Ball

A jump ball is a method used to begin or resume play in basketball. It is similar to a faceoff in ice hockey. Two opposing players attempt to gain control of the ball after it is tossed up into the air in between them by an official.

In the NBA, a jump ball occurs at the start of the game (called the opening tip), the start of any extra period, to settle special situations where penalties cancel out and neither team is previously entitled to the ball, and to settle any held balls. Held balls occur when two opposing players both lay equal claim to the ball, and after trying to wrestle it from each other, end up in a stalemate. A jump ball may also be called if there are different calls by two or more referees.

However, most competitions other than the NBA use the alternating possession rule to settle all jump ball situations after the opening tip. This uses a possession arrow on the scorekeeper’s table. Whenever such a jump ball situation occurs, the team whose basket that the possession arrow is currently pointing to gets the ball. The arrow then swaps to point to the other team. At the start of the game, the arrow points to the team that lost the opening tip.

The alternating possession arrow rule went into effect in college basketball in 1981. Ever since, it has been controversial. Supporters of the possession arrow believe that jump balls give the team with taller players and better leapers an unfair advantage over the other, plus the possession arrow (especially in the NCAA Tournament) gives another element of strategy. But those who oppose the possession arrow believe that it has frequently undone a trailing team’s defensive effort because it is the other team’s turn to get the ball.

The International Basketball Federation, with recommendation by NCAA Men’s Supervisor of Officials Hank Nichols, on the FIBA World Technical Commission at the time, adopted the alternating possession rule in 2003, with a major difference. In overtime periods, play begins with the arrow. In other organizations, another jump ball is conducted.

FIBA mandated that the Union of European Basketball Leagues (ULEB), the conductor of the Euroleague and ULEB Cup, adopt the FIBA rule in 2005 as part of FIBA sanctioning the Euroleague effective the 2005-06 season. Previously, the ULEB used the NBA jump ball rules.

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Assist

In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was “assisting” in the basket. This person is known as the “assistor.” According to the Official 2004 NCAA Basketball Statistics Rules, an assist has to be “a major part of the play,” which either finds the player already with a “positional advantage,” or helps him or her get one. There is thus some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist. An assist can be scored for the passer even if the player who receives the pass makes a basket after dribbling the ball. However, the original definition of an assist did not include such situations,[1] so the comparison of assist statistics across eras is a complex matter.

Only the pass directly before the score may be counted as an assist, so no more than one assist can be recorded per field goal (unlike in other sports, such as ice hockey.) A pass that leads to a shooting foul and scoring by free throws does not count as an assist.

A player can get him or herself into position to receive an assist in a variety of ways. The main way is to come off a screen, which, if executed properly, will leave the player open for a pass, and in a position to easily score. Other times the defense will double team an offensive player, leaving someone else open. (It is the passer, not the player receiving the pass, who “receives” the credit for making an assist.) Averaging a large number of assists doesn’t always mean that the player is good at passing; it could just mean that he/she makes many passes in the course of a game. A more useful metric is a player’s assist/turnover ratio, which compares passes that lead to an assist to those that fall into the opposing team’s hands. Of course, many other factors, such as a team’s play style and teammates’ scoring prowess, should be considered as well.

Point guards tend to get the most assists per game (apg), as their role is primarily that of a passer and ballhandler. Centers tend to get fewer assists, but centers with good floor presence and court vision can dominate a team by assisting. Being inside the key, the center often has the best angles and the best position for “dishes” and other short passes in the scoring area. Center Wilt Chamberlain led the NBA in assists in 1968. A strong center with inside-scoring prowess, such as the Phoenix Suns’ center Shaquille O’Neal, can also be an effective assistor because the defense’s need to double-team him results in the offense’s shooters being open outside.

The NBA single-game assist record is 30, held by Scott Skiles of the Orlando Magic against the Denver Nuggets, on December 30, 1990.

Notable players

John Stockton, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, and Bob Cousy are widely considered the greatest ever at delivering assists in the NBA. Stockton holds the record for most total assists in a career, with 15,806. Behind him is Mark Jackson, whose 10,334 assists are a distant second to Stockton’s total. Magic Johnson holds the record for highest career average apg with 11.2, Stockton is second with 10.5. Stockton holds the highest season average with 14.5. Stockton, Jackson, and Johnson were all point guards. Oscar Robertson had 9,887 career assists at a time when assists were only awarded for field goals made without a dribble. He was the first player to average more than 10 assists per game in a season, and led the NBA in assists six times. Cousy led the league in assists eight straight seasons. Other players that are considered to be great at making assists are: Nate Archibald, Tim Hardaway, Kevin Johnson, Gary Payton, Steve Nash, Isiah Thomas, Mark Price, and Lenny Wilkens among other notables.

Other notable assistors today include: Jose Calderon, Jason Kidd, Baron Davis, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Chauncey Billups, Andre Miller and more recently Ramon Sessions.

Other terminology

There are many synonyms used to describe an assist. Some of the most popular are:

• “dishing the rock”
• “dropping a dime”
• “feed”
• “sharing the wealth”
• “distributing the rock”

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National Basketball Association (NBA)

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is North America’s premier professional men’s basketball league, composed of thirty teams from Canada and the USA. It is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB), which is recognized by the International Basketball Federation as the National Governing Body (NGB) for basketball in the United States. The NBA is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues, which also includes the NHL, the NFL, and MLB.

The league was founded in New York City, on June 6, 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The league adopted the name National Basketball Association in the autumn of 1949 after merging with the rival National Basketball League. The league’s several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices located in the Olympic Tower at 645 Fifth Avenue in New York City. NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus, New Jersey.

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Blocked Shot

In basketball, a block (short for blocked shot) occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a shot from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player’s hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot is traveling upward. If it is heading downward when the defender hits it, it is ruled as goaltending and counts as a made basket. Goaltending is also called if the block is made after the ball bounces on the backboard (NCAA/NFHS excepted). Nicknames for blocked shots include “rejections,” “stuffs,” “swats,” and “denials.” Blocked shots were first officially recorded in the NBA during the 1973-74 season.

Largely due to their height and position near the basket, centers and power forwards tend to record the most blocks. A blocked shot is considered to be one of the most exciting plays in basketball. A player with the ability to block shots can be a great asset to a team’s defense, as they can make it difficult for opposing players to shoot near the basket and by keeping the basketball in play, as opposed to swatting it out of bounds, a blocked shot can lead to a fast break, a skill Bill Russell was notable for. To be a good shot-blocker, a player needs great court sense and timing, and good height or jumping ability. A great shot-blocker can intimidate opponents to alter their shots, resulting in a miss.

Some of the best shot-blockers in the NBA have been Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Mark Eaton, Manute Bol, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tree Rollins, Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson, Dikembe Mutombo, Shawn Bradley, Alonzo Mourning, Ben Wallace, Theo Ratliff, Andrei Kirilenko, Marcus Camby, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, Kevin Garnett and Josh Smith.

Shot blocking records in the NBA

• Most blocks in a single game: Elmore Smith (17)
• Most blocks in a single half: Elmore Smith, George Johnson, Manute Bol (11 each)
• Most blocks per game in a season: Mark Eaton (5.56)
• Most career blocks: Hakeem Olajuwon (3,830)
• Most blocks per game in a career: Mark Eaton (3.50)

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