The Republic of Moldova

Theoretical Lyceum ''Mitropolit Nestor Vornicescu''

Basketball

Realised by: Nicolaescu Ion, Xth form

Checked by: Nicolaescu Viorica

Lozova 2019

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Contents

1. The history of Basketball .....................................................3

1.1 Invention of the game............................................... ......3
1.2 Naismith's original rules........................................... ......3
1.3 The first basketball game.......................................... ......4
2. The basic rules................................................................. .....5
2.1 The rules............................................................ ..... ........5
2.2 Fouls and violations.......................................... ...... .......6
3. Famous basketball players............................................. ......9
4. Basketball in Moldova............................................... ... .......9
5. Basketball in my life................................................ ...........10

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1.The history of Basketball

The history of basketball began with its invention in 1891 in Springfield,

Massachussets by Canadian physical education instructor James Naismith as a less
injury-prone sport than football. The game became established fairly quickly and
grew very popular as the 20th century progressed, first in America and then in other
parts of the world. After basketball became established in American colleges, the
professional game followed. The American National Basketball Association (NBA),
established in 1946, grew to a multibillion-dollar enterprise by the end of the century,
and basketball became an integral part of American culture.

1.1 Invention of the game

The game of basketball is it is known today was created by Dr. James Naismith in
December 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, to condition young athletes during
cold months. It consisted of peach baskets and a soccer style ball. He published 13
rules for the new game. He divided his class of eighteen into two teams of nine
players each and set about to teach them the basics of his new game. The objective of
the game was to throw the basketball into the fruit baskets nailed to the lower railing
of the gym balcony. Every time a point was scored, the game was halted so the janitor
could bring out a ladder and retrieve the ball. After a while, the bottoms of the fruit
baskets were removed. The first public basketball game was played in Springfield,
Massachusetts, on March 11, 1892.

1.2 Naismith's original rules

An illustration of a basketball game that accompanied Nasmith's article from The Triangle in 1892
listing his 13 rules.

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There were only thirteen rules of "basket ball":
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, the player must throw it from the spot on which
he catches it, allowance to be made for a man who catches the ball when running at
good speed.
4.The ball must be held in or between the hands, the arms or 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.
6.A foul is striking the ball with the fist, violation of rules 3 and 4, and such as
described in rule 5.
7.If either side makes three consecutive fouls it shall count a goal for opponents.
8.A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from grounds into the basket
and stays there. 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
person first touching it. In case of a dispute, the umpire shall throw it straight into the
field. The "thrower-in" is allowed five seconds. 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 the men and shall note the fouls, and notify the
referee when three consecutive fouls have been made.
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 fifteen-minute halves, with five-minute rests between.
13.The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In the
case of a draw, the game may, by agreement of the captains, be continued until
another goal is made.

1.3 The first basketball game

On December 21, 1891, James Naismith published rules for a new game using five
basic ideas and thirteen rules. That day, he asked his class to play a match in the
Armory Street court: 9 versus 9, using a soccer ball and two peach baskets. Frank
Mahan, one of his students, wasn’t so happy. He just said: "Harrumph. Another new
game". However, Naismith was the inventor of the new game. Someone proposed to
call it "Naismith Game", but he suggested "We have a ball and a basket: why don’t

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we call it basketball?"

There were other differences between Naismith’s first idea and the game played
today. The peach baskets were closed, and balls had to be retrieved manually, until a
small hole was put in the bottom of the peach basket to poke the ball out using a
stick. Only in 1906 were metal hoops, nets and backboards introduced. Moreover,
earlier the soccer ball was replaced by a Spalding ball, similar to the one used today.

2. The basic rules

The rules of basketball, thankfully, are fairly straightforward. However, for the
younger players, some rules can be easily forgotten. The three-second rule
addressing how long an offensive player can be in the key before clearing out is
a good example.
2.1 The rules

Basketball is a team sport. Two teams of five players each try to score by shooting a
ball through a hoop elevated 10 feet above the ground. The game is played on a
rectangular floor called the court, and there is a hoop at each end. The court is divided
into two main sections by the mid-court line. If the offensive team puts the ball into
play behind the mid-court line, it has ten seconds to get the ball over the mid-court
line. If it doesn't, then the defense gets the ball. Once the offensive team gets the ball
over the mid-court line, it can no longer have possession of the ball in the area in
back of the line. If it does, the defense is awarded the ball.

Basketball Court

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The ball is moved down the court toward the basket by passing or dribbling. The
team with the ball is called the offense. The team without the ball is called the
defense. They try to steal the ball, contest shots, steal and deflect passes, and garner
rebounds.

When a team makes a basket, they score two points and the ball goes to the other
team. If a basket, or field goal, is made outside of the three-point arc, then that basket
is worth three points. A free throw is worth one point. Free throws are awarded to a
team according to some formats involving the number of fouls committed in a half
and/or the type of foul committed. Fouling a shooter always results in two or three
free throws being awarded the shooter, depending upon where he was when he shot.
If he was beyond the three-point line, then he gets three shots. Other types of fouls do
not result in free throws being awarded until a certain number have accumulated
during a half. Once that number is reached, then the player who was fouled is
awarded a '1-and-1' opportunity. If he makes his first free throw, he gets to attempt a
second. If he misses the first shot, the ball is live on the rebound.

Each game is divided into sections. All levels have two halves. In college, each half is
twenty minutes long. In high school and below, the halves are divided into eight (and
sometimes, six) minute quarters. In the pros, quarters are twelve minutes long. There
is a gap of several minutes between halves. Gaps between quarters are relatively
short. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, then overtime periods of various
lengths are played until a winner emerges.

Each team is assigned a basket or goal to defend. This means that the other basket is
their scoring basket. At halftime, the teams switch goals. The game begins with one
player from either team at center court. A referee will toss the ball up between the
two. The player that gets his hands on the ball will tip it to a teammate. This is called
a tip-off. In addition to stealing the ball from an opposing player, there are other ways
for a team to get the ball.
One such way is if the other team commits a foul or violation.

2.2 Fouls and Violations

Fouls
Personal fouls: Personal fouls include any type of illegal physical contact.
- Hitting
- Pushins
- Slapping
- Holding
- Illegal pick/screen -- when an offensive player is moving. When an offensive player
sticks out a limb and makes physical contact with a defender in an attempt to block
the path of the defender.

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Personal foul penalties:

If a player is shooting while a being fouled, then he gets two free throws if his shot
doesn't go in, but only one free throw if his shot does go in.

•Three free throws are awarded if the player is fouled while shooting for a three-point
goal and they miss their shot. If a player is fouled while shooting a three-point shot
and makes it anyway, he is awarded one free throw. Thus, he could score four points
on the play.

•Inbounds. If fouled while not shooting, the ball is given to the team the foul was
committed upon. They get the ball at the nearest side or baseline, out of bounds, and
have 5 seconds to pass the ball onto the court.
•One & one. If the team committing the foul has seven or more fouls in the game,
then the player who was fouled is awarded one free throw. If he makes his first shot,
then he is awarded another free throw.
•Ten or more fouls. If the team committing the foul has ten or more fouls, then the
fouled player receives two free throws.

Charging. An offensive foul that is committed when a player pushes or runs over a
defensive player. The ball is given to the team that the foul was committed upon.

Blocking. Blocking is illegal personal contact resulting from a defender not

establishing position in time to prevent an opponent's drive to the basket.

Flagrant foul. Violent contact with an opponent. This includes hitting, kicking, and
punching. This type of foul results in free throws plus the offense retaining
possession of the ball after the free throws.

Intentional foul. When a player makes physical contact with another player with no
reasonable effort to steal the ball. It is a judgment call for the officials.

Technical foul. A player or a coach can commit this type of foul. It does not involve
player contact or the ball but is instead about the 'manners' of the game.

Foul language, obscenity, obscene gestures, and even arguing can be considered a
technical foul, as can technical details regarding filling in the scorebook improperly
or dunking during warm-ups.

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Violations

Walking/Traveling. Taking more than 'a step and a half' without dribbling the ball is
traveling. Moving your pivot foot once you've stopped dribbling is traveling.

Carrying/palming. When a player dribbles the ball with his hand too far to the side
of or, sometimes, even under the ball.

Double Dribble. Dribbling the ball with both hands on the ball at the same time or
picking up the dribble and then dribbling again is a double dribble.

Held ball. Occasionally, two or more opposing players will gain possession of the
ball at the same time. In order to avoid a prolonged and/or violent tussle, the referee
stops the action and awards the ball to one team or the other on a rotating basis.

Goaltending. If a defensive player interferes with a shot while it's on the way down
toward the basket, while it's on the way up toward the basket after having touched the
backboard, or while it's in the cylinder above the rim, it's goaltending and the shot
counts. If committed by an offensive player, it's a violation and the ball is awarded to
the opposing team for a throw-in.

Backcourt violation. Once the offense has brought the ball across the mid-court line,
they cannot go back across the line during possession. If they do, the ball is awarded
to the other team to pass inbounds.

Time restrictions. A player passing the ball inbounds has five seconds to pass the
ball. If he does not, then the ball is awarded to the other team. Other time restrictions
include the rule that a player cannot have the ball for more than five seconds when
being closely guarded and, in some states and levels, shot-clock restrictions requiring
a team to attempt a shot within a given time frame.

Player Positions
Center. Centers are generally your tallest players. They generally are positioned near
the basket.

Offensive -- The center's goal is to get open for a pass and to shoot. They are also
responsible for blocking defenders, known as picking or screening, to open other
players up for driving to the basket for a goal. Centers are expected to get some
offensive rebounds and put-backs.

Defensive -- On defense, the center's main responsibility is to keep opponents from

shooting by blocking shots and passes in the key area. They also are expected to get a
lot of rebounds because they're taller.

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Forward. Your next tallest players will most likely be your forwards. While a
forward may be called upon to play under the hoop, they may also be required to
operate in the wings and corner areas.

Offensive -- Forwards are responsible to get free for a pass, take outside shots, drive
for goals, and rebound.

Defensive -- Responsibilities include preventing drives to the goal and rebounding.

Guard. These are potentially your shortest players and they should be really good at
dribbling fast, seeing the court, and passing. It is their job to bring the ball down the
court and set up offensive plays.

Offensive -- Dribbling, passing, and setting up offensive plays are a guard's main
responsibilities. They also need to be able to drive to the basket and to shoot from the
perimeter.

Defensive -- On defense, a guard is responsible for stealing passes, contesting shots,

preventing drives to the hoop, and for boxing out.

3. Famous Basketball players

Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials MJ, is an American former
professional basketball player and the principal owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the
National Basketball Association. He played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six
championships with the Chicago Bulls.
His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is
the greatest basketball player of all time." He also gained a reputation for being one
of the best defensive players in basketball. Michael Jordan is the second-highest-
scoring NBA player by total career playoff points scored (5,987).
Jordan retired for a second time in January 1999 but returned for two more NBA
seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Washington Wizards.

4. Basketball in Moldova

The Moldavian national basketball team is the basketball side that represents
Moldova in international competitions. It is governed by the Basketball Federation of
Moldova since 1985 when Moldova joined it. To date, the team won two silver
medals for men and two bronze for women at the FIBA European Championship for
Small Countries.

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The 2016 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries was the 15th edition of
this tournament. It was hosted by Moldova.
Other important matches are:

First international:
Latvia 110–64 Moldova
(Wroclaw, Poland; 30 May 1993)

Biggest win:
Moldova 100–54 Gibraltar
(Durres, Albania; 29 May 2006)

Biggest defeat:
Czech Republic 126–69 Moldova
(Wroclaw, Poland; 31 May 1993)

5. Basketball and me
My favourite sports is basketball. It keeps me always fit, I develop my muscles
and my mobility. I like plying basketball with my colleagues, friends and with
my family.
For me, basketball matters a lot. I will practice it because i like it very much. It
is one of the most spread indoor sports in the world. Basketball is characterized
by finesse, precision and the fantesy of the technical and practical exercises, by
high waist and physical qualities of athletes. All these involved in a sports fight
which demands team spirit and sacrifice, inteligence and it diminishes your
negative emotions.
All in all, for me sports is a tool I use every day, which I take to the extreme in
order to forget everything around me and to focus all my emotions in a game. I
do what I like or defines me and I hope in future I can run as well, to remember
the time when I played and I was giving everything I could best.

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