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Basketball is a sport played by two teams of five players on a side. |
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Basketball is one of the world's greatest sports -- in style and grace, and, increasingly, in popularity. Basketball is played by two teams of five players on a side. |
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People often call basketball "the city game" and it's accessible to poor urban children because the equipment is so minimal. But in rural Indiana and Wyoming, to name just two places, basketball has been almost a religion. City players tend to have more confidence and court savvy, but some of the greatest basketball players have been from small towns. |
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Naturally, it's easier to score a basket when close to the basket than when farther away; but, unlike football, offensive players in basketball may not secure the ball under their arm as they advance. Instead, they must constantly bounce ("dribble") the ball as they advance to the basket; every dribble represents a chance for the ball to be mishandled or stolen. |
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Naturally, it's easier to score a basket when close to the basket than when farther away; but, unlike football, offensive players in basketball may not cradle the ball under their arm as they advance. Instead, they must constantly bounce ("dribble") the ball as they advance to the basket; every dribble represents a chance for the ball to be mishandled or stolen. |
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Savvy defensive players use a wide array of legal and extra-legal techniques to hamper and frustrate the players they guard. Officiating basketball well is quite an art, as too many calls break the flow of the game but too few calls inhibit the players' artistry and invite thuggery. |
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But savvy defensive players use a wide array of legal and extra-legal techniques to hamper and frustrate the players they guard. Officiating basketball well is quite an art, as too many calls break the flow of the game but too few calls inhibit the players' artistry and invite thuggery. |
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Being tall is a clear advantage in basketball. Forwards and centers in the men's professional leagues are almost all 6'6" tall or more; many are over 7 feet tall. But as many oafish giants have learned to their chagrin, in basketball, quickness, grace, hand-eye coordination, court sense, and mental toughness are more important than size. Very few professional players are shorter than 6 feet tall. |
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Being tall is a clear advantage in basketball. Very few professional players stand less than six feet. Forwards and centers in the men's professional leagues are almost all 6'6" or taller; many are over 7 feet. But as many oafish giants have learned to their chagrin, basketball rewards quickness, grace, hand-eye coordination, court savvy, and mental toughness more than size. Though only five players on each side can play at any one time, the "sixth man" has an important place in winning basketball. A sixth man is the first substitute in the game, and a good one can instantly change the tempo of the game, by speeding up the scoring of his own team, or clamping down on the scoring of the opponent. He needs that special "feel" for the game that is as much mental as physical. |
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The African-American tradition of "the dozens" has been adapted to basketball as well, with opponents "trash-talking" at each other in a tone that ranges from brutally hostile to broadly comic. |
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The African-American tradition of "the dozens" has been adapted to basketball as well, with opponents "trash-talking" at each other in a tone that veers from brutally hostile to broadly comic. Ugly-looking shots are called "bricks" and the looks and sexual habits of players' mothers, girlfriends and sisters are frankly discussed. |
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