Basketball is a popular sport where two teams, most often of five players each against the opponent, battle on a rectangular field with the goal of Shooting the basketball towards the basket of the other team with as many points as possible. Most popular basketball games are played between teams in organized leagues. However, basketball can be played by individuals too. It was played as a recreation for centuries and even today there are people who play it casually either as a way to relax or to have some fun. One of the advantages of basketball is that unlike some other sports it is widely played by men, women and children from all ages and from every walk of life including teenagers and college students.
There are two types of basketball in this regard. The first type is the indoor team basketball where there is a regulation size court that can be used by teams for competitions and training. The other type is the outdoor basketball which is usually played by individual clubs or by teams. In either case the teams use portable basketball courts made of synthetic material or natural grass.
One of the skills that any good team player must possess is the ability to dribble the basketball with precision and the ability to control the ball well while dribbling it. A regular and systematic practice of the skills of dribbling, shooting the basketball with control and passing the ball correctly will ensure that the player gets better at it. Regular basketball drills ensure that the players get good practice. Dribbling the basketball is very important as this skill requires smooth movement of the hands, arms, shoulders, feet and legs together with smooth coordination of these parts. Dribbling is not as easy as it looks and takes quite some practice.
There are two international basketball associations that govern the professional basketball in the United States and Canada. The National Basketball Association or NBA was formed in nineteen eighties and is governed by the National Basketball League or NBA. The Western and Atlantic Division of the NBA consists of seven teams and the Eastern Conference comprises of the six teams. Both the conferences play different teams every other season.
The games are played according to a scheduled series of games known as a season. The most common basketball games played are the regular season games, playoffs and the world cup. The World Cup is played once in fourteen years and is also known as the Olympic basketball tournament. In the World Cup the best four teams from a group are chosen and the game is played internationally. The four teams who represent the United States are favored over the four teams who represent other nations.
The United States has won the last ten world championships and is second in the number of titles won. There are many American celebrities who are basketball greats. Two of them are Earvin “The Antitheft” Johnson who is an NBA point guard and Allen Iverson who is an NBA superstar. Allen Iverson has scored more points than any other player in the history of basketball and is considered as the greatest player of all time.
