Basketball like many other sports has its own distinct language. Here, we’ll be pulling over a quick glossary and define the trickiest of the hoops language. What you’ll be learning here will help you distinguish sport announcers’ patter and once you’ll become keen to some, you’ll be enjoying the game more.
Buzzer beater – Heard the sport announcer yelling over Lebron’s “another buzzer beater”? It happens when the baller superstar takes a shot before the end of the quarter buzzer and the ball just goes in the basket after the buzzer has gone off. That shot is a “buzzer beater”.
Fast break – It’s what you hear when the couch saying describing the tactics that leads to team’s winning. It’s an offensive strategy where moving the ball up the court is quick and fast, and with the goal of getting a score or hoop in the basket.
Run-and gun – It’s how announcers describe team’s strategy of fast-pace style with likeness to fast-break but with direct scoring opportunities. Teams going for a run-and-gun play, usually scores with lots of points.
Cherry picking – While it’s not allowed in amateur game, cherry picking is a player strategy imploring little defensive move but instead waits around the opponent’s basket for scoring opportunities. The tallest player is usually assigned to do cherry picking.
Turnover – It’s hated and loved by both teams, as the possession of the ball moves from one team to another. Turnover has lots of reasons and ways.
Alley-oop – It’s how announcers excitedly describing a high pass near the rim of the basket that another tip in. All alley-oops elicit roars of approval and disappointments from the affected team. By the way, the term is said to be of French origin, an exclamation allez-hop meaning to lift upwards or leap.
Double – It’s a player’s statistic, which means the baller is accumulating double digits any categories in a game like points steals, assists, rebounds and blocked shots. If the baller has doubles in two categories; it’s double-double and triple-double when there are three out of 5 categories.
Full-court press – This is a defense play as seen when the team is tailing late in the game and forcing the opponent team for turnovers. The players are playing defense for the entire length of the court and not just on the half court.
Basketball is a fast and dynamic game and its language is as dynamic as well. The hoops language is definitely adding to its awesomeness as most-loved recreation and sports.