Basketball, explained.
The NBA, the WNBA and the international game: spacing, shot selection, the cap, and how the three-point line rewrote the sport.
42 articlesGuideAnalysisExplainerTacticsEconomics
- GuideOlympic basketball qualification explained: the FIBA route19 minHow the twelve Olympic basketball places are won: the host berth, the World Cup route, the regional allocation, the qualifying tournaments and 3x3.
- GuideNBA In-Season Tournament explained: the NBA Cup format19 minHow the NBA Cup works now: the group draw, the four Cup Nights, the tiebreakers in order, the knockout bracket, prize money and which games count.
- AnalysisUsage rate in basketball explained, and what it hides18 minHow usage rate is calculated, why the formula counts only the possessions a player ends, why an assist never raises it, and how to read the number properly.
- ExplainerNBA two-way contracts explained: three slots, fifty games20 minHow NBA two-way contracts work: three slots a club, a flat half-minimum salary, fifty active-list games, no playoffs, and the conversion that fixes it.
- AnalysisNBA tracking data explained: what the cameras actually see18 minNBA tracking data explained properly: how SportVU became Second Spectrum and then Hawk-Eye, what optical tracking records, and what stays private.
- ExplainerNBA G League explained: who owns whom, and who gets called up20 minHow the NBA G League works: 31 teams, two-way contracts capped at three a side, the 50-game active list limit, assignments and call-ups.
- ExplainerNBA flagrant foul rules, points and automatic suspensions20 minThe NBA flagrant foul rules explained: what separates a Flagrant 1 from a Flagrant 2, the six criteria, the points system and when a suspension lands.
- GuideThe NBA All-Star format explained, and why it keeps changing20 minThe NBA All-Star format explained: the current US versus World round robin, how the 24 All-Stars are picked, and every rewrite since the draft era.
- ExplainerBasketball shot clock rules: 24, 14, 30 and 20 explained21 minHow the shot clock starts, stops and resets in the NBA, FIBA, NCAA men's and NCAA women's basketball, and why the reset number is the rule that decides games.
- TacticsZone defense in basketball explained: shapes, gaps and rules19 minHow a 2-3 and a 3-2 zone actually work, where every zone's gaps sit, why rebounding is the real weakness, and why the NBA rulebook keeps zone short.
- EconomicsThe WNBA salary cap explained: a hard cap tied to growth20 minHow the WNBA salary cap works: the revenue formula that now sets it, the supermax and core designation, roster limits, prioritisation and what comes next.
- AnalysisTrue shooting percentage explained: the formula and its limits21 minTrue shooting percentage explained from the scoring rules up: how the formula is built, why the free throw term is 0.44, and the four things it cannot see.
- TacticsNBA transition offence: winning before the defence sets17 minThe four-second window, the outlet, lane assignments, the trailer and the drag screen, why transition numbers disagree, and the offensive rebounding cost.
- TacticsSwitching defence in the NBA: the mismatch you invite22 minHow switching defense works in the NBA: what a switch actually buys, the mismatch it hands over, scram switches, pre-switching and the rebounding bill.
- TacticsSmall ball in the NBA: what the lineup really trades22 minA small ball lineup in the NBA swaps rim protection for switchability and spacing. What that trade costs, what it buys, and when a big team can punish it.
- AnalysisPlayer efficiency rating explained: what PER measures20 minHow player efficiency rating is built from a box score, why it rewards volume shooting, why it barely sees defence, and where the number still earns its keep.
- TacticsThe pick and roll explained: every answer leaves a man22 minThe pick and roll explained from the defence's side: what makes a screen legal, how switch, drop, hedge and ice each answer it, and who each one leaves open.
- AnalysisOffensive rating and defensive rating in the NBA, explained21 minWhy points per game is a tempo statistic, how possessions are estimated from a box score, and how to read a team from its offensive and defensive ratings.
- ExplainerNBA trade rules explained: salary out buys salary in19 minThe NBA trade rules explained in detail: the salary matching bands, what each apron actually stops, trade exceptions, the Stepien rule and the deadline.
- EconomicsThe NBA second apron explained: the line that takes tools18 minWhat the second apron is, what each spending line removes as a team crosses it, and why a frozen draft pick deters owners that a tax bill never could.
- EconomicsThe NBA rookie scale contract, and what it actually locks in19 minHow the NBA rookie scale contract works: two guaranteed seasons, two team option years, the 80 to 120 per cent band, and why second-round picks are not on it.
- ExplainerNBA replay review rules: what can and cannot be reviewed19 minThe NBA replay review rules explained: which calls review themselves, which need a coach's challenge, and why obvious errors still stand.
- ExplainerHow the NBA play-in tournament format actually works19 minThe NBA play-in tournament format explained: which four teams enter, why one pair gets two chances and the other gets one, and what sixth place is worth.
- AnalysisNBA pace and space explained: possessions and geometry19 minPace is possessions per 48 minutes and has a formula. Space is rulebook geometry. What each measures, and why they are not the same idea at all.
- EconomicsNBA max contract explained: the three tiers and the aprons19 minWhat a max contract actually is: 25, 30 and 35 per cent of the cap, the supermax conditions, the 8 versus 5 per cent raise, and how the aprons bite.
- ExplainerNBA load management explained: the rule, not the debate18 minLoad management is now written law. Inside the Player Participation Policy: the star player test, the two-star rule, the road-game clause and the fines.
- ExplainerNBA foul rules explained: what each whistle actually costs21 minHow NBA fouls are classified and priced: personal against technical, the bonus, offensive and loose ball fouls, the take foul and fouling out.
- TacticsNBA defensive schemes explained: choosing what to give up23 minNBA defensive schemes explained as trade-offs: what drop, switch, blitz and zone each concede, why the rules made variety possible, and how to read one.
- TacticsMotion offense explained: rules instead of called plays22 minHow a motion offense works: the rules that replace called plays, the spacing that makes it readable, why the second cutter scores, and when coaches drop it.
- GuideMarch Madness bracket explained: how 76 teams get placed21 minThe March Madness bracket explained properly: the 76-team field, the NET and quadrant records, the committee's seed list, and the rules that beat seed order.
- AnalysisThe three-point revolution: how the NBA rebuilt its offence21 minThe three point revolution in the NBA, from the arithmetic up: why a three only needs two thirds of a two's make rate, and what spacing did to defence.
- EconomicsThe NBA salary cap explained: a soft cap with hard edges19 minHow the NBA salary cap works: where the number comes from, why Bird rights make it soft, what the luxury tax costs, and what each apron takes away.
- ExplainerHow the NBA draft lottery works, and what the odds hide20 minHow the NBA draft lottery works: fourteen balls, a thousand combinations, four picks drawn, flattened odds at the top, and why teams still tank anyway.
- GuideHow does NBA free agency work? Rights, not an open market20 minNBA free agency explained as a hierarchy of rights: restricted and unrestricted status, qualifying offers, offer sheets, Bird rights and cap holds.
- TacticsHelp defense explained: the promise every rotation pays21 minHelp defense in basketball explained from the shell out: gap position, the low man, rotation chains, digs and stunts, closeouts and the three-second limit.
- ExplainerGoaltending in basketball, explained properly20 minWhat counts as goaltending in basketball, how basket interference differs, the cylinder rule and the penalties, from both the NBA and FIBA rulebooks.
- GuideFIBA rules vs NBA rules: every difference that matters20 minFIBA rules vs NBA rules compared from both rulebooks: court and three-point lines, 40 minutes against 48, the possession arrow, fouls and goaltending.
- GuideEuroLeague format explained: 20 clubs, play-in, Final Four19 minHow the EuroLeague format works: twenty licensed clubs, a 38-game double round robin, the Play-In Showdown, best-of-five playoffs and a Final Four.
- AnalysisEffective field goal percentage: what a three is really worth21 minEffective field goal percentage counts a made three as one and a half makes, because that is what a three pays. The formula, the uses, and the blind spots.
- TacticsDrop coverage in the NBA explained: the rim for the jumper20 minDrop coverage NBA explained from the arithmetic up: why the big sits back, what depth decides, how the short roll beats it, and why playoffs kill it.
- AnalysisBox plus minus explained, and the defence it cannot see22 minHow BPM turns a box score into an estimate of on-court impact: the RAPM regression underneath it, the coefficients, the team adjustment, and where it fails.
- ExplainerBasketball travelling rule explained, and the gather step21 minWhat the travelling rule really says in the NBA and FIBA books: how the gather works, why a legal drive shows three floor contacts, and where the codes split.