Shot clock

Last updated
20130103 Mitch McGary shot clock-game clock (1).JPG
A shot clock in an NCAA basketball game, shown as the red LED digits above the basket.

A shot clock is a countdown timer used in a variety of games and sports, indicating a set amount of time that a team may possess the object of play before attempting to score a goal. Shot clocks are used in several sports including basketball, water polo, canoe polo, lacrosse, poker, ringette, korfball, tennis, ten-pin bowling, and various cue sports. It is analogous with the play clock used in American and Canadian football, and the pitch clock used in baseball. This article deals chiefly with the shot clock used in basketball.

Contents

The set amount of time for a shot clock in basketball is 24–35 seconds, depending on the league. This clock reveals how much time a team may possess the ball before attempting to score a field goal. It may be colloquially known as the 24-second clock, particularly in the NBA and other leagues where that is the duration of the shot clock. If the shot clock reaches zero before the team attempts a field goal, the team has committed a shot clock violation, which is penalized with a loss of possession.

At most professional and collegiate basketball courts the shot clock is displayed to the players and spectators in large red numerals below the game clock on a display mounted atop each backboard. In some collegiate and amateur facilities this display might be located on the floor or mounted to a wall behind the end line. A shot clock is used in conjunction with a game clock but is distinct from the game clock which displays the time remaining in the period of play.

The shot clock was originally introduced in the NBA in 1954 as a way to increase scoring and reduce stalling tactics that were commonly used before its inception. It has been credited with increasing fan interest in the then-fledgling league, and has since been adopted at most organized levels of basketball.

Definition

The shot clock is a digital clock that displays a number of seconds or not. The shot clock is usually displayed above the backboard behind each goal, allowing offensive players to see precisely how much time they have to shoot and officials to easily determine whether buzzer beaters should be counted. The NBA specifies that a transparent shot clock and game clock that displays said times on both sides be part of the backboard assembly, and FIBA, EuroLeague, and many venues use this arrangement.

Three signals indicate when the time to shoot has expired:

In the final five seconds to shoot, the shot clock displays tenths of seconds. This was adopted in the 2011–12 NBA season. [1]

History

The NBA has had a 24-second limit since 1954. FIBA introduced a 30-second shot clock in 1956 and switched to 24 seconds in 2000. The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) had a 30-second clock originally and switched to 24 seconds in 2006. Collegiate basketball uses a 30-second shot clock (details below).

Background

Stall tactics to limit big man George Mikan (#99) led to the shot clock's creation by the NBA. GeorgeMikan.jpg
Stall tactics to limit big man George Mikan (#99) led to the shot clock's creation by the NBA.

The NBA had problems attracting fans (and positive media coverage) before the shot clock's inception. [2] : 23–31  Teams in the lead were running out the clock, passing the ball incessantly. The trailing team could do nothing but commit fouls to recover possession following the free throw. Frequent low-scoring games with many fouls bored fans. The most extreme case occurred on November 22, 1950, when the Fort Wayne Pistons defeated the Minneapolis Lakers by a record-low score of 19–18, including 3–1 in the fourth quarter. [3] The Pistons held the ball for minutes at a time without shooting (they attempted 13 shots for the game) to limit the impact of the Lakers' dominant George Mikan. It led the St. Paul Dispatch to write, "[The Pistons] gave pro basketball a great black eye." [4] : 31–2  NBA President Maurice Podoloff said, "In our game, with the number of stars we have, we of necessity run up big scores." [4] : 33  A few weeks after the Pistons/Lakers game, the Rochester Royals and Indianapolis Olympians played a six-overtime game with only one shot in each overtime: in each overtime period, the team that had the ball first held it for the entirety of the period before attempting a last-second shot. The NBA tried several rule changes in the early 1950s to speed up the game and reduce fouls before eventually adopting the shot clock.

Creation

In 1954 in Syracuse, New York, Syracuse Nationals (now the Philadelphia 76ers) owner Danny Biasone and general manager Leo Ferris experimented with a 24-second shot clock during a scrimmage. [5] [6] Jack Andrews, longtime basketball writer for The Syracuse Post-Standard, often recalled how Ferris would sit at Danny Biasone's Eastwood bowling alley, scribbling potential shot clock formulas onto a napkin. [7] According to Biasone, "I looked at the box scores from the games I enjoyed, games where they didn't screw around and stall. I noticed each team took about 60 shots. That meant 120 shots per game. So I took 2,880 seconds (48 minutes) and divided that by 120 shots. The result was 24 seconds per shot." [3] [8] [2] : 29  Ferris was singled out by business manager Bob Sexton at the 1954 team banquet for pushing the shot clock rule. Biasone and Ferris then convinced the NBA to adopt it for the 1954–55 season, a season in which the Nationals won the NBA Championship

The Shot Clock Monument in Armory Square in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse Shot Clock Monument.jpg
The Shot Clock Monument in Armory Square in Syracuse, New York.
Close-up of Syracuse's Shot Clock Monument. Syracuse Shot Clock Monument Close-Up.jpg
Close-up of Syracuse's Shot Clock Monument.

Models

Originally, the shot clocks used in the NBA were usually 2-sided in a black box. But around 1995, 4-sided cube and 3-sided triangular shot clocks began to be used, and would be in most of the arenas by the turn of the millennium. The main producer was Daktronics. By 2010, the 2-sided transparent shot clock was getting popularity. In the 2014-15 season, the NBA signed a deal with Tissot, a Swiss watch company, to use the 2-sided transparent shot clock, which was thinner than its predecessors. But in many international leagues and the colleigate level, the older 3-sided and 4-sided shot clocks are still in use.

Adoption by other leagues

Two later pro leagues that rivaled the NBA adopted a modified version of the shot clock. The American Basketball League used a 30-second shot clock for its two years in existence (1961–1963). The American Basketball Association also adopted a 30-second clock when it launched in 1967–68, switching to the NBA's 24-second length for its final season (1975–76).

From its inception in 1975, the Philippine Basketball Association adopted a 25-second shot clock. This was because the shot clocks then installed at the league's main venues, the Araneta Coliseum and Rizal Memorial Coliseum (the latter no longer used by the league), could only be set at 5-second intervals. The league later adopted a 24-second clock starting from the 1995 season. The Metropolitan Basketball Association in the Philippines used the 23-second clock from its maiden season in 1998. In Philippine college basketball, the NCAA Basketball Championship (Philippines) and the UAAP Basketball Championship adopted a 30-second clock, then switched to 24 seconds starting with the 2001–02 UAAP season 64, the first season to start after the FIBA rule change in 2001.[ citation needed ]

Operation

The shot clock begins counting down when a team establishes possession, and stops any time the game clock stops (e.g., timeouts, violations, fouls). The offensive team must attempt to score a field goal before the shot clock expires; otherwise, the team has committed a shot clock violation (also known as a 24-second violation in leagues with a 24-second shot clock) that results in a turnover to their opponents. An important distinction is that there is no violation if the ball is in flight to the basket when the shot clock expires, as long as the ball leaves the player's hand before the shot clock expires and the ball proceeds to go into the basket or touch the basket rim.

The shot clock resets to its full length at the start of each period and whenever possession changes to the opposite team such as after a basket is scored, the defense steals the ball or recovers a rebound, or the offense commits a foul or violation. The full length varies by country, level of play, and league; see the table below. The shot clock does not reset if a defender makes short contact with the ball (e.g., an attempted steal or a tipped pass) but the offense retains possession, or if a shot attempt misses the rim entirely and airballs. The shot clock also resets when the offense retains possession after a missed field goal or free throw, or on certain fouls or violations that give the offense an inbounds pass in their frontcourt.

If the offensive team is fouled and the penalty does not include free throws but just an in-bounds pass, the shot clock is reset. There are several cases where the offense is not given a full 24 seconds. The shot clock is instead set to 14 following an offensive rebound. [9] : 7-IV-d  FIBA adopted this in 2014 and the NBA adopted in 2018. [10] The WNBA also observes this rule. In several other cases where the offense inbounds the ball in its frontcourt (such as a foul by the defense not resulting in free throws), the offense is guaranteed 14 seconds. [9] : 7-IV-e  The shot clock is increased to 14 if it showed a shorter time.

On a held ball (whether decided by a jump ball or a possession arrow), the state of the shot clock depends on which team gets possession of the ball.

Near the end of each period, if the shot clock would ordinarily display more time than there is remaining in the period, the shot clock is switched off. During this time, a team cannot commit a shot clock violation.

The shot clock apparatus itself is considered out of bounds and not part of the backboard. The shot clock operator sits at the scorer's table. This is usually a different person from the scoreboard operator, as the task requires concentration during and after the shot attempt. In the 2016-17 NBA season, a new 'official timekeeper' deal for the NBA with Swiss watch manufacturer Tissot introduced technology to unify the keeping of the shot clock and the game clock. [11] Tissot also became official timekeeper for the WNBA in the 2017 season.

Collegiate rules

American collegiate basketball uses a 30-second shot clock, while Canadian university basketball uses a 24-second clock.

In men's collegiate basketball, there was initial resistance to the implementation of a shot clock for men's NCAA basketball, due to fears that smaller colleges would be unable to compete with powerhouses in a running game. However, after extreme results like an 11–6 Tennessee win over Temple in 1973, support for a men's shot clock began to build. [12] The NCAA introduced a 45-second shot clock for the 1985-86 season; [13] several conferences had experimented with it for the two seasons prior. [14] It was reduced to 35 seconds in the 1993–94 season, [15] and 30 seconds in the 2015–16 season. [16] The NAIA also reduced the shot clock to 30 seconds starting in 2015–16. [17]

Women's collegiate basketball (at the time sanctioned by the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) used a 30-second shot clock on an experimental basis in the 1969–70 season, officially adopting it for the 1970–71 season. [18]

The NCAA specifies 20 seconds rather than 30 after stoppages where the ball is already in the frontcourt. In 2019, it added offensive rebounds to this list. [19]

US high schools rules

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), which sets rules for high school basketball in the U.S., does not mandate the use of a shot clock, instead leaving the choice to use a clock and its duration up to each individual state association. In concert with this, the "stall ball" strategy can be used in a state or league, but depending on the organization, itself comes with restrictions on its use by the game officials, with overuse of it often being whistled as a foul or an unsportsmanlike act. Others may allow stalling completely, at the risk of fan disinterest.

As the cost of a shot clock system can be cost-prohibitive, its use in high schools has been debated on that consideration and not the flow of the game. While previous proposals for a national shot clock had been denied by the NFHS as recently as 2011, [20] in the spring of 2021 the NFHS agreed to allow its member associations the option of a shot clock, with a mandatory 35-second duration, starting in 2022–23. [21]

As of August 2021, 11 states either require a shot clock in high school competition or will begin using one starting in 2022–23: California, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska (Class A only), New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Washington. [20] [22] Before 2022–23, the District of Columbia used a 30-second shot clock for public school (DCIAA) competition, charter school competition (as of 2018–19), and for the DCSAA State Tournament, where public, private, and charter schools compete for the championship of the District of Columbia.

Shot clock length

Shot clock length in basketball

OrganizationDuration
NBA 24 seconds
WNBA
WBDA
U Sports (Canadian universities)
NCAA, NAIA, USCAA, etc.30 seconds
United States high school basketball35 seconds (some states only)
FIBA 24 seconds
12 seconds (3x3 half-court) [23]

Shot clock length in other sports

SportOrganizationDuration
Lacrosse MLL (defunct)60 seconds
PLL 52 seconds
NLL 30 seconds
NCAA Men's80 seconds [24]
NCAA Women's90 seconds [24]
Australian rules football AFL 30 seconds [25]
Ringette International Ringette Federation (IRF)30 seconds
Water polo FINA 30 seconds
Canoe polo ICF 60 seconds
Ten-pin bowling PBA 25 seconds (only used on TV)
Korfball IKF 25 seconds
Tennis ITF 25 seconds
Snooker Snooker Shoot Out 15 seconds (first five minutes)
10 seconds (last five minutes)
Carom billiards
(three-cushion billiards)		40 seconds [26]
(3 time-outs (40 sec.) possible)
Poker World Poker Tour 30 seconds
99 seconds (optional) [27]

A related rule to speed up play is that the offensive team has a limited time to advance the ball across the half-court line (the "time line").

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basketball</span> Team sport

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball through the defender's hoop, while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own hoop. A field goal is worth two points, unless made from behind the three-point line, when it is worth three. After a foul, timed play stops and the player fouled or designated to shoot a technical foul is given one, two or three one-point free throws. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but if regulation play expires with the score tied, an additional period of play (overtime) is mandated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basketball court</span> Rectangular playing surface, with baskets at each end

In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor, with baskets at each end. Indoor basketball courts are almost always made of polished wood, usually maple, with 10 feet (3.048 m)-high rims on each basket. Outdoor surfaces are generally made from standard paving materials such as concrete or asphalt. International competitions may use glass basketball courts.

In basketball, a technical foul is any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between opposing players on the court, or is a foul by a non-player. The most common technical foul is for unsportsmanlike conduct. Technical fouls can be assessed against players, bench personnel, the entire team, or even the crowd. These fouls, and their penalties, are more serious than a personal foul, but not necessarily as serious as a flagrant foul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free throw</span> Penalty in basketball

In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line, a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team, analogous to penalty shots in other team sports. Free throws are also awarded in other situations, including technical fouls, and when the fouling team has entered the bonus/penalty situation. Also, depending on the situation, a player may be awarded between one and three free throws. Each successful free throw is worth one point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personal foul (basketball)</span> Illegal contact with an opponent in basketball

In basketball, a personal foul is a breach of the rules that concerns illegal personal contact with an opponent. It is the most common type of foul in basketball. A player fouls out on reaching a limit on personal fouls for the game and is disqualified from participation in the remainder of the game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jump ball</span> Basketball term

A jump ball is a method used to begin or resume play in basketball. It is similar to a face-off in ice hockey and field lacrosse and a ball-up in Australian rules football. Two opposing players attempt to gain control of the ball after an official tosses it into the air between them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rules of basketball</span> Rules governing the game of basketball

The rules of basketball are the rules and regulations that govern the play, officiating, equipment and procedures of basketball. While many of the basic rules are uniform throughout the world, variations do exist. Most leagues or governing bodies in North America, the most important of which are the National Basketball Association and NCAA, formulate their own rules. In addition, the Technical Commission of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) determines rules for international play; most leagues outside North America use the complete FIBA ruleset.

Daniel Biasone was the founding owner of the Syracuse Nationals, an NBA team now known as the Philadelphia 76ers. Biasone, who was a childhood immigrant to the United States from Italy, was most well known for advocating the use of the shot clock in basketball. Biasone was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000 for his contributions to the sport.

In sports strategy, running out the clock is the practice of a winning team allowing the clock to expire through a series of preselected plays, either to preserve a lead or hasten the end of a one-sided contest. Such measures expend time but do not otherwise have a tactical purpose. This is usually done by a team that is winning by a slim margin near the end of a game, in order to reduce the time available for the opposing team to score. Generally, it is the opposite strategy of running up the score.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flagrant foul</span> Basketball foul for excessive or violent contact

In basketball, a flagrant foul is a personal foul that involves excessive or violent contact that could injure the fouled player. A flagrant foul may be unintentional or purposeful; the latter type is also called an "intentional foul" in the National Basketball Association (NBA). However, not all intentional fouls are flagrant fouls, as it is an accepted strategy to intentionally commit a foul in order to regain possession of the ball while minimizing how much time elapses on the game clock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of basketball terms</span> List of definitions of terms and concepts related to the game of basketball

This glossary of basketball terms is a list of definitions of terms used in the game of basketball. Like any other major sport, basketball features its own extensive vocabulary of unique words and phrases used by players, coaches, sports journalists, commentators, and fans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foul (basketball)</span> Unfair act by a player in basketball

In basketball, a foul is an infraction of the rules more serious than a violation. Most fouls occur as a result of illegal personal contact with an opponent and/or unsportsmanlike behavior. Fouls can result in one or more of the following penalties:

A defensive three-second violation is a basketball rules infraction in the National Basketball Association (NBA), which was added prior to the 2001–2002 season in conjunction with the removal of previous illegal defense rules prohibiting zone defenses. It is assessed when a member of the defending team spends more than three seconds in the free throw lane while not actively guarding an opponent. To be considered actively guarding an opponent, a defender must be within arm's length of an opponent and must be in a guarding position. A violation will not be called if an offensive player is in the act of shooting, if the offensive team loses control of the ball, if it is imminent that the defender's position will become legal, or if the defender is guarding a player who has possession of the ball.

The Trent Tucker Rule is a basketball rule that disallows any regular shot to be taken on the court if the ball is put into play with under 0.3 seconds left in game or shot clock. The rule was adopted in the 1990–91 NBA season and named after New York Knicks player Trent Tucker, and officially adopted in FIBA play starting in 2010. When the WNBA was established in 1997, this rule was adopted too.

Delay of game is an action in a sports game in which a player or team deliberately stalls the game, usually with the intention of using the delay to its advantage. In some sports, the delay of game is considered an infraction if it is longer than that permitted according to the game's rules, in which case a penalty can be issued. Some sports that have a delay of game penalty are American football, Canadian football, ice hockey and association football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Key (basketball)</span> Area on a basketball court

The key, officially referred to as the free throw lane by the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), and the restricted area by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), also simply called the lane, is a marked area on a basketball court surrounding the basket, where much of the game's action takes place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonus (basketball)</span> Situation in basketball

In the sport of basketball, the bonus situation occurs when one team accumulates a requisite number of fouls, the number of which varies depending on the level of play. When one team has committed the requisite number of fouls, each subsequent foul results in the opposing team's taking free throws regardless of the type of foul committed. Teams under the limit are commonly referred to as having fouls to give, and thus they can try to disrupt their opponents without being penalized free throws. These fouls reset every quarter or half depending on the rules in use.

Basketball is a ball game and team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules. Since being developed by James Naismith as a non-contact game that almost anyone can play, basketball has undergone many different rule variations, eventually evolving into the NBA-style game known today. Basketball is one of the most popular and widely viewed sports in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3x3 basketball</span> Basketball variant played on half of a regulation court

3x3 basketball is a variation of basketball played three-a-side, with one backboard and in a half-court setup. This basketball game format is currently being promoted and structured by FIBA, the sport's governing body. Its primary competition is an annual FIBA 3X3 World Tour, comprising a series of Masters and one Final tournament, and awarding six-figure prize money in US dollars. The FIBA 3x3 World Cups for men and women are the highest tournaments for national 3x3 teams. The 3x3 format has been adopted for both the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The time line, in basketball, is a name for the center line that reflects the rule that the offensive team has a limited amount of time to advance the ball past this line, from the backcourt to the frontcourt, in a scoring drive.

References

  1. ↑ Zillgitt, Jeff (December 24, 2011). "New points of emphasis in NBA officiating". USA Today. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Pluto, Terry (1992). Tall Tales: The Glory Years of the NBA, in the Words of the Men Who Played, Coached, and Built Pro Basketball.
  3. 1 2 "History of the Shot Clock" Archived April 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine NBA.
  4. 1 2 Pomerantz, Gary M. (2005). Wilt, 1962: The Night of 100 Points and the Dawn of a New Era . New York: Crown. ISBN   1-4000-5160-6.
  5. ↑ "NBA.com: 24-Second Shot Clock Rescues League". www.nba.com. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  6. ↑ "National efforts to honor Syracuse hoops pioneers: Good day to remember Earl Lloyd, Leo Ferris". syracuse.com. 31 October 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  7. ↑ "A question for a Hall of Fame dinner in Syracuse: When will Leo Ferris make it in?". syracuse.com. 16 October 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Long-forgotten Leo Ferris helped devise NBA's 24-second clock, first used 61 years ago today". ESPN.com. 30 October 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  9. 1 2 "RULE NO. 7: Shot Clock". NBA. 15 October 2018.
  10. ↑ NBA implements FIBA's 14-second shot clock rule, FIBA.basketball
  11. ↑ "NBA, watchmaker Tissot announce multiyear partnership". ESPN. 5 October 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  12. ↑ Strange, Mike (2007-11-07). "Temple set stage for shot clock". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Scripps Interactive Newspaper Group. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  13. ↑ Crowley, Anne S. (April 3, 1985). "NCAA adopts shot clock for next year". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. C3.
  14. ↑ Cour, Jim (April 5, 1984). "Shot clock put on hold by colleges". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. 25.
  15. ↑ Official 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Records Book, p. 278
  16. ↑ "Shorter shot clock, fewer timeouts among changes coming in 2015-16". ESPN.com. June 8, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Rule changes for NAIA, too". The Salina Journal. Associated Press. June 10, 2015 – via News OK.
  18. ↑ Official 2008 NCAA Women's Basketball Records Book, p. 245
  19. ↑ Katz, Andy (November 5, 2019). "The men's college basketball rule changes to know about this season". NCAA.
  20. 1 2 Halley, Jim (May 5, 2011). "Focus on high school shot clock heats up as states make move – USATODAY.com". USA Today . ISSN   0734-7456 . Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Shot Clock Allowed By State Adoption for High School Basketball in 2022-23" (Press release). National Federation of State High School Associations. May 13, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  22. ↑ Southard, Dargan (August 10, 2021). "IHSAA, IGHSAU release joint statement on shot clock coming to Iowa high school basketball". Iowa City Press-Citizen . Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  23. ↑ "Article 8 Stalling" (PDF). 3x3 Rules of the Game. FIBA. January 13, 2012. p. 2. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  24. 1 2 Lee, Edward (September 12, 2018). "Time is now: NCAA approves 80-second shot clock for men's lacrosse". The Baltimore Sun . Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  25. ↑ "AFL to crack down on deliberate time wasters". afl.com.au. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  26. ↑ "Official Tournament Rules" (PDF). Union Mondiale de Billard (UMB). p. 4. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Gamingsupport.com: Poker Shot Clock". www.gamingsupport.com. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.