Regulation games last 48 minutes, divided into four 12-minute quarters. Overtime sessions last 5 minutes. There are no specific time limits for shootouts.
Basketball has been played continuously since its invention in 1891 by Dr James Naismith. Before this time, players used nets to rebound balls from outside of the court, but Dr Naismith felt that this was unfair, as it gave an advantage to defenders. He introduced a new game that was designed to be similar to old-fashioned baseball. Instead of bases being on legs of the diagram, they were placed at either end of the court with teams having two players stationed at each end during play. If a ball went out of bounds, a player from the opposing team would pick it up and return it to play.
Quarters came later when coaches realized that if they let players rest for several minutes between shots, they could keep their energy level high and avoid fatigue. Today, all games except those in single-elimination tournaments are allowed to continue until one side is ahead by 10 points or more. This is called "running time". If the score is still close after running time, then there will be a tiebreaker procedure used to determine a winner. This is usually three free throws made in rapid succession.
All NBA regulation periods will be twelve minutes long. All overtime periods will be five minutes long. A fifteen-minute break will be allowed between halves of all games. During local games, 2:30 will be allowed between the first and second periods, the third and fourth periods, and before any overtime session. National television games will be timed using two-thirty minute periods with a ten-minute break in between.
In addition to the regular season, the playoffs also consist of several rounds, each consisting of either one or more elimination games, or simply a series of home-and-away games. The winner of each series becomes the next team in line for a chance to win it all. The last remaining team after all other teams have been eliminated from the postseason competition is called the champion.
The NBA was founded in 1946 by former college basketball stars Bill Russell and Larry David. As of 2017, the Boston Celtics remain the most successful franchise in the history of the NBA, having won 17 championships over 57 seasons. The Los Angeles Lakers are a close second with 16 titles over the same period. The NBA is so popular that its games are always attended by an audience, which includes fans who watch on TV and online fans who follow their favorite players. In 2017, an estimated 10 million people watched the Celtics defeat the Warriors in seven games to win their 17th championship.
Russell is considered by many to be the best player in NBA history.
NBA games are broken into four quarters of 12 minutes each. That implies a single game has a total of 48 minutes of play time. Halftime provides players with a 15-minute break between the second and third quarters to allow them to recuperate. Each overtime period is five minutes long. If the score is tied at the end of three periods, then another overtime period will be played until one team wins by two points or more.
A quarter represents 1/24 of the game. This means that it takes just over 11 minutes to complete a single quarter. The first quarter typically ends around 10:30 into the second quarter. The last quarter usually ends around 4:00 or 5:00 in the fourth quarter.
Halftime occurs during the middle of the second quarter. The halftime act gets an opportunity to relax and get ready for the next half of the game. Spectators can expect an interval of about 15 minutes before the start of the third quarter. The final quarter lasts approximately 3 hours including breaks.
Quarters have other names as well. The first quarter is often called the "first," "opening," or "warm-up" quarter. The second quarter is called the "second" quarter. Third quarter is called the "third" quarter. Fourth quarter is called the "fourth" quarter.
Regulation games last 40 minutes, divided into two 20-minute halves. If the score is tied at the end of regulation and there has been no change in leadership of the game (i.e., who scored first), then the first team to reach 15 points wins.
In other words, there are three fifths of a college basketball game: the opening half, the closing half, and overtime.
A half - also called a third - was originally defined as any portion of the game that was played during a given period without interruption. Today, it refers to one-half of a football game. The term is used in sports such as baseball and basketball to describe any part of the game that is being played without interruption. In basketball, for example, there is a first half, a second half, and sometimes even an overtime; in baseball there is a game itself and then a nightcap if necessary.
The word "halve" comes from the Old English word hælft, meaning a portion of something split in two. This definition explains why a half is always divided into two equal parts. A basketball game consists of two halves of about 10 minutes each or 20 minutes in total.
An NBA professional game is divided into four quarters of 12 minutes each. That implies the game will last 48 minutes. The first quarter starts with players on both teams entering the court and shooting fouls being thrown out. The second quarter follows a similar pattern to the first, except that there are no time-outs during play. The third quarter is identical to the second with one exception: A team can call a time-out by throwing the ball across half-court with control held above their head for three seconds. The fourth and final quarter is when most games are decided. During this period, coaches often substitute players for rest or injury prevention.
Basketball is a game that depends heavily on the ability of its players to stay in shape. In addition to running up and down the court, they must be able to jump high enough to shoot the ball and defend against other players who try to score by jumping over them. These two factors explain why many athletes who play basketball at a professional level are in good physical condition.
Basketball was originally designed as an indoor sport. This means the game can be played under artificial lights without outside interference such as rain or snow. This advantage allows basketball to be played year round, which is why it is popular worldwide.
If a game lasts three hours, then it can be split up into three one-hour periods. A quarter consists of all the players on the court for either team.
A quarter of men's basketball is usually about 3 to 4 minutes long. This amount of time covers everything from the end of one period to the beginning of the next. The first quarter of a game will typically start around 12:30 p.m. and finish around 3:30 p.m. The second quarter starts around 5:30 p.m. and finishes around 9:30 p.m.. The third quarter starts around 11:00 p.m. and ends around 1:00 a.m..
Men's college basketball has two periods instead of three. It begins when the first whistle blows following the opening jump ball and ends when the second whistle blows after halftime. College basketball quarters last 20 minutes instead of 24. This means that men's college basketball quarters last 40 minutes instead of 48.
In the NBA, all players must be on the court for a quarter to be played. This applies to both teams.