I have not a huge fan of basketball all my life until now. Literally, all the enthusiasm and excitement the sport now gives me was formed this year. If I was to take a mental note of my top 5 sports right now, only Athletics and Tennis are defined top picks with basketball likely creeping into the third position.
But what makes the sport so interesting? Having thought deep about this, I concluded it has something to do with the excitement of the urgency to take a shot and make a basket, which is mandated by the 24 second rule.
The rule basically states that a team in possession of the ball must attempt a shot aimed at the basketball before the 24 second timer runs out, or forfeits possession automatically. This isn't an advice but a rule, and I will tell you why it makes all the difference.
In soccer for instance, teams can pretty much decide not to be offensive minded throughout the entire duration of the game. In fact, the term 'negative football' was popularized during Jose Mourinho's heydays as a top level manager. If teams were playing to avoid defeat, they focused more on defending and keeping possession instead of attacking.
Even in boxing, Floyd Mayweather while hailed for being a 'master boxer' was also criticized for his overly careful, defensive minded approach which saw him go to the scorecards more often than nought.
The problem with these approaches is that while they may be the best decisions in order to get results, they could also be very boring and suck up all the excitement from the game. I find it a chore to go through a soccer game for instance, particularly the men's game which is a more tactical one as of today.
Take That Shot
The 24 second rule ensures that teams are compelled to aim for goal no matter the circumstances of the game. This is good because:
- It ensures possession is not simply hoarded
- It creates a fast paced tempo which brings a lot of excitement
- Anyone can simply be compelled to make a shot in order not to violate the timeline.
I think there are lots of lessons that can be learned from this rule with many along the lines of how to make the best of limited time we have.
We have seen games won in the past from literally the last throw of the game as the timer winds down, with shots thrown from impossible angles.
There are those who are of course more skilled in the art of shooting and scoring than others. For instance, if my supported team was down by 2 points with 5 seconds left and I had the power to select anyone to make the final throw of the game for us, I'll select Stephen Curry in a heartbeat.
Yet Even for those unsuited to make these kind of shots have sometimes been match winners for their respective teams.
Conclusion
I guess the conclusion is that we miss all the shots we don't take, and it is better to take a wild shot than no shot. This principle can of course be applied in a wide variety of areas in our lives and it is left to us to make the best of the time we've got.
Well done post! Happy to have a new basketball fan in the club, what's your favorite team to watch?
Definitely the Golden State Warriors...Curry is an artist.
That said, I am a fan of the Bucks
Not to hijack, but im a Wiz fan from Australia. The Wizard of Oz I suppose ..
lol... they're having a solid season so far
Yes as how will you know if you will miss if you don't at least try.
Important to note that a missed shot can hit the rim, then as the attacking team you can regain possession by an offensive rebound and the 24 second possesion clock restarts.