After moving in with my grandmother, I have seen more basketball games than I can count. She watches just about all of them, it seems, and while I never did before, I did play in high school. I realized that basketball lingo might not make any sense if you don’t know anything about it, and that’s when I decided to explain it.
The Glass – This is the backboard behind the hoop.
The Paint (or key) – This is the rectangular area that is usually colored though not always under the hoop and inside the arch
Bucket – Getting a bucket is making a shot; the bucket is the hoop.
Slam – This is just another way of saying ‘dunk’; also stuff sometimes.
Tip – When a player jumps up to push the basketball in a manner that makes it fall into the hoop after an off shot, it is called a tip.
Kiss the glass – This is a phrase commentators use to refer to when a shooter uses the backboard to put his shot in such as during a lay-up.
Field Goal – This is any shot from the floor whether it is for two points or three.
Free Throw – Shots given as a bonus chance for being fouled.
Going to the line – This is something commentators say when a fouled player is going to shoot a free throw or more.
Arch – A line in an arch-form around each hoop and paint that marks the distance for a three-point shot.
Hook Shot – A shot that is made by hooking the ball over the head and defenders with one arm, it is often the most difficult kind of shot to make.
Jump Shot – A very common shot, this is when a shooter jumps off the floor into the shot usually with both hands on the ball. See most three-point shots for an example.
Air Ball/Brick – Terms used to describe bad shots. An air ball hits nothing, though a brick might hit the backboard. Both are used as taunts especially by the opposing team’s crowd.
Zone – This is a style of defense that means that the team that is defending kind of hangs out in the paint and near the hoop to try and prevent the other team from getting to the hoop.
Man-to-man – Another style of defense, this type involves assigning each player to a player of the other team whom they will follow all over the court no matter what. This is where the phrase “get your man” comes from.
Half-court/Full-court pressure – The first means that the defending team will actively oppose the offensive once they cross half-court while the second means they will actively oppose the offensive the entire court.
Bounce Pass – When a player bounces the ball off the floor to another teammate, it is a bounce pass.
The Big Dance – Only the most important term in basketball right now, the big dance is the NCAA, and every team wants to get “invited to the big dance”!
March Madness – Another reference to the NCAA tournament.]
Sources:
Personal Experience
