NBA Basketball Glossary
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Rebound: Gather in and gain control of a missed shot; a missed shot that is retrieved.
Rejection: A blocked shot.
Rock: Ball.
Sag: A defensive tactic in which a player drops off his man to help double-team a player in the pivot.
Salary Cap: Common term for Maximum Team Salary, the maximum amount each team may pay in salaries during an NBA season, as per teams of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Screen: Pick.
Set shot: A shot taken while a player has both feet on the floor in a set position. Common in basketball's early years, it is now all but extinct, having given way to the harder-to-block jump shot.
Shot clock: The 24-second clock used to time possessions. A team must attempt a shot that hits the rim within 24 seconds or else it loses possession of the ball.
Sixth man: A team's primary reserve, the first substitute to enter a game.
Sky-hook: A hook shot in which the ball is released while the shooter's hand is at the top of the arc; used most effectively by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's all-time career scoring leader.
Skywalk: The ability to move laterally while in the air.
Slam dunk : see Dunk.
Steal: To take the ball away from the opposing team, either off the dribble or by picking off a pass.
Switch: When teammates exchange defensive assignments during play.
Technical foul: The penalty for a violation of conduct, such as abusive language or fighting. Each technical foul awards a free throw to the opposing team and also means an automatic fine for the player who commits the violation.
Three-point shot: A field goal worth three points, taken from beyond an arc that is 22 feet from the basket.
Three-second violation: An offensive player may not stand in the lane for three seconds.
360: To elude a defender by doing a complete spin, making a 360-degree turn.
Tip-in: To tip a missed shot into the basket.
Trailer: An offensive player who trails on a fast break but often is in good position to score after the first wave of defenders goes by.
Transition: The movement from offense to defense, or vice versa, when the ball changes hands.
Traveling: A violation in which a player takes too many steps without dribbling the ball. Also: walking.
Triple-double: A relatively rare achievement in which a player accumulates double figures in three of the following categories in the same game: points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots.
Turnover: Loss of ball, either through an errant pass or dribble or an offensive foul.
Veteran free agent: A player who completes his contractual obligation to his team and becomes free to sign with any NBA team, as per terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Weak side: The side of the court away from the ball.
Zone: A defensive tactic in which players guard areas of the court, rather than specific men. Illegal in the NBA.
ABCD - FGHJ - LNOPQ - RSTVWZ
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