How To Play Basketball Between Two People
How To Play Basketball Between Two People
As you probably know by now, basketball is a game that is played by a number of people, although there are various combinations of how to play the game for example a “one on one”game is usually a variation of basketball that uses half of the basketball court. It is played by two people the aim of the game is to score points totaling to 21 faster than your opponent can. There are usually relaxed rules in this form of the game because it is mostly used to improve one’s individual talents and abilities of dribbling and shooting the ball while under pressure.
Another popular basketball variation is three on three basketball. This also uses half of the main basketball court and is as the name prescribes between three players per side. It is also more of a street game, so there is usually no referee and it is a no holds barred game as you try to score faster than your opponents to a preset score like 21 or one of your choosing as long as it is an odd number. However in competitive games like the olympics, a referee may be required to keep the insanity levels down 
Other combinations of two player games within a full basketball match up is;
- The Give and go; “Give and Go” is an offensive play that involves passing the ball (give) and then running (go) to an open spot for somebody to receive the ball and then give it back to the person who passed the basket ball first when he/she is usually near the basket, for an easy score. This play can be effective when the defender pays too much attention to the ball instead of the player who moves after passing the ball. This is also known as a “One-Two” in street ball.
- The Pick and roll; The “Pick and Roll” is an offensive play where a player stops to screen (block) a defender for the teammate handling the ball and then slips behind the defender to accept a pass as the handler makes a move towards the basket. In the NBA, John Stockton and Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz are the quintessential pick and roll tandem and used this play to great effect in the 1990s. Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire when playing for the Phoenix Suns proved to be extremely effective at the pick and roll throughout the 2000s. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan of The San Antonio Spurs and Dwight Howard and Hedo Türkoğlu of the Orlando Magic are currently among the best pick and roll tandems.
From the initial position of the pick and roll maneuver, the player who receives the ball has many different options as to whether he/she passes it, or fakes and then goes for a jump shot.
- Backdoor; A backdoor play is when a player without the ball gets behind the defense and receives a pass for an easy score. This can be executed if the defenders are unaware of the open space behind them. Also, when a defender strongly commits on defense (e.g. tries to steal or deny a pass), they are vulnerable to a backdoor play. This play is most notably used by good shooters like Ray Allen of the Miami Heat or Rip Hamilton of the Chicago Bulls.
- Alley-oop; An alley-oop is an offensive play which involves one teammate lofting the ball up near the rim in anticipation of another teammate jumping up to catch and dunk it. Because this move requires both teammates to know what the other is thinking, the alley-oop is a rare but exciting play.
