A shot clock is used in some sports to quicken the pace of the game. It is normally associated with basketball, but has also found use in sports such as snooker, professional lacrosse, water polo, and korfball.
In basketball, the shot clock is a timer designed to increase the pace (and consequently, the score[1]) in games. The offensive team must attempt a field goal before the shot clock expires, and the ball must then either touch the rim or enter the basket, or the offensive team will be assessed a violation resulting in loss of possession. However, if the ball leaves the hand of the player before the shot clock goes off and makes it or hits the rim, it is not a violation.
Contents |
The National Basketball Association (NBA) had problems attracting fans (and television coverage) before the shot clock's inception.[2] This was largely due to teams killing the clock once they were leading in a game; without the shot clock, teams could pass the ball nearly endlessly without penalty. If one team chose to stall, the other team (especially if behind) would often commit fouls to get the ball back following the free throw. Very low-scoring games with many fouls were common, boring fans. The most extreme case occurred on November 22, 1950, when the Fort Wayne Pistons defeated the Minneapolis Lakers by a record-low score of 19-18, including 3-1 in the fourth quarter.[3] A few weeks later, the Rochester Royals and Indianapolis Olympians played a six-overtime game with only one shot in each overtime. The NBA tried several rule changes in the early 1950s to speed up the game and reduce fouls before eventually adopting the shot clock.
It first came to use in 1954 in Syracuse, New York, where Danny Biasone, the owner of the NBA's Syracuse Nationals, experimented using a 24-second version during a scrimmage game. According to Biasone, "I looked at the box scores from the games I enjoyed, games where they didn't screw around and stall. I noticed each team took about 60 shots. That meant 120 shots per game. So I took 48 minutes - 2,880 seconds - and divided that by 120 shots. The result was 24 seconds per shot."[3][4] He then convinced the NBA to adopt it for the 1954-55 season. The Nationals went on to win the 1955 championship.
Well-known clock killer Bob Cousy stated "I think [the shot clock] saved the NBA",[3] coach and referee Charley Eckman said "Danny Biasone saved the NBA with the 24-second rule,"[5] and league president Maurice Podoloff called the adoption of the shot clock "the most important event in the NBA."[3] The NBA itself states "Biasone's invention rescues the league."[5]
When the shot clock first came into play, it made many players so nervous that the clock hardly came into play, as players were taking fewer than 20 seconds to shoot. According to Syracuse star Dolph Schayes, "We thought we had to take quick shots - a pass and a shot was it - maybe 8-10 seconds...But as the game went on, we saw the inherent genius in Danny's 24 seconds - you could work the ball around for a good shot."[4] The shot clock, together with some rule changes concerning fouls, immediately revolutionized NBA basketball. In the last pre-clock season, teams averaged 79 points per game. In the first year with the clock (1954–55), the average was up to 93 points;[3] by the fourth year (1957–58), it was 107 points.[6]
When the rival American Basketball Association (ABA) was formed in 1967, it used a 30-second clock, as had the short-lived American Basketball League (ABL).
In the 1969-70 season, NCAA women's basketball used a 30-second shot clock on an experimental basis. The shot clock was made official in NCAA women's basketball in the 1970-71 season.[7] A 45-second shot clock was introduced in the NCAA men's game in the 1985-86 season. In the 1993-94 season, the NCAA men's shot clock was reduced to 35 seconds.[8]
In the NBA (since 1954), Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) (since 2006), and International Basketball Federation (FIBA) (since 2000; 30-second from 1956 through 2000), the shot clock counts down 24 seconds, thus often being called the "24-second clock." Failure to attempt a shot that hits the rim within this time results in loss of possession. A buzzer goes off and a yellow LED light strip on top of the backboard illuminates when the shot clock reaches zero. Prior to the 2011–12 NBA season the last five seconds of the shot clock was modified to include tenths of a second in determining any last-second shots.
Furthermore, the shot clock is not reset on a foul in the frontcourt. Rule changes in the NBA since 1998, and in FIBA after 2010 state the shot clock will be reset only if fewer than 13 seconds are on the shot clock, after which it is reset to 14 seconds.
Men's college basketball uses a 35-second clock (since 1993; 45-second from 1985 through 1993) in the United States, and a 24-second clock in Canada. Women's college basketball in the United States uses a 30-second clock; in Canada, it uses a 24-second clock. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), which sets rules for high school basketball in the U.S., does not mandate the use of a shot clock, instead leaving the choice to use a clock and its duration up to each individual state association. Proposals to adopt a national shot clock for high school basketball have been voted down by the NFHS as recently as 2011.[9] Currently, eight U.S. states require the use of a shot clock of either 30 or 35 seconds in high school competition: California, Maryland (girls only), Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Washington.[9]
FIBA 33, a formalized version of three-on-three halfcourt basketball recently developed by FIBA, uses a 12-second clock.[10]
| Organization | Duration |
|---|---|
| NBA | 24 seconds |
| WNBA | 24 seconds |
| NCAA Men | 35 seconds |
| NCAA Women | 30 seconds |
| CIS | 24 seconds |
| NFHS | 35/30 seconds (some states only) |
| FIBA | 24 seconds (full-court game) 10 seconds (FIBA 33) |
Other sports
| Sport | Organization | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Lacrosse | MLL | 60 seconds |
| NLL | 30 seconds | |
| Ringette | N/A | 30 seconds |
| Water polo | FINA | 30 seconds |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||