| 21 (basketball) |
Article Index for 21 |
Information About21 (basketball) |
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THE GENERAL RULES Scoring is recorded differently than regular Basketball . In 21, Field Goal s count as two points (rather than one in normal streetball) after which the player must shoot Free Throw s, and in other regions Three Pointer s, for 1 point apiece. If a free throw is missed the Rebound is in play, much like a "1 and 1" situation in regular basketball. If a player makes his free throw he shoots until he misses. The game is won by the first person to score 21 points exactly. They only win if they make a prove it shoot. If there is no "win by two" rule (see below) on that court or in that game then the first party to score 21 exactly without going over is the winner. If the first party reaches 22 then this is called a bust or marky and still enforced. For example, if a player gets a traveling violation the person guarding him gets the ball. Thus if a player makes an attempt and the ball goes out of bounds the first player to get the ball takes it into play. If a player dribbles out of bounds there is no penalty. If a person calls "13 poison" and the person misses the shot when they're on their 13th point they go back to 0. The player simply brings the ball back in bounds. Often the ball is "checked" after an out of bounds by giving the ball to a defender who then gives it back to the ball handler. This gives the defense a chance to ready themselves. Carries and travels are not often called as long as the ball carrier is making a good faith attempt to maintain a semblance of basketball dribbling rules and not gaining advantage through circumventing the rules. This often allows a player who has lost their dribble in an awkward place and become surrounded to continue dribbling to get out of the situation and attempt a shot. This does not allow a player to trick opposing players by losing his dribble and suddenly regaining it or other such trickery. Rather, the rules are fluid to allow for situations which are not covered by normal basketball rules. Fouls are often not called unless they are particularly brutal or obvious. The player with the ball often never calls the foul as a point of pride. Therefore, all fouls are conceded by the defense. On many courts it is expected that after a rebound the player must dribble out beyond the three point line or free throw line extended before attacking (called "checking the ball". Sometimes the defensive team has to touch the ball before it can be played again) but it is just as often the case that rebounds can be immediately put back. REGIONAL VARIATIONS The win by two rule is not as common as straight "21" but it is played in some areas. "Win by two" comes into play if the game is tied at 20. After that, one team or the other can only win if they are ahead by 2 points. It is possible, then, to play forever, though usually the game will end at some point by agreement if the players get tired of playing. On some courts freethrow rules are "all day" in which the shooter continues shooting freethrows until he misses and play continues on the Rebound . On other courts, the scorer can shoot three free throws and if he makes all of them, he gets to take the ball out again. Often all baskets are counted as two points regardless of if they are made from behind the three point line or not. This is often decided before the game and also depends on if the outdoor court has a three point line or not. Many times the option of playing "tips" or "tip in's" is discussed at the beginning of the game of 21. In these rules if a player tips in another players shot (Jumping and tipping the rebound into the basket while in the air as in an "Alley Oop") the player who's shot was tipped goes to a score of zero. Often this is not done as the game is significantly lengthened. "Tips" seems to be a more recent phenomenon and more popular with young teenage players (written 2005). It changes the tactics of the game as medium range jumpers are dangerous due to short rebounds and thus more chance for tips. This puts more emphasis on drives to the hoop (and higher percentage shots) or long three point shots which often bounce further from the rim and thus diminish the possibility of tip in's. Also, on some courts if the shooter is at 20 and misses the last free throw, he must go back to 13. If the shooter is at 20 and makes a field goal putting him over 20, he must go back to 13. This causes some people to deliberatly miss the 20th free throw and thus allow them to go stay at 19 and win the game with the next basket. A regional variation played in El Paso, Texas, during the 1980s, specified that a one-handed tip-in would send a player back down to zero, while a two-handed tip-in would send him back to eleven. After a player was "tipped" a certain number of times (agreeed upon before the game), he was out of the game. In this variation of the game, a player who had 20 and missed a free throw went back down to 11. Also, a player always had the option of shooting his free throws from the three-point line; these longer free throws counted as two points each. In Seattle, Washington, a regional variation of this game has existed for quite a while. There it is known as "Booties", where the person left with the fewest number of points at the end of the game must line up under the basket. The player with the most point is allowed to throw the basketball at that player, aiming for his behind (hence the name "booties"). This version has caused frequent worry among teachers and parents for the danger in losing. In Topeka, Kansas, a regional variation of this game has existed for at least 30 years that is similar to the Seattle game. There it is known as "Booty Green," where the winning player is allowed to throw the basketball at the behinds of the losing players, though in practice this ceremony is typically not performed. Scoring rules are similar to other variations listed above: a player gets two points for a field goal, and gets to shoot one-point free throws until missed. A score of 13 will bust a player back to 0, and a score of 20 will bust a player back to 13, making it common for players to intentionally miss their 13th or 20th point free throws. When games include players of a wide range in ages (and/or height), a rule against tip-ins is common in which a player must take the ball "back court," behind the free throw line, before attempting a shot. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |