National Basketball Association Rules:
Court Dimensions:
- Court Length = 94' x 50'
- Size of Lane = 16' x 19'
- Three-Point FG Distance = 23' 9"
- Around channels = 29 1/2" to 29 3/4"
- Across channels = 29 5/8" to 29 7/8"
- Duration of the game is two 24-minute periods.
- Overtime periods are 5 minutes in duration.
- The length of halftime is 15 minutes.
- The shot clock is 35 seconds.
- The shot clock resets when the FG attempt hits the rim.
- The back violation occurs after 10 seconds.
- The game clock stops after a successful FG during the last 2 minutes of the 2nd half and overtimes.
- The legal jersey numbers are 00-99 (not both 0 and 00 on the same team).
- Players are limited to five fouls (personal and/or technical).
- Bonus Free Throw = 7th foul per half (two FTs).
- The number of players permitted on free throw lane is 5 (three defensive, two offensive).
- Jump Ball = Yes.
- Legal Alley-Oop = Yes.
- Touch Ball On/Above Cylinder = Yes (Once the ball touches the rim it's fair game; Any player(s) can reach up and swat it away or tip it in).
- Closely Guarded For 5 Seconds = Yes (While holding or dribbling the ball within 1yd/1m anywhere on the court; not a combination of both).
- Number of Referees = Three (3).
- Injured player = a 20-second timeout is automatically called; no team is charged with a time-out.
- Rebounding Own Shot = Yes (provided that the refs judge that it was a shot at goal).
- All Games = 3 full (60 seconds) timeouts per half.
- Timeouts-Overtime = 1 additional 60-second.
- All timeouts are called by either the head coach or by a player in the game.
- The regular season is a 66-game season that starts in October and ends in March.
- Each Team plays 6 games (3h/3a) against the 7 teams in their division (42 games).
- Each Team plays 1 game (12h/12a) against the other 24 teams in the league (24 Games).
- The postseason is an 8-team Best-of-Series tournament.
- The eight teams that enter the tournament are the 4 division champions and runner-ups.
- The format for the first round of the playoffs is 1v8, 2v7, 3v6, and 4v5.
- The format for the second round of the playoffs is (1/8)v(2/7) and (3/6)v(4/5).
- The first two rounds of the playoffs are best-of-3, with the NBA Championship being a best-of-5.
- The regular season is a 46-game season that starts in October and ends in January.
- Each Team plays 2 games (1h/1a) against the 15 teams in their division (30 games).
- Each Team plays 1 game (8h/8a) against the other 16 teams in the league (16 Games).
- The postseason is an 4-team Best-of-Series tournament.
- The eight teams that enter the tournament are the 2 division champions and runner-ups.
- The format for the first round of the playoffs is 1v4 and 2v3; the higher ranked team hosts the entire series.
- Both rounds of the playoffs, including the D-League Championship, are best-of-3.
- The NBA Draft takes place in the last Thursday of June and last two (2) rounds.
- All potential players must have a college degree in order to be eligible for the draft.
- The selection order for the first round is based on each team's win-loss record in the previous season and whether the team reached the playoffs. Teams that did not reach the playoffs the previous season are ranked in reverse order of their records (so the team with the fewest wins is awarded the first selection).
- Ties between teams with identical records are determined by the following tiebreakers (in order): strength of schedule and a pre-draft coin flip.
- Order of 1st Round Draft Picks: Non-playoff Teams (1-24), Eliminated in First Round (25-28), Eliminated in the Conference Championships (29-30), NBA Runner-up (31), NBA Champion (32).
- The selection order for the second round is based on a lottery selection; only second round draft picks are allowed to be traded.
- All players must spend at least 2 years in the NBA D-League in order to be able to be moved up to the NBA.