11 FIBA games are played over four quarters lasting 10 minutes each for a total of 40 minutes, with five minutes of overtime if needed; NCAA men s games are forty minutes long divided into two 20-minute halves. Another name for this line is three-point arc . BASKETBALL RULES Here are the most important basketball rules. Rules Basketball is a sport played by two teams of five players each. The length of a basketball game varies according to the level of the teams playing; an NBA game, for instance, lasts forty-eight minutes, divided into four quarters of twelve minutes each . The game is played on a rectangular floor, called the court, divided into two main sections by the mid-court line. Each half-court has a semicircular three-point line , and a smaller circle, the free-throw circle. At each end of the court there is a hoop, or basket, set 3.05 metres above the ground. ONLINE RESOURCES Spectacular basketball hoop: canestro bounce: palleggiare to contest: contrastare to deflect: deviare in bounds: dentro le linee di campo pivot: perno rebound: recupero della palla che rimbalza dopo un tiro a canestro The aim of a basketball game is to get points by throwing the ball through the opponent team s hoop. The team on offence is the team with the ball, who must follow some rules: the player must bounce, or dribble, the ball with one hand while moving both feet. If both hands touch the ball or the player stops dribbling, the player must only move one foot. The foot that is stationary is called the pivot foot; once a player has stopped dribbling, they cannot start another dribble; the ball must stay in bounds. If the offensive team loses the ball out of bounds, the other team gets control of it; if the offensive team puts the ball into play behind the mid-court line, they have ten seconds to get the ball over the mid-court line. If they do not, then the defence gets the ball. The team on defence is the team without the ball. The defence tries to steal the ball, contest shots, deflect passes, and gain rebounds. When a team makes a basket, they score two points, and the ball goes to the other team. If a basket is made outside of the three-point line, then that basket is worth three points. A free throw is worth one point. A free throw is awarded to a team on offence after a foul committed by the team on defence while an opponent player is shooting the ball. 24 tO PlaY