Can you goaltend in the olympics

On July 25, preliminary play in basketball will begin at the Tokyo Olympics with 12 countries divided into three groups. The top two teams from each group, plus the two best third-place teams, will advance to the quarterfinals. Players on USA Basketball appear to be having some difficulty adjusting to the rule changes and officiating in international play. In international play, FIBA utilizes four minute quarters.

The two governing bodies of basketball each use five-minute periods for any overtime. The FIBA court is approximately 92 feet long, 49 feet wide with the 3-point line at 20 feet, 6 inches. In comparison, the NBA court is 94 feet long, 50 feet wide and the 3-point line measures out 23 feet, 9 inches. Players in international competition foul out of games at just five fouls, which include personal and technical fouls, compared to six personal fouls in the NBA. The only jump ball that occurs during international play is the initial tip to begin the game.

Zone defenses are also heavier in the Olympics as all forms of zone are allowed. There is no three-second rule, which makes it particularly difficult to constantly drive to the paint at will. Be prepared to see a lot of jump shots and dunks from transition buckets and steals. Your email address will not be published.

Connect with us. Click to comment. But those last eight minutes are really important. But in a minute game there are many fewer possessions. Your turnovers become more important.

Perhaps out of habit, some players on the U. Kevin Durant was taking a free throw for the U. And U. The international 3-point line is 22 feet, 1. Meanwhile, the NBA's arc is 23 feet, 9 inches at the top of the arc and 22 feet at the corners.

Teams have a plethora of timeouts to use during the course of a game in the NBA: six full timeouts, one second timeout per half and three second timeouts in overtime. This is a somewhat complex system which may be why the timeout situation in international play is much more streamlined. For the Olympics, all timeouts are one-minute long and each team gets two timeouts in the first half, three in the second half and just one in overtime.

One other difference relating timeouts in international play is that only coaches can call them; players are not allowed to. Don't be surprised if you see players smack the ball while it's above the rim during the Olympics with no penalty.

That is perfectly legal, according to international rules. In international play, as soon as a shot is on an upward trajectory, a player is allowed to hit it.