Basketball is a team sport played by two opposing teams of five players each. Each player must score more points than their opponents in order to win a game. During the course of a game, each team can substitute players in and out. This allows for fresh legs and strategic adjustments. The game is divided into four quarters, each lasting 12 minutes. If there is no winner by the end of the fourth quarter, the game goes into overtime, which lasts five minutes.
The NBA has an official rulebook and a set of rules that all teams must abide by. The most common rule violations are personal fouls, which occur when a player intentionally makes physical contact with an opponent. If a player receives six personal fouls during the course of a game, they are ejected from the game.
During the NBA playoffs, the top eight teams from each conference advance to the next round of the tournament. The victors of each conference then face each other in a best-of-seven series to determine the league champion. The winning team is awarded the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Each member of the winning team is also given a championship ring.
In addition to the playoffs, the NBA conducts a draft each spring to select new players. A lottery – consisting of ping-pong balls drawn randomly in an audited event – determines the first three picks, and then the remaining 14 teams choose sequentially according to their regular season finish.
NBA rosters include five players categorized into different playing positions: the tallest and strongest player is the center, the second-tallest and quickest player is the power forward, the shortest but most agile player is the small forward, and the fastest and best ball handler is the point guard. These players are usually grouped into groups of three and five, depending on the team’s strategy.
The starting lineup for a basketball game is one of the most important factors when betting on NBA games and building NBA DFS lineups on popular sports betting apps. Knowing the starting lineups can help you place your bets and improve your bankroll.
The NBA has a number of annual awards to honor its players, coaches and executives. The Coach of the Year award recognizes the best coach for their team’s performance, while the Most Valuable Player award rewards the player deemed to be the most valuable to his or her team that season. In addition, the Sporting News annually awards an unofficial Executive of the Year award to the league’s general manager who is deemed to have done the most for his or her franchise during the previous season. In addition, the NBA awards a Lifetime Achievement award to former players. These honors are presented at the NBA All-Star Game. This game is held each February at a venue in Los Angeles. The event is broadcast live on TNT and features a star-studded line-up of current and past NBA players.