Shot clock

In basketball, the shot clock is a timer designed to increase the pace. For example, the Boston Celtics averaged an average of 79.7 points per game from 1946–47 to 1953–54; from 1954–55 to 1961–62, after the introduction of the shot clock, they averaged an average of 113.1 points per game. The offensive team must attempt a field goal before the shot clock expires, and the ball must then either touch the rim or enter the basket, or the offensive team will be assessed a violation resulting in loss of possession.

History

Coach Howard Hobson, who coached at the University of Oregon and later Yale University, is credited with the idea. It first came to use in 1954 in Syracuse, New York, where Danny Biasone, the owner of the National Basketball Association's Syracuse Nationals, experimented using a 24-second version during a scrimmage game. Biasone came up with 24 seconds by dividing 2,880 (the number of seconds in a game) by 120 (the average number of shots in a game at that time). He then convinced the NBA to adopt it. His team went on to win the 1955 championship.

Some say that this invention "saved the sport of basketball" as it had begun to lose fans before its inception. This was largely due to the stalling tactics used by teams once they were leading in a game (killing the clock). Without the shot clock, teams could pass the ball nearly endlessly without penalization. Very low-scoring games were common.

When the shot clock first came into play, it made many players so nervous that the clock hardly came into play, as players were taking fewer than 20 seconds to shoot.

Operation

In professional men's basketball (both NBA and FIBA), the shot clock counts down 24 seconds, thus often being called the "24-Second Clock." Failure to attempt a shot that hits the rim within this time results in loss of possession. A buzzer goes off when the shot clock reaches zero.

Women's basketball, both college and professional, uses 30 seconds, although the WNBA adopted the 24-second clock prior to the 2006 season. Men's college basketball in the United States uses a 35-second clock, and a 30-second clock is used in Canada.