I've previously said that I'm a purely casual NBA fan but wouldn't mind getting more into it and learning more about the game. That said, I was hoping some of you more knowledgeable folks around here would help me out with some basketball know how to get started enjoying the games. I love watching baseball because of the little things but have no clue how to recognize those same things with the NBA. To start I'll embarass myself and ask this question...Can you explain the different positions and their roles on the court throughout a game. In particular Point Guart vs. Shooting Guard and differences in forwards. Help a brother out here.

Wow. You sound like a chick. Only after explaining it to her I have a chance of getting laid.

Court size- 60ft 6 inches

Rim Height- 10 ft (same as are court in hickory)

Object- score more then the opponent

Traveling- No such thing

Shooting guard- shoots

Point guard- points

Refs- on the take

That pretty much sums up NBA basketball.

Gee, I really appreciate your time but don't think you have much chance of getting laid unfortunately. So, please then tell this chick what the difference is if the "Shooting Guard-Shoots" and the "Point Guard-Points"??? Based on your post it seems that the purpose of shooting is to score points and the purpose of scoring points is to score points. Doesn't seem to be much of a difference based on that explanation. Now I really understand and can appreciate the game. Thanks [/sarcasm]

Hawk, are you drinking on school nights again or are you being serious?

Here's a generic rundown on positions courtesy of Wikipedia:

point guard: organises the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right player at the right time
shooting guard: creates a high volume of shots on offense; guards the opponent's best perimeter player on defense
small forward: often primarily responsible for scoring points via cuts to the basket and dribble penetration; on defense seeks rebounds and steals, but sometimes plays more actively than that
power forward: plays offensively often with his back to the basket; on defense, plays under the basket (in a zone defense) or against the opposing power forward (in man-to-man defense)
center: uses size, either to score (on offense) or to protect the basket closely (on defense)

Beyond that, there are shitloads of variations based on offensive and defensive schemes. We could talk til the sun comes up and not cover everything, and for as much as I love the game, I'm definitely not qualified to coach it (well, not beyond kids anyway).

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

LMFAO!

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

Your right Nas. I was thinking of the damn pitching mound. Hawkeye I was being sarcastic.

Yes and yes. I seem to be basketball stupid by nature. Hell, when I was in grade school I was put in detention by my gym teacher, Mr. Augustine (James Augustine's asshole father) for not being able to figure out the offensive plays for our 6th grade team. What a great guy he was. Since then I've pretty much blocked out all basketball nuances and knowledge. Yes it's pathetic and I admit it. Doesn't mean I don't want to learn more to appreciate the game though.

Hawk, when you get right down to it, we are all retards in one area or another.

You're not going to learn the game by reading barber shop arguments between Nas, me, and whoever else drops by this forum. You're just going to pick up severely biased opinions. If you truly have an interest in the game, that's all it takes. Beyond that, the best advice I can give is when Dick Vitale and Bill Raftery are doing commentary, hit the mute button. When Doug Collins is doing commentary, turn on the closed caption and take notes.

_________________
"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

I've seen a commercial for Magic Johnson's video on the fundementals of basketball for 29.99. He also stresses the importance of wearing a condom. Check it out Hawkeye.

I would also add that reading Sam Smith should be done for entertainment purposes only, never for knowledge or information. It's a damn shame they pulled KC Johnson off the Bulls beat. He was the only guy that consistently put out quality stuff. Hanley isn't bad, but KC was the best.

Nationally, apply the same stance to Chad Ford. He doesn't write articles, he assembles rumor mills into prose. John Hollinger gives a lot of interesting perspective on espn.com, but it's heavily loaded with stats, so it can make for boring reading if that's not your thing. Honestly, the TNT crew is probably the best national thing going. They're not going to win a Peabody Award anytime soon, but they are honest, and that's a start.

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

Between Baseball, basketball, football, and even hockey. Basketball is the easiest sport to pick up. It's the simplest game of all of them.

I'll disregard hockey for this response because I don't care about it at all. Among the others, basketball is by far the hardest for me to make sense of for a few simple reasons. First, I watch the least of it, because I don't understand the nuances. Second, with all the constant motion it's harder to make sense of actual plays and small details compared to baseball and football. Finally, after listening to Bernstein talk about basketball over the years it seems more impossible than ever to understand. I hear him interview some college coach and have no idea what the hell he's talking about. Granted, the coach probably doesn't either but it doesn't help me any. All you ever seen in basketball is dunks and 3 point highlights, not any of the details or breakdown of how it happened (as far as I've seen).

Also, the positions are sometimes referenced by number. The 1 (point), 2 (SG), 3 (SF), 4 (PF), 5 (C)