• Mens' basketball is a game that requires skill, strength and athleticism. However, when two teams are competing to win, both teams will seek to gain edges that must be adjudicated by officials who enforce the rules of the game. While the rules of the game say that physical contact is not allowed, officials must make difficult decisions on which player initiated contact when calling fouls in the game.
  
  

Foul Calls

• The rules of the game state that no player may physically impede another player from making his way on the court. However, if one player has established position at a particular spot before another player has gotten to the spot, the first player does not have to give up his position. If the second player bumps into that player, he is called for a foul. If both players arrive at the position at or near the same time, then the official must decide who initiated the contact. That player gets called for the foul. In most cases, the player with the ball will get the benefit of the doubt from the official and the defender will be called for the foul. When a player who is shooting the ball is fouled, he will be awarded two free throws if he misses the shot and one free throw if he made the shot.
  
  

Dribbling

• Players must dribble the ball if they want to move when they have possession. Dribbling must be a continuous motion with either hand and if it stops, the player must shoot, pass or stop moving. A player who dribbles, stops and dribbles again is called for a double-dribble violation. A player who takes steps with the ball without dribbling is called for a traveling violation. These violations award possession of the ball to the opposition. In many men's leagues, officials will not call the traveling violation when a player is approaching the basket for a layup or a dunk, but the rules allow the player only one step once he has picked up his dribble.
  
  

Shot clock

• In all levels of organized basketball, teams must shoot the ball within a designated amount of time between 24 and 35 seconds depending on the level. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), teams must launch a shot that hits the rim within 24 seconds of taking possession. In college and high school basketball, teams have 35 seconds (although some states limit the shot clock to 30 seconds). A team that does not "beat" the shot clock loses possession to the opponent. This is one of the most important rules in mens' basketball because it forces teams to play at a quick pace and look for good shots to take. Before the shot clock was implemented in the NBA, teams would "kill" the clock by holding onto the ball in an effort to limit their opponent's chances of winning the game. This led to low-scoring games that were boring to watch and determined to be unfair.