Basketball is Improvised

Basketball is Improvised

Jazz is commonly used as an analogy for basketball, and it is accurate. The game is very fluid and dynamic, and most of the decision making is done on the spot by the players. Unlike football, there is no opportunity for detailed play calls and strategies beyond a certain point. On the other hand, such complex decision making is not really necessary in basketball anyway.

What about "plays"?

There is a huge misconception about the nature of play calling in basketball. I hear many speak of it as if it were like an NFL game and coaches are constantly strategizing and calling plays, and the team is following some sort of plan. The game is not played like that at all.

As far as play calling goes, there isn't really that much. The game is moving too fast for there to be any time for deep decision making. There are general strategies about who brings the ball up, and where to stand in a very broad sense, and what each individual's expectations are, but that's it. In football, you run routes and constantly strategize. There is no such thing in the NBA outside of a few special plays that might be executed seldomly.