点击查看原文：Open Thread: The difference between FIBA and NBA rules

Open Thread: The difference between FIBA and NBA rules

Diving into how the NBA’s best players have to adjust when playing by FIBA’s rules.

My wife and I were watching Team USA in their first match up and she mentioned that the ball looked smaller. I wasn’t sure if this was due to the pattern of the Olympic basketball, or if there was a size discrepancy, so I looked it up.

The FIBA basketball is in fact smaller, as is the court — although not by much. The three-point line is also closer in the Olympics by just over a foot-and-a-half.

It may not seem like a lot, but for players who have spent their entire life gearing their skills for the NBA, small adjustments can throw off your game. The ball size has been an issue for some players.

These are not the only differences though.

The most obvious difference between FIBA and NBA is the length of the quarters — 10 minutes in FIBA compared to the NBA’s 12-minute frames.

The timeouts are divvied out differently as well. In FIBA, there are three in first half and two in second half with one additional in the event of overtime. By comparison, the NBA has seven regular timeouts that carry over in both halves with two extra in overtime. Something Steve Kerr has to consider when planning out his strategies.

First-time commentator Dwyane Wade pointed out the difference in fouls. In FIBA, players foul out after five fouls, and technical fouls are part of that count. NBA allows for six fouls, plus two technicals, and techs are counted separately. You might think that difference would make the NBA more physical, but I noticed that the refs don’t call ticky-tack fouls that often aggravate the NBA players. Don’t get me wrong though, the international players still look astounded when they draw a whistle — apparently that is consistent at every level of the game.

The other major differences pertain to zone defense (FIBA allows, NBA allows with the caveat of only being in the lane for 3 seconds) and goaltending. FIBA players can play the ball after the ball touches the rim where the NBA has to respect the cylinder. Anyone touching the ball while it’s inside the cylinder results in a violation.

I found this article had many of the comparisons, though I found a few discrepancies.