Tell me somethong about basketball

Basketball is a sport in which two teams of five players each try to score points on one another by throwing a ball through a hoop (the basket) under organized rules.

Points are scored by passing the ball through the basket from above; the team with more points at the end of the game wins. The ball can be advanced on the court by bouncing it (dribbling) or passing it between teammates. Disruptive physical contact (foul) is not permitted and there are restrictions on how the ball can be handled (violations).

Through time, basketball has developed to involve common techniques of shooting, passing and dribbling, as well as players' positions, and offensive and defensive structures. While competitive basketball is carefully regulated, numerous variations of basketball have developed for casual play. In some countries, basketball is also a popular spectator sport.

While competitive basketball is primarily an indoor sport, played on a basketball court, less regulated variations have become exceedingly popular as an outdoor sport among inner city groups.

2007-02-11 15:51:25 補充：
The first official basketball game was played in the YMCA gymnasium on January 20, 1892 with nine players, "Basket ball", the name suggested by one of Naismith's students, was popular from the beginning.

2007-02-11 15:52:13 補充：
In early December 1891, Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian physician from McGill University and minister on the faculty of a college for YMCA professionals sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied and at proper levels of fitness during the long New England winters