Analysis of fast breaks in basketball

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to record and analyze the fast breaks and their effectiveness that take place in Basketball games. The analysis was post-event using video, with the help of a computer (PC), of twenty-six (n=26) games of Men’s Basketball Teams in the framework of the various Championships organized by FIBA during the competitive periods 2002–2004. The games were analyzed via the program Sportscout. The analyses carried out concerned: a) the display frequency of the fast break situations and b) the effectiveness of the fast break situations in wins and defeats. For the statistical comparisons of the data, the analysis of correspondents and classification (cluster), the Crosstabs command and x2 (Chi-square) test were used. The results showed that the three-on-two (3 on 2) offense was the most frequent fast break situation and the winners indicated more fast breaks, with more successful two point shots and more fast break situations 1 on 0. These results confirm that the fast break constitutes an important factor for the attainment of the victory and give information about the planning and organization of effective fast break practices.