Interest in basketball in the United States peaks around three big championship events in the spring: the college championships for men and women in late March or early April and the professional playoffs that climax in June.
But that’s only organized basketball. Informally, the game has been learned by generations of American youths on city playgrounds and schoolyards, on lonely baskets put up in backyards of rural homes and on the driveway basketball courts of countless suburban homes. Here, playing on teams, going one-on-one against a single opponent or just shooting the ball hour after hour alone, some of the finest basketball players have developed their skills to incredible levels.
But as brilliant as some players may be, basketball requires coaching to teach athletes skills they are deficient in and to blend a group of individuals into a team. Styles of coaching vary. Some coaches favor an extremely disciplined game with each player having a specific role while others are more inclined to let their players dictate the style of play.
美国人对篮球的兴趣在春季三大锦标赛期间达到高潮。这包括三月底或四月初举行的大学男篮锦标赛和大学女篮锦标赛，以及在六月份进入决赛高潮的职业篮球赛。
上面说的只是有组织的正式比赛。在市内的运动场和学校的操场上，在农舍后院的简易篮球筐下，或是在无数市郊住宅的自家车道上划出的篮球场上，一代代的美国青少年的学习打篮球。一批秀的篮球选手，就是在这种队与队的对抗，单与单的较量，或是一个人数小时的投篮练习中，练就一身出神入化的球技的。
尽管有些球员很有天赋，篮球运动还是需要有教练指导的，帮助球员学习他们掌握欠佳的技术，并把一个个球员熔合成一个队，教练的风格各异。有些教练部署严谨，队员各司其职;有的则倾向于让队员去决定比赛的打法和风格。
