surface, consisting of a rectangular floor with baskets at either end. In professional or organized basketball, especially when played indoors, it is usually made out of a hardwood, often maple, and highly polished. Backcourt – (1) The half of the court a team is defending. The opposite of the frontcourt. (2) A team's guards. Ball side – The half of the court (divided lengthwise) that the ball is on. Also called the "strong side." The opposite of the help side. Baseline – The line that marks the playing boundary at either end of the court. Also called the "end line." Block – The small painted square on the floor next to the basket just outside the lane. Downtown – Well outside the three-point line. Key – The free-throw lane and free-throw circle together (originally, the lane was narrower than the circle's diameter, giving the area the appearance of a skeleton key hole) Lane – The free-throw lane. Three-point line – the line that separates the two-point area from the three-point area; any shot converted beyond this line counts as three points (except in 3x3, where shots from beyond the arc are worth two points, and free throws and shots from inside the arc worth 1 point). The distance to the three-point line from the center of the basket varies by league: High school – NCAA women – International and NCAA men — to WNBA – to NBA – to Bench – (1) Substitutes sitting on the sideline, (2) The bench or chairs they sit on. Backboard – The rectangular platform to which the basket is attached, and measure 6 feet (182.9 cm) by 3.5 feet (106.7 cm). There is a backboard at each end of the court. Basket – steel rim 18 inches (45.7 cm) in diameter with an attached net affixed to a backboard. There is a basket at each end of the court. Breakaway rim – hoop that can bend slightly when a player dunks a basketball, and then instantly snap back into its original shape when the player releases it. It allows players to dunk the ball without shattering the backboard, and it reduces the possibility of wrist injuries. Hoop – another name for "basket". Shot clock – A timer designed to increase the pace (and subsequently, the score) by requiring the ball to either touch the rim or enter the basket before the timer expires, resulting