data-mm-id=”_3dsyn1wxw”>Skepticism is growing around the idea that the NBA will be playing any more meaningful basketball games this year. They are trying to keep the league in the front of people's minds with video game tournaments and H-O-R-S-E competitions. And that's all well and good. But if the NBA really wanted to create a buzz for the future, they'd look to the past. Way back into the past, to 1891, when Dr. James Naismith dreamed up this crazy sport. Tell me you wouldn't be interested in watching a bunch of players — ideally the ones who have successfully beaten coronavirus off already — get together and put on some long pants with belts and play an exhibition under the original rules with peach baskets. Those rules, originally published in the January 15, 1892 edition of Springfield College's student newspaper, are as follows:1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with the fist).3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man who catches the ball when running at a good speed if he tries to stop.4. The ball must be held in or between the hands; the arms or body must not be used for holding it.5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking in any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed; the first infringement of this rule by any player shall count as a foul, the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made, or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game, no substitute allowed.6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation of Rules 3,4, and such as described in Rule 5.7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls, it shall count a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the mean time making a foul).8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field of play by the person first touching it. In case of a dispute, the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds; if he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on that side.10. The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.11. The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made, and keep account of the goals with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.12. The time shall be two 15-minute halves, with five minutes' rest between.13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In case of a draw, the game may, by agreement of the captains, be continued until another goal is made.This would be truly incredible. World-class athletes would be reduced to being unsure of what to do once they touched the basketball. Announcers becoming increasingly exasperated trying to describe the rules in real time. The NBA could even create a control group of G-Leaguers who get to practice playing this way for a month while the big leaguers have to learn on the fly. There's so many ways to go. Again, just another free idea from my brain. Not seeking any compensation, just entertainment.
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Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement with FC Twente for the transfer of Belgium international winger Nacer Chadli, understands.
The deal, rumoured to be in the region of £7 million, is dependent on Chadli agreeing personal terms and passing a medical.
Chadli, 23, is on the verge of becoming Spurs second signing of the summer, joining Brazil international midfielder Paulinho who joined Tottenham for a club-record transfer fee of £17 million from Corinthians at White Hart Lane.
The 23-year-old, who made his international debut against Finland on 9 February 2011, will join compatriots Moussa Dembélé and Jan Vertonghen in North London, adding to the formidable Belgian contingent in the English Premier League.
Chadli scored 12 goa…
Aston Villa will look for a response from back-to-back Premier League defeats when they travel to Stoke City on Saturday.
Despite sitting 11th in the table, Villa have lost consecutive matches to Fulham and Manchester United, failing to score and conceding five in the process.
Villa have won just two of their last 10, but have shown an ability to grind out draws and manager Paul Lambert is encouraged by his squad s attitude.
We re stronger as a group and we re growing stronger all the time, Lambert told the Birmingham Mail.
Defeats are part of the job, but you simply dust yourself down and get right back at it. This attitude is increasingly evident in our play and the way we can deal with adversity.
We re still a work in progress and we re nowhere near the …
Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool will be ready to put up a fight when they take on Villarreal in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final tie at El Madrigal on Thursday.
The Premier League side are being plagued by injury problems and will be without a number of first-team regulars in Spain.
However, Klopp remains optimistic about his side s chances and does not think their busy schedule and injury concerns will be a major obstacle.
Momentum is not about having the best squad ready to play. Momentum is to be ready to fight, Klopp told the Liverpool website.
Villarreal also have had a lot of games. They play after our game against Real Sociedad and have a little fight for the Champions League.
We need to be prepared. It isn t about always havi…
Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted he wants to stay at Real Madrid for the rest of his career after signing a new five-year contract on Sunday.
The 28-year-old had been linked with a close-season return to Manchester United or a move to Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, but has now put an end to speculation regarding his future by putting pen to paper on an extended deal at the Bernabeu.
And the Portuguese forward who has scored over 200 goals for Real since departing Old Trafford in 2009 said that while he was flattered to attract interest from other clubs, he never wanted to leave the Spanish capital.
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But Manchester is in the past. Real M…
Alberto Paloschi is set to leave Swansea City with Italian side Atalanta all but agreed a deal for the Italian, according to
The 26-year-old struggled to get his feet on the ground in the Premier League scoring only two goals following his £8 million January move from Chievo.
Swansea are willing to take a loss on Alberto Paloschi as the player looks set to return to Serie A with Atalanta undestrood to have already made arrangements with Swansea over the summer transfer worth £5 million plus an additional million in performance-rekated bonuses.
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Joachim Low refused to blame the referee for awarding a contentious penalty against Bastian Schweinsteiger in Thursday s Euro 2016 semi-final defeat to France and believes his side deserved to progress to the decider.
Antoine Griezmann was the hero for hosts France as he scored twice in Marseille to secure a 2-0 victory over the world champions.
There was an air of controversy over France s opening goal on the stroke of half-time, though, when captain Schweinsteiger was harshly penalised for handball in the penalty area.
However, head coach Low had no intention of pointing the finger of blame at ref Nicola Rizzoli and put the decision down to mere bad luck , but said Germany were the better team at Stade Velodrome.
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Claudio Ranieri is set to make a bow as Fulham new boss this weekend with out-of-form Cottagers playing host to fellow strugglers Southampton.
Fulham
A consistent run of poor defensive displays have not only left Fulham at the bottom of the Premier League table but it also ended up costing Slavisa Jokanovic his job. Fulham officials have hired the man who wrote history with Leicester City in 2015/16 and will be hoping his vast experience would be enough to save Cottagers from relegation.
The Tinkerman had two weeks during the international break to lay grounds for a new chapter at Craven Cottage and his first test will be the Saturday’s game against Southampton. Fulham have lost six Premier League games o…
Alan Pardew says Jay Rodriguez could have a chance of making England s World Cup squad after the West Brom forward scored a brace in their FA Cup win over Liverpool.
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Jurgen Klopp frustrated by a goalless draw against Man United / Image via express.co.uk
Liverpool’s Premier League four-match winning haul was put to a halt on Monday night at Anfield as the Reds were forced to settle for a goalless draw against Manchester United.
Jurgen Klopp’s team was a better side in the fixture on a frustrating night as England’s most fierce rivals shared spoils in the league for the first time since 2011.
Here are the five things we learned from tonight’s blockbuster at Anfield:
Only one team wanted to play
Much to the contrast of high-pressure build-up, the encounter between Liverpool and Manchester United turned out to be quite a disappointing affair.
Having come to Anfield with clear instructions from their mana…