Goal

A goal in basketball is the term used to describe any shot, excluding the free throws, attempted by a basketball player.

The goal can be made by doing a dunk, layup, or jump shot and it’s worth 2 or 3 points —depending on the point where the player takes the shot from (i.e., the distance from the basket).

As mentioned earlier on, the goal can be awarded 2 or 3 points depending on your distance from the basket when you shoot the ball.

Two points are awarded when the goal is made within the 3-point line, and three points are awarded when you make a field goal when beyond the three-point line.

However, it’s possible to have the goals awarded other points, other than 2 or 3. A good example is in the FIBA 3×3 basketball competitions, where a goal can be awarded only 1 point. Another example is the BIG3 basketball league, where the goal can be awarded as many as 4 points.

In the official NBA and NCAA games, however, goals are awarded either 2 or 3 points.

The 3-pointer goal simply refers to any goal made from beyond 3-point line (the designated arc that surrounds the basket). As said above, such a goal will be awarded 3 points.

This is what the official NBA rules for 3-pointer say:

For you to make a 3-point attempt, your feet must be entirely behind and 3-point line at the time of shot/jump. You can jump from outside this line and land inside when making a 3-pointer attempt, provided you release the ball in mid-air. If you place your feet IN or ON the line during the attempt, this that becomes a 2-point attempt.

If you get fouled while attempting a 3-pointer and you miss the shot, you’ll be awarded up to 3 free-throw attempts. And if you make the 3-pointer while being fouled, you’ll get awarded only one free throw attempt which can earn you a 4-point play.

If you get fouled while attempting a 3-pointer, and the fouls get ruled as Flagrant 1 or Flagrant 2 foul, then you’ll be awarded 2 free throws (for possible 5-point play).

The field goal percentage refers to the value obtained by taking the total number of field goals made by a given team and dividing it by the number of attempts and then multiplying by 100.

Field goal % = (Total number of field goals ÷ number of attempted field goals) x 100

In an organized basketball game, the players with higher field goal % have the edge over their opponents in that they average double digits (in terms of points) per game.

This statistic is crucial for all basketball teams as it helps them evaluate their best players (the ones they’d draft or trade for).

Anything above 50% is considered a good field goal percentage in both NBA and NCAA basketball games.

If you want to knower whether your favorite basketball player has been successful at shooting both inside and beyond the 3-point line, just check if their field goal % is 50% or more.