BASKETBALL:

Basketball is a relatively young game. Whereas football and baseball developed gradually from games brought from other countries, basketball was invented in the United States late in the nineteent
h century by a Dr. Naismith as a game to be played indoors during the winter. The "basket" in basketball refers to the fruit baskets used for e balls in the early days of the game. Other societies, such as the Aztecs, have used balls and rings on walls, but the rules were different.

Each team in basketball has five players, a center, two guards, and two forwards. The game is played on a rectangular court with two baskets attached to backboards at each end. The object is to score by throwing a rather large ball into a goal or basket, which is mounted ten feet above the floor. Players may "dribble'' or bounce the ball with their hand or pass (throw) it to a teammate, but they may not run or walk with the ball unless they are dribbling. Players may not hit, shove or hold other players to prevent them scoring, but they block passes, throws ("shots") to the basket, and take the ball away while a player is dribbling.

Play is started by possession of a jump ball in center court. When a player walks with the ball or if the ball goes outside the lines of the court ("out of bounds"), the opposing team puts the ball in play by throwing the ball to a teammate on the court.

IDIOM: take a shot at someone or something
basketball, hunting and shooting

MEANING 1: to throw a ball into something; to shoot at something with a gun.
SENTENCE 1: I' ll take a shot at that basket. Take a shot at at that deer.

MEANING 2: to try to do something
SENTENCE 2: I'll take a shot at taking the murder case, even though it's difficult.

IDIOM: give something/someone one's best shot
basketball, archery, hunting and shooting

MEANING 1: to shoot the best one can
SENTENCE 1: He gave ( took ) his best shot from midcourt and made a basket.

MEANING 2: to do one's best
SENTENCE 2: See what you can do. Give the assignment your best shot. Take your best shot on this assisgnment

IDIOM: slam dunk

MEANING 1: a shot made by jumping in the air over the basket and throwing or putting the basketball into the basket
SENTENCE 1: Michael Jordan slam dunked the ball to win the game for Detroit.

MEANING 2: a decisive action which was easy to accomplish
SENTENCE 2: We got the merger. I slam dunked the deal.