How to play Basketball online
- Left (green) player: arrow keys to move, including diagonals; hold Space and release to shoot, press it to block
- Right (lavender) player: T/F/G/H to move, A to shoot or block
- Playing against the computer: the manual says to use the right-hand controller, so in Game 2 you play with T/F/G/H and A
- Start the game with a jump ball: F12 (Reset)
- Choose one or two players: F11 (Select)
- Player speed (difficulty switches): F4 for the left player, F9 for the right player
- Save and load: Ctrl + 0–9 saves, Alt + 0–9 loads
Gameplay
The court is shown as if you were sitting a few rows back at centre court, with a basket at each end. The game begins with a jump ball, and a clock counts down from 4:00. Whoever has more points when it reaches zero wins, and a shot only counts if it drops through the hoop before time runs out.
The player with the ball dribbles automatically and always faces the basket. Holding the button makes your player stop and swing the ball back and forth above his head, and letting go shoots. The timing decides the shot: release when the ball is high for a long, arcing shot, or when it is low in front of you for a short, easy one. The shot always heads for the basket.
On defence you have two options. You can block, by standing between the ball and the basket and pressing the button as the shooter lets go, but only while the ball is still rising. Or you can steal, by lining your feet up with your opponent’s and grabbing the ball between dribbles. After every basket, the scorer goes back to centre court to defend, and the other player takes the ball under the basket. To stop stalling, the attacker cannot dribble over the end line behind his own target basket.
Game variations and difficulty
Game 1 is for two players and Game 2 pits you against the computer, which plays harder when the score is close. The difficulty switches set each player’s speed: in position B a player runs between the baskets much faster than in position A, which makes B a handicap setting for beginners. Against the computer, the manual suggests putting your own (right) switch on B and the computer’s (left) switch on A, then moving the computer’s switch to B too once you can beat it comfortably.
Tips
- Get close for easy points. Release early for the short, low shot when you are near the basket.
- Steal on the dribble. Match your opponent’s foot position and wait for the ball to leave his hand.
- Don’t let the computer pull ahead. The manual warns that once it builds a lead of more than eight points, its defence tightens sooner after you catch up.
- Play two halves. With a friend, try two four-minute halves and swap sides at half-time, as the manual suggests.
History
Alan Miller wrote Basketball while working at Atari. He later left to co-found Activision. Sears also sold the game under its own Tele-Games label. Atari followed it with a version for the Atari 8-bit computers in 1979 and a black-and-white arcade version the same year. Video magazine liked that it played well both alone and with a second player. The game also has a small part in film history: in the 1980 comedy Airplane!, air traffic controllers are seen playing it instead of watching their screens.
Similar games to play next
- Double Dunk – Atari’s later two-on-two street basketball game
- RealSports Basketball – Atari’s planned, more detailed follow-up
- Football – another early Atari sports game for two players
- Home Run – Atari’s simple baseball game from the same year
- Ice Hockey – fast two-on-two hockey from Activision