Basketball
Here's why we can't get enough of the fastest version of 3on3 basketball
Take a look at how Red Bull Half Court’s Own the Court Bonus takes a typical game of streetball from fast to downright furious.
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The pace of Red Bull Half Court has always been intense. Six of the world’s best streetballers making plays in a tight court. A running clock with no stops before the final minute. And a regulation length that goes to just 10 minutes or 21 points, whichever comes first.
Red Bull Half Court – National Final in Rome, Italy
After four hard-fought qualifiers throughout Italy and a scorching final at Scalo San Lorenzo in Rome, Italy finally has its winners. Watch the video to find out who they are.
But when tournament organisers saw a way to make it even faster, the Own the Court Bonus was born. It’s not only about speed – it’s about giving teams every opportunity to own their game and, as the name says, own their court.
To explain the Bonus in a nutshell: advancement through the tournament rounds is dependent on a points score. Each win increases a team’s score by five points, but an Own the Court Bonus of six points is awarded to the team that has scored the most cumulatively in a tournament group. In some cases, that can make all the difference between going home and surviving to play on.
Red Bull Half Court in Setif, Algeria
© Ziri Abes/Red Bull Content Pool
Global Sports Director, Paul Gudde, shares what makes the Bonus unique: "The Own the Court Bonus gives teams a chance to advance to the next round, although they might have a negative win-loss ratio."
Explaining how the rule pushes the pace, Gudde continues: “With the Bonus on the line, teams play for every point, every time – trying to score as many points as they can right until the last second, even when the particular game they are playing is won or lost already.”
Paul Gudde, Global Sports Director of Red Bull Half Court
© Paul Gudde/Red Bull Content Pool
Gudde also points out that while the Bonus makes Red Bull Half Court the fastest version of 3x3 basketball as players charge for every shot, it also tests the athletes’ defensive skills because they try to hold their rivals to as few baskets as possible, even while they’re scrambling to pile up points themselves.
He concludes: “In a lot of our tournaments, we have seen teams who were able to advance because they played hard and got the Bonus, although, in ‘normal’ circumstances, they would have been out because of their win-loss ratio. And then they moved on and beat other teams. It's a little twist that makes it interesting for players and spectators.”
This autumn, Red Bull Half Court 2021 is building up to a World Final that will feature national champion teams from 16 countries. For more tournament news, visit the event page at redbullhalfcourt.com.
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