THE COACH’S PLAYBOOK
One possession at a time
Call an offensive play and choose a ball handler, or set your defense. Commit your choice, then two dice and player ratings resolve the possession. The computer supplies the other coach’s decision. For two local coaches, pass the device at the privacy screen.
Win the matchup
Paint protection slows post-ups and drives but concedes outside shots. Perimeter defense opens the lane. Switching disrupts screens; cuts beat switches. Inside-out passes punish double teams. Pressing creates turnovers but also fouls and open shots.
Manage your roster
Five players are on court. Active players lose energy; the bench recovers. Low energy reduces ratings. Replace tired players, and protect players in foul trouble. A sixth personal foul removes a player if an eligible replacement exists. Computer coaches substitute automatically.
The clock
Choose 3, 6, or 12-minute quarters. Four quarters, followed by five-minute overtimes until a winner emerges. Possessions use 2–24 seconds. Offensive rebounds reset to 14 seconds. Reset offense spends time without shooting; a late reset can force a buzzer attempt. Hold for final shot uses the remaining shot/game clock.
Contact & free throws
Made baskets count 2 or 3; free throws count 1. Shooting fouls award 2 or 3 shots, or one extra after a made basket. Non-shooting bonus begins at the fifth team foul (fourth in overtime), or the second foul within the last two minutes. Team fouls reset each period.
A tabletop interpretation
This is an original coaching simulation using professional-style core rules. Each coaching turn resolves an action, then a full-court replay shows its movement. Replay positions illustrate tactics; ratings and dice resolve the action. Teams attack opposite baskets and change ends at halftime. It allows substitutions between all actions, and models intentional fouls against the selected ball handler. Violations are included within turnover outcomes. Injuries, reviews, technical/flagrant fouls, goaltending, mandatory media timeouts, and special transition-foul rules are not simulated. Seven timeouts start regulation; at most four carry into the fourth quarter and two into its final three minutes. Each overtime grants two. If every bench player has fouled out, an exhausted-roster player may remain; each additional personal foul also awards one technical free throw.
How the dice work
The first and second six-sided dice identify one of 36 shot bands; a small random fraction within that band is compared with the shown shot probability. Tactics, shooting ability, defense, tempo, and energy change that probability. Separate random checks decide turnovers, fouls, rebounds, and free throws. The dice control the shot attempt; a turnover or foul can prevent that attempt. The game center shows the last shot probability and resolved tactics.
Competitions & saves
Leagues use a round-robin regular season, then the top four enter seeded playoff series (1 v 4, 2 v 3). Choose best-of-1, 3, 5, or 7. Tournament choices are single elimination, double elimination, and round robin. Double-elimination pools pair teams with equal losses where possible; an odd team receives a bye. A grand-final reset occurs when needed so every eliminated team has two losses. Standings ties use wins, point differential, points scored, then name. No official league or player names are included.
Local games and competitions save automatically on this browser. Export a backup to move them between devices. Browser privacy settings or clearing site data can remove local saves. Settings affect this browser. Online rooms expire after 30 days without activity; your saved seat credential allows reconnecting on the same browser. A fresh room is needed for a new online match.
Core timing and foul reference: NBA scoring & timing · NBA fouls & penalties. This independent fan game is not affiliated with the NBA.