Things You'll Need:
- A basketball
- A basket
- Between 2 and an infinite number of friends
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Step 1
Know who your opponents are. This does not necessarily mean everybody on the court with you. In any group of players, there are a few who are naturally better than the rest. When these players have the ball, play tougher defense on them to keep their score down. When lesser players have the ball, hang around the basket and rebound.
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Step 2
Play smart defense. As strange as it sounds, the very worst thing you can do in Twenty One is to play good fundamental basketball defense. Not only will this tire you out, but you won't be in position to get any rebounds and will have a hard time getting your hands on the ball enough to win. It's much more efficient to stay near the basket and only help out if the player with the ball comes near you. There are exceptions to this. The first is if you are the only person between the player with the ball and the basket. Another is if the player with the ball is being double or triple teamed. It's a good idea to jump in at this point and try to come up with the ball.
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Step 3
Play smart offense. Much more than anything else, your offensive strategy will depend on how many players are in the game. If there are five or less players in the game (including you), try to get all the way to the basket to score. This might sound impossible one on four, but defense in Twenty One is often by committee, which means the other players will be paying more attention to each other to try to rebound. If there are more players in the game, it's best to try to get into a rhythm from the perimeter, where defenders are even less likely to challenge you. A great tactic when driving in twenty one is to run any tight defenders off of other defenders that are paying less attention, effectively using an opponent to set a pick for you.
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Step 4
Conserve your energy. You can't win if you can't score, and you can't score if you can't breathe. If you find yourself running out of gas, take a few plays off completely. This will give your opponents some room to operate, but you will be better off in the long run.
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Step 5
Rebound. It sounds simple, but it's amazing how many people disregard one of the most fundamental elements of basketball just because they aren't technically playing basketball. Getting the ball in your hands is crucial to winning at Twenty One. Rather than boxing out one player every time, as in a real game, or at one spot on the block every time, change your tactics every few minutes. By picking someone new to box out every shot or two, you increase your chances or getting the ball without annoying the other player into responding by seeking you out to return the favor, something likely to lose both of you the game. Just as important as boxing out is seeking open places on the floor around the basket. After all, you can't box out everybody at once, and your chances of getting a rebound naturally go down the more players are around you to take the ball away.
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Step 6
Miss intentionally if you go to the line with 19 points. Since many players consider this cheating, it's a good idea to at least hit the rim, but even if you are accurate from long range, you will hit one out of two much more often than you will hit two out of two. This is a probability move, but so much in Twenty One is.
