Purpose:Aging is associated with increased oxidative stress, whereas systematic exercise training has been shown to improve quality of life and functional performance of the aged. This study aimed to evaluate responses of selected markers of oxidative stress and antioxidant status in inactiv

End-of-game possessions during the final minutes of a game often have a significant impact on the final result of the match. The purpose of the present study was to analyse the structure and efficacy of possession play types in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime of EuroLeague close matches and relate them to the result of the game. The offensive play types of 90 EuroLeague games were analysed. 955 end-of-game possessions were analysed and categorized into 11 predefined play types. Sport Scout STA software was used as the observation instrument. The results indicated that the isolation (ISO) play type (23.6%) had the highest frequency, while Hand-Off (0.63%) was the least frequent play type. Cut (CUT) play type was the most effective (82.4%), producing 1.58 Points Per Possession (PPP), followed by PB (69%), and 1.33 PPP. Post Up, ISO, and Spot Up play types were the least effective, producing 0.78–0.98 PPP. Winning teams had longer-lasting possessions compared to defeated teams. Longer-lasting possessions were less effective than possessions that lasted less than 6 seconds. More cooperative play types increased the efficacy of possessions at the end of the game.

The evolution of basketball shooting strategies has become increasingly crucial in understanding the sport's development across different professional leagues. This study compares shooting trends and offensive efficiency between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and EuroLeague over a decade (2012-2013 to 2022-2023). To examine multiple shooting metrics, including two-point and three-point field goal attempts per 100 possessions, shooting percentages, and advanced efficiency indicators, box-score data from 14,688 professional games (12,150 NBA and 2,538 EuroLeague) was used. The Mann-Whitney U test identified significant differences in the offensive strategies between the EuroLeague and NBA. EuroLeague exhibited a higher reliance on three-point shooting, with a greater three-point attempt rate (3PA/FGA%) and more three-point attempts per 100 possessions, while the NBA showed higher two-point field goal attempt rates per 100 possessions. The EuroLeague outperformed the NBA in three-point makes, two-point percentage, and effective field goal percentage, while the NBA maintained an edge in two-point makes per 100 possessions. Both leagues exhibited increasing trends in shooting efficiency, with the NBA displaying a steeper upward trend in efficiency in recent seasons and an ongoing trend of offensive strategies focusing on three-point shooting. The findings suggest distinct strategic approaches to offensive basketball, potentially influenced by court dimensions, defensive schemes, and tactical philosophies. This research provides valuable insights for coaches, analysts, and basketball organizations in understanding the evolving nature of professional basketball across different continental contexts.

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether a general conditioning (callisthenic exercise) versus a machine based resistance-training protocol or an isokinetic exercise program would be similarly effective in improving knee extension muscular performance in healthy inactive elderly. Fifty two individuals, 26 men and 26 women, were randomly assigned to one of four groups: control group (C, n=10), the isokinetic strengthening group (ISO, n=12), the multi-joint resistance training group (RES, n=15) and the calisthenic exercised group (CAL, n=15). The training protocol for the ISO included concentric isokinetic extension and flexion of the knee, for the RES included leg extension, leg curls and leg press and for the CAL included aerobic exercise accompanied with music, general calisthenics and activities targeted to reaction time and agility improvement. The isokinetic concentric testing method applied prior to and at the end of the training period to assess peak muscle torque of the right knee extensors. MANOVA repeated measures (2× 4, time by treatment) revealed that at 60°/s angular velocity there was statistically significant improvement in performance for the RES group in comparison to control group. At 180°/s angular velocity the results revealed, statistically significant improvement in performance for the RES and ISO group also. In conclusion, in older adults isokinetic exercise and resistance training results in larger increases in strength compared with callisthenic exercise.

In close basketball games where the final score is within a 5-point difference, end-of-game possessions are very important. However, previous studies have not examined the efficiency of various play types’ possessions regarding player positions. Therefore, the study aimed to identify play type actions during end-of-game possessions across player positions (guard, forward, and big) that directly influence the possession’s outcome. The analysis evaluated 1009 possessions from 100 EuroLeague games from the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 regular seasons using Sport Scout observation software (SportScout Group, Thessaloniki, Greece). The variables observed included isolation (ISO), pick and roll ball handler (PnRBH), pick and roll screener (PnRSC), off-ball screens (OBS), transition (TR), cuts (CUT), spot-up shooting (SUP), post-ups (PUP), handoffs (HO), inbound plays (IN), and putbacks (PB). Possession efficiency was evaluated based on points per possession (PPP) and the possession’s outcome (positive or negative). Chi-square (χ2) tests compared categorical variables, while the Kruskal–Wallis test assessed PPP differences across player positions. Additionally, the chi-square automatic interaction detector (CHAID) decision tree model was used to classify data and make meaningful predictions for the possession play types. The findings revealed that player positions significantly influenced possession efficiency, with noticeable variations in possession distribution. Decision tree analysis underscored the impact of possession play types on outcomes across player positions. In conclusion, the study highlights the predominant role of guards in endof- game possessions, relying heavily on isolation plays but achieving higher efficiency with teamwork-oriented strategies. Forwards demonstrate effectiveness in offensive rebounding situations and off-ball movement, while big players exhibit efficiency in proximity to the basket.

Predicting basketball game outcomes in elite competitions is a complex task influenced by multiple interacting performance factors. This study applied a supervised machine learning (ML) framework to predict EuroLeague game outcomes using team-level game-related statistics. Four algorithms—Logistic Regression (LR), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RF), and Naïve Bayes (NB)—were trained and compared following recursive feature elimination (RFE) to identify the most informative predictors. The dataset comprised comprehensive in-game statistics describing shooting efficiency, rebounding, ball security, and spatial shot distribution. Model performance was evaluated using accuracy, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), precision, recall, and F1-score, ensuring both discrimination and calibration assessment. Among the four classifiers, SVM (AUC = 0.922, Accuracy = 0.841) and LR (AUC = 0.933, Accuracy = 0.818) achieved the highest predictive performance, outperforming RF and NB. Feature importance analysis using Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) on the best-performing SVM classifier revealed that true shooting percentage (TS%), defensive rebounds (DR), steals (ST), and turnovers (TO) were the most influential predictors of game outcomes. Teams that demonstrated higher shooting efficiency, greater rebounding control, and fewer turnovers showed a significantly higher probability of winning. These results confirm that well-validated and interpretable ML models can accurately predict game outcomes in professional basketball using readily available box-score statistics. The integration of RFE-based feature selection and SHAP interpretability provides transparent, evidence-based insights that can inform tactical decisions, enhance scouting accuracy, and support coaches in developing data-driven performance strategies within elite basketball environments.