Criticality of game situations and decision making in basketball: An application of performance crisis perspective

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to explore psychological performance crises under time pressure towards the end of basketball games. Three hypotheses were tested: (a) situations in the end phase of the game would be evaluated as highly critical; (b) crisis probability will increase within the end phase of the game, from its beginning towards its end; (c) players' decision behaviour would be of lesser quality under high- versus low-criticality situations. Design and Methods: A panel of six experts observed elite basketball players at the end phase of 10 close games at the highest international level. In the study's first stage, three experts evaluated the criticality of each possession during the observed game intervals. In the second stage of the study, three experts' evaluations of team- and player-decision making behaviour in offense, defense and scoring attempts were analyzed. Results: In the study's first stage, experts' judgments indicated that the final phase of the game was characterized as comprising twice as many highly critical possessions than low-criticality possessions. In addition, the number of highly critical possessions grew dramatically towards the end of the phase. In the study's second stage, results indicated that highly critical possessions were characterized by a lower quality of decision making compared to low criticality possessions. Conclusions: Results in both stages supported all three hypotheses, in accordance with crisis theory. It is recommended that researchers further observe athletes' decision behaviour within the framework of crisis theory, and practitioners are advised to direct athletes' mental preparation towards the end phases of games.