starting five
Initial court squad
The starting five are the five players who begin a basketball game on the court for their team.
Since basketball requires exactly five players per side, coaches must choose which combination starts before substitutions can occur.
The term extends figuratively to any core group of key participants: She's part of the starting five on the new project.
Advance notice of something
- lineupOrdered list of participants
- rosterList of members
- rotationTurning on an axis
- centerMiddle of anything
bench · subs · court · hoops · NBA · NCAA · All-Star · crunch-time
Predetermined course of action
- tacticsMethods to achieve goals
- matchupsPaired competitive encounters
- formationCreation or arrangement
- deploymentOrganized distribution of resources
pick-and-roll · man-to-man · fastbreak · execution · adaptation · preparation · coaching · plays
tipoff
Advance notice of something
center · bench · subs · court · hoops · NBA · NCAA · All-Star · crunch-time · first-string
gameplan
Predetermined course of action
- tacticsMethods to achieve goals
- matchupsPaired competitive encounters
- formationCreation or arrangement
deployment · pick-and-roll · man-to-man · fastbreak · execution · adaptation · preparation · coaching · plays · offense
elite
Superior select group
ace · cornerstone · anchor · go-to · clutch · dominant · standout · premier · top-tier · A-team
- basketballbasketball, rebound, dunk, basketball camps, dribble
- team rolesteam lead, captain, healer, goalkeeper, vice captain
- fivesfiver, nickel, V, pentad, quintet
- lineupspolice lineup, batting order, roster, suspect lineup, festival lineup
- All-Star GamesNBA All-Star Game, MLB All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, fan voting, rosters
- basketball playerscenter, point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward