In basketball, the letters TP stand for total points and are commonly found on an official statistics report or box score. They are listed alongside several other letters that represent various statistical categories, including rebounds and assists. TP applies to individual and team statistics and, ultimately, is the most important team statistical category. In terms of personal statistics, TP is only one of several categories that express a player's value to a basketball team.
Box Score
A typical basketball box score or statistics report consists of several categories, including total points, field goals attempted, field goals made and rebounds. Scorekeepers and statisticians keep track of this information during the flow of a game, entering it into a scorebook or a computer that uses a software application to total the information. Figures listed in the TP category of a box score specify the number of points scored by each player and, at the bottom of the TP column, the total points scored by the team.
Statistical Categories
In addition to TP, an official basketball statistics report or box score contains several categories that are important to coaches, players and fans. Each category is represented by an abbreviation, such as FGA for field goals attempted, FG for field goals made, FTA for free throws attempted and FT for free throws made. A box score also reports rebounds, abbreviated R; steals, S; personal fouls, PF; blocked shots, BLK; assists, A; turnovers, TO; and minutes played, MIN.
Calculating TP
While computer software that performs the necessary calculations typically is used at college and professional basketball games to generate statistical reports, it is helpful to understand the process for calculating the number in the TP column. This number is calculated by multiplying the number in the FG column by two, the point value for a field goal, and then adding the number under the 3-point FG column to this product to account for any 3-point field goals made by the player. Add the number under the FT column to this sum. The result should match the number listed in the TP column.
Other Key Categories
While TP is the category on a basketball statistical report that determines the winner of the game, coaches evaluate a player’s performance based on several other key categories. For instance, a forward who has the responsibility of rebounding will be evaluated on the totals in the OR, for offensive rebounds, and R, for total rebounds, columns of a box score. A point guard is expected to create scoring opportunities for her teammates, so the number of assists, under A, is a measure of how effectively she performs.
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