# Exploring External Peak Demands: The Influence of Contextual Factors on Male Basketball Players
###### Abstract  
Understanding the external load, particularly the peak demands (PDs), experienced by players is essential. Several factors, such as the playing time, team venue, score outcome, and match nature, can influence basketball performance. Accelerometry-based methods allow for the estimation of the load borne by athletes and the peaks they reach. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of these factors on PDs across different time windows (30 s, 1 min, and 3 min). Eleven national-level athletes were monitored during 29 matches using measurement devices. Inertial movement units were used to measure peak PlayerLoad(tm) across any time window. Mixed linear models were used to compare the groups, and effect size was calculated to quantify the differences. Significant differences (\(p<0.05\), small effects) were found between occasional  
course of match play [7]. In this regard, peak demands (PDs) have been quantified in basketball players using various external variables (e.g., Player Load (PL) or distance) and time windows (e.g., 30 s, 45 s, 1 min, 5 min, and 10 min) [8; 9; 10]. Short time windows (15, 30, and 45 s, as well as 1 min) provide more representative values of the demands of the game and its intermittent nature. Specifically, the 1 min window also allows for obtaining average values and enabling comparisons. Longer time windows (2, 3, 4, and 5 min) offer the opportunity to compare with training situations that are typically longer [6; 8]. PDs refer to the most intense activity experienced by players for a chosen variable within a specified timeframe [5]. On this point, various factors influencing the PDs attained by players during basketball games have been explored, including the player position [5; 9], game scoreline [10], game schedule [11], playing time accumulated throughout the entire game [8; 12] and prior to intense passages [8], type of activity [13; 14], age category [15], game moment [16; 17], score outcome [18; 19], and team venue [20]. However, the effects of the match nature (e.g., official vs. non-official) on the PD experienced by basketball players during games have not been examined. In this way, analyzing whether a basketball game is official or non-official allows coaches to develop game plans tailored to the specific demands of upcoming matches. Understanding how the match nature influences external PD enables coaches to adjust their strategies accordingly. Regarding playing time, several studies have attempted to analyze its impact. A study by [PERSON] et al. showed that starting players had higher PL values (30 s, 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, and 5 min time windows) compared to substitute players [9]. However, since starting players do not always play more minutes than substitutes, it is methodologically better to categorize players based on minutes played. In contrast, research by [PERSON] et al., which categorized athletes by minutes played, found the opposite: players who played fewer minutes exhibited higher PL values and covered greater high-speed running distance (1 min and 2 min time windows) [8]. Two studies analyzed PD in relation to score outcomes, either by quarter or for the entire game. The first study concluded that there were no significant differences in PL between quarters that were won or lost [18]. The second study found that the final result did not influence PL; however, quarters that were won showed higher values, although the differences were trivial to small [19]. Regarding the team venue, there is only one study addressing this, which found no significant differences in PL when playing at home or away [20]. As can be seen, this is an area of study with few, relatively recent studies, highlighting the need for further research. Basketball is a multifactorial sport influenced by many variables [6]. An approach that considers a broad range of factors can provide valuable insights.