There are a lot of terminology, phrases, and sayings that you’ll hear as you watch or play basketball. Some of them are more intuitive than others, like airball, box out, and man-to-man. However, there are a few terms that aren’t as easy to decipher and require some additional explanation and examples in order to get the full picture.
“Mouse in the house” is one of those. Essentially, mouse in the house is referring to a situation in basketball where the person who has the ball is significantly taller than the person guarding them. It implies that the matchup is so different that they can score easily on them. Typically, the offender will call an isolation (aka “iso”) and clear everyone out so they have a clear path to the basket.
Although there is no specific height disparity that constitutes a “mouse in the house” scenario, this video details the parameters that NBA 2K22 considers when awarding the mouse in the house badge:
- If your player (offender) is 6’10” or taller, defenders should be at least 3 inches shorter.
- If your player (offender) is between 6’4” to 6’9”, defenders should be at least 4 inches shorter.
- If the defender is 6’8” or taller, your player (offender) must be at least 4 inches taller.
Players in the NBA can call this at their discretion when they think they’re in this situation, so the specific height disparities mentioned above aren’t totally relevant. However, they provide a good gauge for those of us who are watching or playing and want to know what plays might come up during the game.
NBA Mouse In The House Matchups
| Player 1 Name | Player 1 Height | Player 2 Name | Player 2 Height |
| Lebron James | 6’9” | Steph Curry | 6’2” |
| Shaqille O’Neal | 7’1” | Samuel Dalembert | 6’11” |
| Lebron James | 6’9” | Isaiah Thomas | 5’9” |
| Lebron James | 6’9” | Tim Hardaway Jr. | 6’6” |
Above are a few examples of players that have gone against one another in a mouse in the house situation. Arguably, almost anybody going up against Shaq should be considered a mouse, since he stood at a whopping 7’1” and weighed 325 lbs. on average during his career.
In Conclusion: Mouse In The House Basketball
Although you may not ever find yourself in some of these unique matchups, it’s good to understand what the intention is when this kind of play gets called and what the players plan on doing so that you can react accordingly.