Final answer:
The claim regarding elite basketball players' heart rate during play time cannot be confirmed as true or false without specific data. Elite athletes are known to reach high heart rates during intense activity, but the precise percentage of time will vary.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that elite basketball players spend 75% of playing time with a heart rate greater than 85% of maximum heart rate cannot be deemed absolutely true or false without specific empirical evidence to support it. However, research indicates that during high-intensity sports like basketball, athletes often perform at high cardiovascular intensities. From the information provided, we know that top cardiovascular athletes can increase cardiac output by 7-8 times their resting rate during peak performance, with maximum heart rates (HR) possibly reaching between 200-220 beats per minute (bpm) depending on age.
Considering that elite athletic performance usually requires sustained intense effort, it is reasonable to suggest that during a basketball game, players may frequently reach heart rates within the stated range. Nevertheless, whether it equates to precisely 75% of playing time is not corroborated here and may vary among individuals. Moreover, the fitness level and the position of the player could also affect the percentage of playing time spent at such heart rates.