Transition defense
Rim, ball, then match up. In that order.
All families · 13 terms · 11 full, 2 partial, 0 short
Crash or get back
The trade-off, decided per team and per shot, between sending players to the offensive glass and sending them back on defense.
Why it is run. Offensive rebounds are worth a lot; giving up run-outs costs a lot. There is no free answer; a team picks a rule and the rule depends on who is on the floor.
Cross-match
A deliberate transition match-up that is not the half-court assignment, such as a wing taking the opposing big so the big can run to the rim.
Why it is run. The defensive big is often the last man back. Letting the nearest wing take the offensive big, and the big take the wing, keeps the rim protected.
What beats it. The offense attacking the size mismatch before the defense can swap back.
Floor balance
Also: safety, get-back man
The offensive team’s rule for who stays back on a shot so the other team cannot run.
Why it is run. Every offensive rebounder is one fewer player getting back. Most teams designate one or two players who retreat as the shot goes up.
What beats it. The offense crashing everyone and betting the extra possessions outweigh the run-outs.
Jam the rebounder
Also: pressure the outlet
Pressuring the defensive rebounder as he lands, and denying the outlet man, so the break starts late.
Why it is run. A break that starts one second late is a break that meets a set defense. The player nearest the rebounder stays on him instead of turning to run.
What beats it. A rebounder who outlets on the way down, and a second outlet option.
Load to the ball
Retreating defenders shading toward the side the ball is on, so the ball-handler sees bodies and the far side is left for last.
Why it is run. The ball scores; the far-side player has to be passed to first. Loading to the ball takes away the drive and dares the long skip pass.
What beats it. The skip pass to the weak-side corner.
Match up
Also: find a body, find your man
The last job getting back: each defender taking a player, not necessarily his own, so every attacker is guarded.
Why it is run. In transition there is no time to find your assignment. The rule is to take the nearest unguarded attacker and sort out the mismatches after the possession is under control.
What beats it. The offense hunting the mismatch that the emergency match-up created.
No layups
Also: make them shoot over you
The transition rule that the paint is protected before anything else, so the shot conceded is a jumper, never a layup.
Why it is run. A rule a tired player can follow. When a defender does not know where to go, he goes to the paint.
What beats it. The transition three.
Pick-up point
How far up the floor the defense meets the ball; at the free-throw line extended, at half court, or full court.
Why it is run. A higher pick-up slows the offense earlier but costs the defender ground behind him. Teams pick it by their personnel and by how much they trust their rim protection.
Protect the rim first
Also: build the wall, paint first
The first job getting back: the first defenders sprint to the paint, not to a man, and then close out from there.
Why it is run. A layup is the shot transition gives up most and costs most. Sprinting to the paint takes it away; everything else is closed out to from the inside.
What beats it. The corner fill and the transition three, which are the shots the offense takes when the paint is closed.
Stop the ball
Also: pick up the ball
One defender meeting the ball-handler early to slow the dribble and turn the break into a half-court possession.
Why it is run. A ball-handler at full speed beats a defender back-pedalling. Met early, he has to slow down, and the defense behind him gets the seconds it needs.
What beats it. The hit-ahead pass, which moves the ball past the pick-up point without dribbling into it.
Tandem defense
Also: I formation, two-on-one defense
Two defenders against three attackers lined up one in front of the other: the front man takes the ball, the back man takes the first pass, then they rotate.
Why it is run. Side by side, two defenders leave the middle open. In a line, the ball is met at the free-throw line and the rim is still protected; the first pass is taken by the back man and the front man drops to the rim.
What beats it. Swinging the ball twice fast, or a shooter stopping for the three instead of running to the rim.
Transition defense
Also: getting back
Everything the defense does between losing the ball and being set in the half court.
Why it is run. The offense is trying to score before the defense is organized. The defense’s job, in order, is to protect the rim, stop the ball, and then match up.
What beats it. The push and the hit-ahead, which try to beat the defense to those three jobs.
Transition take foul
Also: take foul, Euro foul
A deliberate foul on the ball early in a break to stop the play before the numbers advantage can be used.
Why it is run. Trading two free throws for a near-certain layup was, for years, worth it. It is worth less than it was.
What beats it. None on the floor; the counter came from the rule book.
What changed. From the 2022-23 season the NBA penalizes a transition take foul with one free throw, shot by any player on the offended team, plus possession, so the foul no longer trades the break for two free throws.
- Source: registry
nba-2022-take-foul. NBA.com, dated July 13, 2022. Verbatim: “Beginning with the 2022-23 NBA season”, then two bullets: “The offensive team will be awarded one free throw, which may be attempted by any player on the offensive team in the game at the time that the foul is committed.” and “The offensive team will retain possession of the ball.” A first URL remembered for this entry returned 404 and was replaced; the entry was not published on the remembered one. Converted from an inline url/title/retrieved source to this registry row on 2026-09-21 (Phase 3a); the saved text is data/sources/nba-2022-take-foul.txt.