Transition offense
Scoring before the defense is set.
All families · 14 terms · 14 full, 0 partial, 0 short
Corner fill
Also: fill the corner, run to the corner
A lane runner continuing all the way to the corner rather than stopping on the wing.
Why it is run. The corner is the shot a retreating defense concedes last. Filling it also drags the low help defender away from the rim.
What beats it. A defender getting to the paint and then out to the corner, in that order.
Fast break
Also: primary break
A transition attack that reaches the rim before the defense does, usually with a numbers advantage.
Why it is run. A layup or dunk against an unset defense is the best shot in the game. The break wins it by outrunning the defense rather than out-executing it.
What beats it. Getting the ball stopped and two defenders below the ball before the offense reaches the paint.
Hit-ahead pass
Also: pitch ahead, kick ahead
A long pass up the floor to a player ahead of the ball, instead of dribbling it up.
Why it is run. The ball moves faster than any player runs. A hit-ahead skips the dribble and puts the ball in front of the retreating defense.
What beats it. The safety picking up the receiver early; pressure on the passer so the long pass is risky.
Leak out
Also: cherry pick, cherry picking
A player leaving before the rebound is secured to get behind the defense.
Why it is run. One long pass can be a layup. The cost is a rebounder and a defender if the shot goes in or the rebound is lost.
What beats it. A defender staying with the leaker, and punishing the missing rebounder on the glass.
Numbers advantage
Also: 3-on-2, 2-on-1, odd-man rush
More attackers than defenders in the play, stated as attackers-on-defenders.
Why it is run. Each defender has to guard more than one player. The ball-handler forces one defender to commit, then passes to the player that defender left.
What beats it. Tandem defense, which puts the two defenders in a line so the front one takes the ball and the back one takes the first pass.
Outlet pass
Also: outlet
The first pass after a defensive rebound, from the rebounder to a guard on the wing or at the free-throw line extended.
Why it is run. The break starts on the outlet. A quick, clean outlet beats a defense that is still watching the rebound; a slow one lets them get back.
What beats it. Jamming the rebounder and denying the outlet man.
Pace
The number of possessions a team plays per game; faster teams get more of them.
Why it is run. More possessions is more chances, and a team that thinks it is the better team wants more of them. Pace also shifts shots toward transition, where efficiency is highest.
What beats it. Slowing the game with the dribble, walking the ball up and using the shot clock.
Push
Also: push the ball, push the pace
Advancing the ball up the floor at speed, with the dribble or the pass, on every change of possession.
Why it is run. Pushing after a make as well as a miss forces the defense to sprint every possession. It compounds; the fourth-quarter legs are what the push is buying.
What beats it. Getting back on every make too, and picking up the ball early to slow the dribble.
Rim runner
Also: rim run
The big who sprints the middle of the floor straight to the rim ahead of the ball.
Why it is run. A big sprinting to the rim forces the first defender back to protect the paint, which means someone else is open, or the big is, for a seal and a lob.
What beats it. A defender back early enough to meet the big below the ball; the opposing big running with him.
Running the lanes
Also: wide lanes, run wide
The wings sprinting up the sidelines, outside the ball, so the floor is wide when the ball arrives.
Why it is run. Wide lanes stretch the retreating defense sideline to sideline. A defender who sprints to the paint has left a shooter open on the wing or in the corner.
What beats it. Sprinting back to the paint first and closing out from the inside, taking the layup away before the three.
Secondary break
The scripted continuation when the primary break does not produce a shot, flowing into early offense without stopping.
Why it is run. The defense is back but not organized. The secondary break attacks that window with a quick action rather than resetting and letting them set up.
What beats it. Communicating the matchups fast, and having the rim protector home before the trailer arrives.
Trailer
The last player up the floor, usually a big, who arrives at the top after the first wave.
Why it is run. The defense has matched the first four; the trailer is the one nobody has. He can shoot, screen the ball as he arrives, or reverse the ball to the other side.
What beats it. The defender assigned to the trailer sprinting with him rather than settling in the paint.
Transition
Also: transition offense, the break
The possession between a change of possession and the defense being set; the offense attacks before the defense can build its shape.
Why it is run. The defense has fewer players back, has not matched up, and has no rim protector in position. The offense is trying to score, or to draw a foul, before that changes.
What beats it. Sprinting back, stopping the ball early and protecting the rim first, before matching up.
Transition three
A three-point attempt taken in transition, before the defense has set, often by a trailer or a lane runner.
Why it is run. The defense sprints to the paint first, which leaves the arc open for a beat. A shooter who runs to a spot and stops gets that beat.
What beats it. Sprinting to the paint and then closing out under control; taking the layup away first is still the rule, so this shot is often a deliberate concession.