Transition play
Transition: Carolina Secondary, Pop and Cross Screen
- Court
- Half court
- Length
- 13 steps
About this play
The Carolina secondary when the lob is covered. The entry is the same: trailer to the top, post look, reversal, swing, and the back screen on 4. This time X2 hedges into the lane to take the lob away, so 4 finishes his cut to the right block, 2 pops to the top where 4 was, and the play flows into the cross screen between the bigs: the cutter whose lob was covered screens across for the other big, Williams's rule when the ball is not in the air. Why the pop is open: the defender who helped on the lob is now behind the screener, and screening the screener is the answer to a defense that cheats on the first cut. Why the cross screen is open: a defense that has guarded a reversal, a back screen, and a pop in five seconds has two posts to guard on two blocks and one helper left. Personnel: 2 a shooter who will screen first, 4 and 5 two bigs who can both screen and post. The read is 2's catch at the top. If X2 is still in the lane, shoot. If he recovers, feed the post coming off the cross screen, and if the cross screen is switched, the screener seals the smaller man on his own block. The counter here is the whole second half of the play: the pop, then the cross screen, then the post feed, so the defense never gets a stop in the action to match up. Common mistakes: 4 stopping his cut when the lob is gone, 2 drifting to the wing instead of popping to the spot the trailer left, and 4 screening before 5 is ready to use it. Coaches Insider's Carolina break article carries the full diagram set, and the Championship Productions clip walks the pattern at game speed; they will take you deeper.
