The pick and roll (also called screen and roll or shortened to screen roll, any of which may be hyphenated) in basketball is an offensive play in which a player sets a screen (pick) for a teammate handling the ball and then slips behind the defender (rolls) to accept a pass. In the NBA, the play came into vogue in the 1990s and has developed into the league's "bread and butter". The pick and roll is often employed by a shorter guard handling the ball and a taller forward or center setting the screen.
A well-executed pick and roll is the result of teamwork. The success of the strategy depends largely on the ballhandler, who must recognize the situation quickly and make a decision whether to take the shot, pass to the screener who is rolling (if the defender switches) or pass to another open teammate (if other defenders come to help). The screener also must recognize the open spaces of the court to roll to and be alert to receive the pass and finish the play.
Tell me, were you in the joint,
The night Wilt scored 100 points?
Or when Celtics won titles back-to-back,
And didn't give nobody, no kind of slack.
Or when Dr. J shook the whole damn team,
With moves that came right out of a dream!
Or when, Willis Reed stood so tall,
Playing D with desire, it's Basketball!
****Congrats to JB & ruylopez on the FTF on 3/24/12 @ 2:15am ****