"History doesn't repeat but it rhymes."
Video is the 'truth machine', revealing what happened and sometimes what might have been. These brief clips speak for themselves. Themes emerge and excellent players want to be coached.
"It's a shoulders game. Low man wins."
When it looks like a foul, expect a foul. Defense begins with ball containment. "Foul for profit."
Be great in transition defense. 1) How many to the glass (2 or 3)? 2) Sprint back fully engaged. 3) Run to a spot not with a player (no "buddy running"). 4) Beat your player to half court. 5) Stop the ball and protect the basket.
"Balance the floor." When a guard drives other players must get back between offensive players and the basket. Alert opponents "look ahead" and capitalize.
"Hands down, man down." If a player's hands are up, throw around or under. Coaches train players to get hands in the passing lane. Lobbing passes over players often results in steals and live ball turnovers, often turned into points.
"0.5 second rule." The Spurs teach ball movement with the half-second rule to move the ball. "Movement kills defenses" as illustrated here. "Great offense is multiple actions."
"Fall in love with easy." The easy pass was a return to the inbounder.
"Position in life is everything." The post player gets "homeowner" position with two feet in the paint and a seal and gets a perfect bounce pass delivered for an easy two. Defenders have to fight for position, too.
Defenders want to trap in the "primary" trap zones using "natural boundaries." Don't oblige them.
A well-designed action gets a BOB layup slipping a backscreen.
Teams committed to transition will run off made baskets. Stop the ball and protect the basket. "But I covered my player" is not a solution.
I heard it a thousand times. "Don't throw lollipop" (steal me) passes. VDE - vision, decision, execution - defines passes.