"Make a Basketball Play"

"The game rewards the right plays." - Brad Stevens

Everyone knows what a "basketball play" is. Or not. Basketball plays separate extraordinary from "other."

The Celtics just made one as Hauser got a pass on a corner cut and immediately flipped into the cutting Garza cutting down the lane. In that instance, it was "superior ball movement."

Examples illustrate the point: 

• Draw two and pass to an open teammate.
• Hit the roller on the short roll for an open shot or pass for an open perimeter shot.
• Corner crash for an offensive rebound.
• Basket attack off of a jab step, negative step, or stampede catch on the move.
• Getting extra possessions via snaring a loose ball or taking a charge.
• Finding a cutter for a layup...plus/minus the "hockey assist."
• Exceptional screening, e.g. 'screen assists'

There's no "universal definition." The sense is that it's a higher IQ play that leads to finishing. 

Here, Garza sets a slot ball screen, then screens to seal a second defender for a Hauser three. "Great offense is multiple actions." 

AI Consult: 

1. The Spirit

A basketball play is an action rooted in sound fundamentals, good intent, and awareness of context.
It means doing what the situation and the game demand — not what ego or impulse want.

“Making a basketball play” is the intersection of decision, timing, and unselfishness.

It’s the opposite of a selfish heat check, a bailout foul, or a wild drive into traffic. It’s the right read - whether or not it ends in a bucket.

2. The Components

A. Read and React

A basketball play begins with reading the floor — spacing, defenders, matchups, time, and score — and then reacting with a skilled, intelligent choice.

Examples:

• Kicking out to an open shooter instead of forcing a contested layup.

• Rotating early on defense to take a charge.

• Using a two-for-one opportunity before the quarter ends.

It’s what the game calls for in that moment.

B. Technique Over Luck

Fundamentals elevate the action from random to repeatable:

• Jump stop, pivot, on-time/on-target pass.

• Proper closeout angle.

• Shot off one’s strong foot, not a circus attempt.

A basketball play is one you could teach - because it’s built on technique, not happenstance.

C. Team Intent

Even when individual brilliance shines, it serves the group.
When coaches say “He made a basketball play,” they mean he trusted the team concept.

Think Draymond Green passing up a shot to hit a cutter,
or Jayson Tatum drawing two and finding the open man.

It’s team intelligence expressed through individual execution.

3. The Contrast

A “non-basketball play” is often a shortcut or selfish reaction:

• Grabbing an opponent instead of moving your feet.

• Flopping for a call instead of contesting.

• Forcing a highlight instead of finishing the possession properly.

The NBA even uses “non-basketball move” in officiating to describe unnatural contact meant to draw fouls — another sign the phrase has moral undertones: Play the game honestly.

4. The Broader Meaning

To make a basketball play is to align instinct, skill, and purpose.
It’s a phrase coaches use to teach clarity under pressure:

“Don’t pre-decide. Don’t guess. Read the defense and make a basketball play.”

In short:

• Read the situation.

• Trust your training.

• Serve the team.

That’s a basketball play.

Here's a Cavaliers example.