The fast break is when basketball is at its most intoxicating. A batch of the most athletic players on the planet reaching maximum speed with a balletic elegance. In these moments, eyes seem to gleam and muscles tend to tense. No matter what happens, everyone watching knows it is going to be something magical.

Bill Russell's Celtics may have made the fast break smart, but the "Showtime Lakers" made the fast break sexy. An energetic 6'9 point guard in Magic Johnson grabbing the board, running the floor, dishing behind his back, between his legs or gently laying it into the hoop made the NBA community lose their collective minds.

Ever since Earvin made those teams "magic", the fast break has been a crucial part of nearly every single NBA game. Not every player is gifted with all the abilities of Magic, however. Instead, some players have mastered one particular skill in order to gain their own fast break excellence. There are 6 types of these speed happy artisans and they are as follows, listed in no particular order.

 The "Run straight at the rim"-ers

These are the players who make you exclaim with glee whilst alone in your living room. Their main goal is to go the length of the court and finish at the rim, every time. Giannis "I can't believe he is 22" Antetokounmpo is the prime offender as he has a field goal percentage of 67.3% in transition, nearly all being dunks or layups. It is impossible to believe some of the things he is able to do when at full speed. It is like watching an antelope dribble a basketball on 2 legs. So, it's understandable why defenders may slide an inch to their left considering I saw a possum the other day and was convinced I was going to be mauled. Even though it was on a fence, 20 feet away, and possums don't really do that.

Russell Westbrook is the other player who is king of attacking the rim from 94 feet away. He also runs in transition more than any other player in the NBA as he has gone coast to coast an astonishing 254 times, the next best is the Ellinikí Freak who has done it 183 times. Going straight at the hoop is his specialty and the NBA is a better place because of it. 

The "Run straight at the rim looking to pass"-ers

Much like the "Run straight at the rim"-ers, these players dart down the court with such fervor that their legs appear to be a blur of color. However, instead of looking for the slam, they look for the pass. The best example of this type of player is, Ish Smith. There is no other player in the league who loves the fast break more and dislikes shooting less. Ish Smith will run the court but wants to pass when he reaches the other side. It makes for some delightful plays as his Piston counterparts are starting to catch on to this tendency.

John Wall is another guy who loves to go paint to paint and dish out to his now reliable 3pt shooters in Bradley Beal (39% 3FG%) and Otto Porter Jr. (43% 3FG%). Being the gifted passer and the Usain bolt-esque runner that he is, the transition was built for his exact strengths.

The "I'm definitely shooting a 3"-ers

This category was created by the Steph Curry's of the world who have given a new brand of basketball to the world. The goal is no longer to shoot a shot as close to the basket as possible. The goal is to shoot your shot, wherever that shot may be, and for many that is at the 3pt line. This year their are a couple players who are utilizing this freedom and their unique shooting ability to let it fly in transition. Nick Young is one player in particular who is chucking it from deep in transition and with consistency. He is shooting only 50% in transition but has an effective field goal percentage of 69%! This means he is shooting a lot of 3's and shooting well. Nick Young is having a career year and I mostly can not believe I am talking up a player who nicknamed himself, "Swaggy P".

 The other fast break assassin this year is CJ McCollum who is shooting a career high 6.1 three's per game at 41%. He is nearing a 50/40/90 season and has been quietly better than Damian Lillard most of the year. He is gaining confidence and his transition 3's are a product of just that.

The "Chuck it down court"-ers

The "touchdown pass", as it is most commonly known was popularized in the past 5 years by the GQ model in Cleveland. Kevin Love can be seen chucking the ball down the court to "The King" like he is throwing a medicine ball in a pilates class. This creates instant offense and is a beauty to see when perfectly executed. One player that has adopted this skill set is James Harden. If defenders are not paying attention he will waste no time chucking the ball to a teammate downcourt.

Being the second best passer in the league has allowed for this type of growth in his offensive arsenal and is exactly why he leads the league in assists with 11.9 a game.

The "Big men who run at the rim"-ers

Centers are often stereotyped as being plodding giants, however, the fast pace and athleticism of the league has changed that. Centers need to be more fleet of foot than ever and it shows up in the transition game. 2 centers forced to run more are Clint Capela and Montrezl Harrell. Because of James Harden's newfound ability they know if they run the court, it may lead to an easy bucket for them. In transition Clint Capela shoots 71%, good for 84th percentile in the league while Montrezl Harrell shoots 70%, good for 90th percentile! Both players average over 1.3 points per possession in the fast break and are lights out in the restricted area, which is where they get the ball most. 

The "Big men who go coast to coast"-ers

Blake Griffin was the resident big man who would take it coast to coast but injuries have limited his ability to do that. The man who utilizes his rebounding ability to initiate offense now is Julius Randle. Rebounds leading to immediate offense is completely disorienting for defenses. It is why players like Westbrook, Harden, and Giannis are so devastating. They turn defensive rebounds into offensive production within seconds. Before defensive assignments are settled or matchup's are corrected. Julius Randle has been doing that this year and the Lakers have been scoring 56% of the time he is in transition. Although he can not finish with anything other than his left hand, he is still hitting 62% of his shots in the restricted area and is bullying defenders on the fast break.

None of these players will ever be Magic Johnson, but they have all adopted his love for the fast break and mastered one tiny part of it. In doing so, they create some beautiful basketball.