"This pattern recognition is called “chunking” in psychology. Your brain starts to group smaller pieces together into meaningful groupings, or chunks. So when the Warriors throw the ball in the post and then have their guards screen for each other on the perimeter, you no longer have to think of it as discrete parts, but can instead immediately recognize it as “post splits.”

The game can be learned without knowing these patterns, but it is much more difficult. When you have a framework upon which to layer what you’re watching, your understanding grows much more quickly. What are those concepts? Some are more basic, like a pick-and-roll or a pin down. Some are more complex, like a single-side tag or short action. Learning these patterns takes time, but it is certainly possible."