"Pick and Roll" is an offensive play in which a player stops to screen (block) a defender for the teammate handling the ball and then slips behind the defender to accept a pass as the handler makes a move towards the basket. In the NBA, John Stockton and Karl Malone were a quintessential pick and roll tandem and used this play to great effect in the 1990s. Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire proved to be extremely effective at the pick and roll throughout the 2000s. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James and Blake Griffin and Chris Paul were considered among the best contemporary pick and roll tandems.