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Tag Archive - Traveling

Have Ball, Will Travel: LeBron James

May 10, 2011 in by with 44 Comments

In this installment of Have Ball, Will Travel, we’ll take a LeBron James’ go-ahead drive with 48 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 4 between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. (Side note: Coincidentally, the play that spawned this very series occurred a little over a year ago, and involved both LeBron and the Celtics.)

There are essentially two ways to interpret LeBron James’ drive to the rim, and both of them should result in a violation; LeBron either took a gather step and then three subsequent steps on his drive, or he took a horrible jump stop (that would have been an automatic travel in itself) before pivoting out of that jump stop to create another potential violation. I’ll give LeBron the benefit of the doubt and assume that he only traveled once in this case.

It’s hard to say why the officials swallowed their whistles on this play, other than the fact that it was a late-game possession. These situations generally seem to come with traveling immunity, even when the violation is as blatant as it is on this particular play. Otherwise, I’m honestly not sure what possible interpretation of the rule would make this sequence legal; James is entitled a “free” step as he gathers his dribble, but he takes three full steps (the last of which is crystallized when he turns it into his pivot foot to maneuver for a better shot) afterward when he’s only entitled two.

For reference, here is the exact wording of the relevant (and most well-known) portion of the traveling rule:

“A player who receives the ball…upon completion of a dribble, may take two steps in coming to a stop, passing or shooting the ball.”

Considering the attention paid to every score and non-score at the tail end of a close game, a call like this won’t reflect too well on the officiating staff. It’s one missed call, sure, but also a fairly obvious one that couldn’t have come at a worse possible time; the public attention to detail is at its peak in such moments, and accurate officiating is never in higher demand.

Have Ball, Will Travel: Dwyane Wade (III)

March 17, 2011 in by with 36 Comments

In this installment of Have Ball, Will Travel, we’ll take a closer look at Dwyane Wade’s soul-crushing dunk on Kendrick Perkins from Wednesday night’s game between the Heat and Thunder.

Wade’s slam could very well be the play of the year, but unfortunately it’s something less than legal according to NBA rules. There’s a reason why Wade has been featured in more videos for this series than any other player: he simply has a way of navigating space that tests the limits of what we perceive as a travel. In some cases Wade’s footwork is merely unique, and in others his maneuvers inspire a mere raised eyebrow when they should warrant a quick whistle.

Regardless, this incredible highlight is in violation of two separate clauses in the traveling rule, much like Blake Griffin’s transition spin-move/dunk against the Knicks earlier in the season. At the crux of Wade’s misstep is the spin move; like far too many NBA players, Wade’s spin doesn’t use a pivot foot as its anchor, but actually utilizes two separate steps as the foundation of its advantage. By sneaking in an extra step (or really, by subtly lifting his pivot and then replanting it), Wade is able to cover a lot of ground on his path to the basket, but in doing so he hops consecutively on the same foot — an easy travel call. For reference, here is the exact wording of this particular part of the traveling rule:

“Upon ending his dribble or gaining control of the ball, a player may not touch the floor consecutively with the same foot (hop).”

Also, Wade takes a total of three steps following his gather: the re-setting of his spin pivot and each of his plants immediately prior to his jump. Again, here’s the relevant passage from the NBA rulebook, in case you hadn’t committed it to memory:

“A player who receives the ball…upon completion of a dribble, may take two steps in coming to a stop, passing or shooting the ball.”

With his speed, body control, sneaky footwork, driving ability, and tendency to exaggerate contact, Wade may be the toughest player to officiate in today’s NBA. I’m sure this isn’t the last time we’ll see Wade as the subject in this series, and even more certain that this isn’t the last time he’ll dupe NBA officials.

Hat tip to Royce Young for the play selection.

Have Ball, Will Travel: Goran Dragic

March 13, 2011 in by with 3 Comments

In this installment of Have Ball, Will Travel, we’ll take a closer look at a sequence from Saturday night’s game between the Rockets and Spurs, in which Goran Dragic was whistled for a travel.

Dragic has incredibly unique footwork, but in this case his creativity gets the best of him. Rather than use a basic maneuver to create a bit of space for his layup attempt, he ends up taking two consecutive steps off the same foot, which any Have Ball, Will Travel veteran should easily identify as a no-no. Here’s the relevant passage from the NBA’s video rulebook:

“An offensive player with the ball may not hop consecutively on the same foot upon ending his dribble.”

We’ve seen Andray Blatche called for a walk on a similar sequence in the past, and sadly seen this rule invalidate one of Blake Griffin’s highlight-reel slams. Good on the officiating crew for spotting this one: Dragic’s play is otherwise legal, but the fact that he hops on his left foot for his gather step and the first step in his two-step count makes this one an obvious travel.

Have Ball, Will Travel: Devin Harris

March 10, 2011 in by with 13 Comments

In this installment of Have Ball, Will Travel, we’ll take a closer look at Devin Harris’ dribble-drive on the last possession of Wednesday night’s game between the Jazz and Raptors. Harris ultimately misses the shot, but the legality of this play has definite import; had Harris been called for a walk (he wasn’t), then Al Jefferson’s ensuing game-winning tip-in wouldn’t have counted. Take a look:

At full speed, there’s definitely something fishy about Harris’ footwork. However, as mentioned in the dissection of a potential Deron Williams travel, there are some who see taking another step out of a pivot as a legal play. I still don’t agree, and if we were only looking at that specific action, I’d still call it a walk.

That’s all moot. In his efforts to free up space for a shot prior to his step-through move, Harris ends up establishing his left foot as his pivot foot, lifting that pivot, and then re-planting it only to leave it again. That is a travel, and there should be no point in debate. At the 41-second mark in the video, it was a bit unclear exactly how much Harris had moved or shifted his pivot, so I included a picture-in-picture clip from another angle that shows him lift his pivot off the floor completely.

For the sake of consistency, here’s the relevant section of the traveling rule from the NBA rulebook:

“If a player, with the ball in his possession, raises his pivot foot off the floor, he must pass or shoot before his pivot foot returns to the floor.”

Case closed.

Have Ball, Will Travel: Carmelo Anthony

February 8, 2011 in by with 4 Comments

In this installment of Have Ball, Will Travel, we’ll take a closer look at a Carmelo Anthony spin move from last night’s game between the Nuggets and Rockets, which ended up sending Anthony to the line for two of his 50 points:

It’s not an easy sequence to dissect; the angle on Anthony’s spin and the positions of the other players in the lane at the conclusion of Anthony’s move make it difficult to assess the its legality with 100% certainty. Based on the available evidence however, Anthony’s quick spin toward the rim looks like a well-executed play that is perfectly legal according to the NBA’s traveling rules.

The key to the move’s legality is the initial dribble, and luckily that’s one of the sequence’s less debatable points. Anthony releases the ball from his hands to dribble before lifting his pivot foot, and gathers the ball while taking a step. By rule, Anthony is allowed two more full steps upon the completion of his dribble, which he takes. The only possible snag would be the spin, but Anthony’s rotating pivot appears stable, and the move itself is quick enough to not disrupt any interpretations of the traveling rule based on the “two-count” method.

Spin moves are a breeding ground for traveling violations; they can give such a ridiculous advantage when executed (and called) incorrectly, that players naturally try to emulate those moves in order to gain that same advantage. The result is a lot of pivot sliding and lifting, a lot of which goes uncalled due to the speed at which those moves occur. Anthony’s in the clear on this particular play, though. Once he establishes his spin pivot, he holds it beautifully until planting his other foot for his next step.

H/T on this play selection to Patrick Harrel.

Have Ball, Will Travel: Deron Williams

December 31, 2010 in by with 16 Comments

In this installment of Have Ball, Will Travel, we’ll take a closer look at Deron Williams’ half-court heave from last night’s game between the Jazz and Blazers, and wreck some dreams long the way. Roll the tape:

Sadly, Deron William’s buzzer-beater seems to be a clear-cut travel. He establishes his right foot as a pivot foot, pivots through two defenders, and then lifts his pivot foot to give him an illegal step-through. What’s odd is that the rulebook doesn’t explicitly say that this is a violation. Here’s the relevant passage:

If a player, with the ball in his possession, raises his pivot foot off the floor, he must pass or shoot before his pivot foot returns to the floor.

Deron technically shoots before his pivot returns to the floor, considering he’s stepping out of his pivot rather than jumping off of it. There really isn’t any clear language in the rulebook on this type of step-through, which takes us on a fun trip down the way of writer’s intent. Reading a rulebook shouldn’t be like constitutional law, but in this case, we have little choice. Technically, a player could go up for a jumper out of a pivot, and come back down with the ball so long as he lands on his non-pivot foot. However, such a play is — and should be — an obvious travel. It’s just not specifically outlined in the rulebook, and the wording used doesn’t expressly forbid it.

However, given the nature of this play and the specific advantage Deron gained by lifting his pivot and taking an additional step (Ed. note: gained advantage is how the rulebook determines traveling in other cases), it’s a violation of the intent of the rule, if not the rule itself.

EDIT: The esteemed John Schuhmann of NBA.com disagrees wholeheartedly with my assessment. If for some reason you’re not already following him on Twitter, you can read his comments @johnschuhmann (search @robmahoney for comments specific to this call). Schuhmann definitely has a valid point, but I still have a hard time letting go of this as walk. Let’s open the phones; I’m sticking by this one as a travel, but what do you think?

Have Ball, Will Travel: Hedo Turkoglu

December 21, 2010 in by with 8 Comments

In this installment of Have Ball, Will Travel, we’ll re-run a play that wasn’t whistled for a violation during last night’s game between the Orlando Magic and the Atlanta Hawks.

It’s common — in social circles consisting of entirely 10 year-olds, anyway — to insist that in the dictionary next to the definition for whatever negative word is most fitting lies a picture of so-and-so. Zing. But seriously: in the NBA’s rulebook under how not to execute a jump stop at the end of a dribble is a video of Hedo Turkoglu. This is pretty much Hedo’s move, and it’s 100% travel.

As far as I can tell, Turkoglu doesn’t really understand the concept of a jump stop. Most notably, he pivots and steps-through following his stop with no regard for traveling rules, and in far too many cases, he gets away with it. The jump stop is among the most poorly officiated areas of the modern NBA game, and Turk is but one player that gets away with violations on jump stops regularly.

H/T to @Smooth_Operatah for the play selection.

Have Ball, Will Travel: Kobe Bryant

December 20, 2010 in by with 12 Comments

In today’s edition of Have Ball, Will Travel, we’ll take a look at one of Kobe Bryant’s highlight-reel plays from yesterday’s game between the Lakers and Raptors:

I don’t know that there’s too much to say here other than that this kind of stuff happens all the time. This exact traveling sequence — the pivot step-back — has been a point of emphasis for officials over the last few seasons, but they can’t catch them all. The shift is too subtle, the players too quick, and the movement too natural. Dig through top play countdowns and game recap videos and you’re sure to find plenty of plays just like this one, fallen through the cracks of the officiating system and yet commemorated as if it were completely legal.

Have Ball, Will Travel: Manu Ginobili

December 16, 2010 in by with 39 Comments

In today’s Have Ball, Will Travel, we’ll take a closer look at a pretty controversial play: Manu Ginobili’s game-winning jumper from Wednesday night’s game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Strange things are afoot at the AT&T Center. Ginobili has always had a certain awkwardness to his game, and his unorthodox style is part of what makes him such a difficult cover. It also has led to more than a few missed calls and false traveling positives; Ginobili’s bizarre rhythm makes him a referee’s worst nightmare.

Understandably, this particular play led to widespread declarations across the Twitterverse that Ginobili had duped the officiating crew, committed what many considered to be an obvious traveling violation, and stolen a win in the process. Among them was Brett Pollakoff of NBA FanHouse:

As Ginobili drove left — which he always does, you know, considering the fact he’s left-handed — he planted both feet, then lifted both feet to step back to take the game-winning jumper, and landed before elevating to do so. There’s no way that isn’t a travel.

At first glance, I agreed with Brett. Ginobili seems to take two steps before going into his  jump stop, which would certainly constitute a travel. However, a closer look at the clip reveals that Manu’s play was actually a completely legal maneuver.

The errors in judgment primarily seem to stem from a plant of Ginobili’s right foot just prior to his step-back and jump stop. While viewing the play from the original broadcast angle at full speed, it indeed appears that Ginobili picks up his dribble before planting that right foot. But if we view the play from another angle, it’s clear that when Manu plants his right foot in what many are counting as his “first” step, the ball isn’t even in his hand. This step isn’t a step at all, at least not for the purposes of any kind of violation. Instead, Ginobili’s step count triggers as soon as he’s gathered and gained control of the ball, which occurs after the right foot has already been planted.

According to the NBA Rulebook, “The first step occurs when a foot, or both feet, touch the floor after gaining control of the ball.” Thus, Ginobili’s step-back (with his left foot, prior to the jump stop) is his actual first step. The rulebook also states that “a progressing player who jumps off one foot on the first step may land with both feet simultaneously for the second step.” Ginobili does just that, and gives us a fine example of a perfectly legal jump stop. He jumps immediately afterward to fire up the game-winner, which means for those counting at home, the entire sequence consisted of a rulebook-entitled two steps.

Have Ball, Will Travel: Steve Nash

December 9, 2010 in by with 15 Comments

In today’s Have Ball, Will Travel, we have the elusive double-whammy. Two demonstrations of the enforcement of the traveling rule, one correct and one incorrect, coming from Tuesday night’s game between the Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trailblazers.

This first clip is an easy non-call, and the officiating crew judged it correctly. In most casual basketball circles, this would surely be called a travel; the “can’t stand up with the ball” rule is a pretty popular, but in this case incorrect, interpretation of the traveling rule. I’m not exactly sure if this particular rule has evolved over time or if it’s always been misunderstood, but in today’s NBA (and at least as far back as a few years ago, based on the clips used for the NBA Video Rulebook), it’s perfectly legitimate to stand up with the ball, establish a pivot foot, and go about your business.

Now, here’s where things get tricky. Players receiving the ball on the move frequently get a ridiculous free pass on traveling calls, but here the official calls the play tightly…and incorrectly. Here’s the language used in the rulebook:

A player who receives the ball while he is progressing must release the ball to start his dribble before his second step.

The first step occurs when a foot, or both feet, touch the floor after gaining control of the ball. The second step occurs after the first step when the other foot touches the floor, or both feet touch the floor simultaneously.

Alright, pretty straightforward there. Nash clearly receives the ball on the move, though in his usual side gallop rather than a full sprint. If you look carefully, both of Nash’s feet are planted when he gains possession of the ball; it’s hard to see because of his shuffle, but if you watch the movement and angle of his feet, it’s clear that neither one should count as an established step. That makes the plant of Nash’s right foot his “first step” as defined by the rule.

Nash’s “second step” is an insanely close call, but he does indeed release the ball before his second step occurs, as the rule demands. I’ve freeze-framed the video where the ball is out of Nash’s hands while his other foot (which will eventually take that second step) is still in the air. Hard to blame the official for not being able to see that insane bit of detail, but in this case that level of precision would have been necessary to make the correct non-call.

Thanks to Monsieurs Sebastian Pruiti and Henry Abbott for recommending these plays.

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