Tagged As: NBA, Cavs, Bulls, Knicks, Duke, LeBron James

One of the running jokes in the NBA is the idea of traveling. Traveling exists in Europe, but is a rare creature here in the states. The NBA is hoping that the fans truly believe that its players are so tall, athletic, and flexible that it is possible to take a dribble from the three point line, two steps, and end up at the rim in the air.

Most recently the once-thought mythical call came up at the end of the Cleveland Cavs game with the game on the line against the Washington Wizards. James had Caron Butler “posted up” 18 feet from the basketball (I thought the post was in the painted area near the rim and not the three point line) and “crab dribbled” his way past Butler and to the rim to finish with contact at the bucket.

Last year in the playoffs on a similar call James won the game with such a “creative” use of the dribble, but this time the ref called a travel and the debates around the NBA began. This radio interview on ESPN is perhaps the best explanation of the play.

Of course, LeBron James is hardly the first player to be accused of traveling. The New York Knicks liked to complain back when Michael Jordan was playing for the Bulls. Admittedly, some of Michael’s Magic came with an extra step at Bulls games.

Does this mean that his six NBA championships and countless scoring titles are a sham? No. Is he the only player to get away with such favoritism? Far from it. These players are simply playing within the tone the refs have set. That tone has been set since college and high school. Watch Dunleavy take four steps on the way to the basket for the Duke Blue Devils.

For those unsure of what traveling is (I know I forgot what the term actually means), this video explains it in simple terms.

Still, sometimes it is just too good of a move for the ref to call the obvious infraction. Even the announcers for ABC are pleased with this move.

I guess sometimes the sale of NBA tickets is more important than the actual game itself.