worst non travel calls in nba

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The NBA’s 9 most hilarious missed travel calls

How were these plays not called for traveling?

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LeBron James said his travel against the Utah Jazz was the worst one of his life, and folks, he was not wrong. James dribbled the ball past the halfcourt line, then just walked a bit before remembering to dribble it again. That is not how basketball is played. Yet somehow, none of the referees blew their whistle.

LeBron got away with one pic.twitter.com/Uv4uMKKcDi — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 5, 2019

During the game, James talked to a fan after realizing how awful the play was. “I didn’t even know I did it until I saw it at halftime,” he said. “That’s the worst I’ve ever done. Yeah, that was f-cked up.”

LeBron to a fan about his no-call travel/double-dribble: “Yeah I know that was bad. That was real bad. I didn’t even know I did it until I saw it at half-time. That’s the worst I’ve ever done. Yeah, that was f-cked up. I feel bad for them though.” pic.twitter.com/YNffJPN1t9 — Yoni (@OriginalYoni) December 5, 2019

“I think I was ready to pass the ball,” James said after the game, according to ESPN , “and my brain just kind of just, I had a malfunction. I really had a malfunction ... I feel bad for the refs on that one because they’ll probably get a write-up on that or something.”

James’ travel was hilariously bad, but it’s far from the first time a player’s egregiously messed up and forgot to put the ball on the ground. Here are some of the best travels to not get called by the officials.

Bradley Beal ’s gallop

Blake Griffin ’s defense psyched out Beal , who, after taking his two steps on a drive to the hoop, took three more steps.

No whistle.

Worst of all, referees after the game stood by the call!

“The offensive player gathers with his right foot on the ground,” the official ref account tweeted . “He then takes two legal steps, before losing control of the ball. After regaining possession, a player is allowed to regain his pivot foot and pass or shoot prior to that foot returning to the ground. This is legal.”

The time Dirk Nowitzki played hopscotch

Nowitzki really just kept taking mini bunny hops going backwards. He took seven steps! Seven!

Kemba Walker’s jump-and-spin

Walker’s hop-step was a total mess, and his awkward landing sent him into another spin and a half-step and then ... a layup? The Celtics’ defense had a right to be Mad As Hell.

Take a bus next time, Kemba... pic.twitter.com/vbTeDh7FUT — Dime (@DimeUPROXX) April 12, 2016

Kendrick Perkins ’ nine-step walk

NINE! 9! (NINE?!)

Perkins kept changing his pivot foot and not a single soul in black-and-white stripes paid attention. They thought this looked fine:

WATCH: Kendrick Perkins' 9-step travel highlights this edition of "Shaqtin' A Fool!" https://t.co/tvDm4hycAP — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 10, 2015

Dwyane Wade ’s seven-step travel

Wade dribbled down the court, similar to James, and appeared to do some stretching with the ball over his head while changing his pivot foot over and over again. In basketball, you simply can not do that.

Josh Smith’s 20+-step travel

This is so bad that I have no words.

Corey Brewer ’s dunk travel

In comparison to some of his colleagues, Brewer taking six steps before dunking wasn’t all that bad!

James Harden ’s double step-back

The best for last. This one is so legendary that it even had a failed reboot. Harden shuffled his feet backwards twice for a walk so obvious that nobody called it.

Months later, Steph Curry did it ... but he got whistled!

They just called a travel on Steph for doing the Harden double stepback. Ha pic.twitter.com/6HGgE55rfZ — Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) January 6, 2019

Harden is, to date, our uncalled travel king.

Next time you complain that a specific player “always gets away with travels,” remember: They are not the only ones.

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The 10 worst no-calls in NBA history

The top 10 worst no-calls in NBA history. Check out all the missed no-calls when it comes to fouls in the playoffs or missed travel calls.

Justin Alvarado

No one likes to remember the no-calls. It hurts. No-calls have skewed so many games that have potentially altered the course of NBA history. Simply put, nothing is worse than a game being so terribly officiated, that it literally changes the entire outcome. Nevertheless, it's inevitable part of a sport where referees are always subject to human error at the end of the day. Unless we get some sort of artificial intelligence in the future that can officiate games to absolute perfection, no-calls are here to stay. Thus, we take a look at the 10 worst no-calls in NBA history.

10. Amir Johnson's double dribble

You know it's bad when the player knows it himself. In this case, Amir Johnson of the Toronto Raptors definitely knew that he got away with a mind boggling double dribble against the Portland Trail Blazers. Three referees missed the call as even Johnson was seen laughing when he was running back down on defense. Just look at the disbelief on Terry Stotts' face. How can you miss that?

9. Vince Carter slaps Morris Peterson, but the latter gets tossed

This was just plain silly as Vince Carter playfully slapped Morris Peterson, Peterson returned the favor, and then Peterson got ejected. As for Vince Carter? No-call. While the two players were obviously just fooling around to begin with, the officials apparently didn't like the move. To be completely honest, if anyone had to get tossed, it should have been Carter instead as he “initiated” the action. Better yet, the two of them could have been ejected if the referees wanted to. It was just silly to see Peterson get ejected while Carter was left unscathed.

8. LeBron James travels before potential game-winning layup

LeBron James clearly traveled on this play. He took an extra step on his way to the basket and you can just see that everybody in the building knew that he committed a traveling violation. Nevertheless, when the referees couldn't judge the game fairly, the basketball gods stepped in as James actually missed the uncontested layup. However, he redeemed himself later on with a mind boggling fadeaway three-pointer to extend the game to overtime. Would the Wizards have won if they called the traveling? Maybe. But this no-call gets a slight pass as the game could have gone either way.

7. Kevin Durant “saved” the ball out of bounds

No. Kevin Durant clearly got away with this call. As we respect the hustle of the guy trying to save the ball out of bounds, his feet were literally outside the court already as he tapped the ball back. This play eventually culminated in Stephen Curry hitting a jump shot to put the Golden State Warriors up by two over the Houston Rockets. Luckily, this no-call didn't decide the fate of the game as James Harden got the last laugh with a last second game-winner in overtime.

6. Giannis Antetokounmpo steps out of bounds before hitting the “game-winner”

Yikes. It's absolutely dreadful when a no-call directly affects the outcome of the game. The commentator even called this one out, “We should be going to overtime. Instead, we're going home.” Giannis drove to the baseline and clearly stepped on the line before eventually dunking the ball.

5. James Harden gets “fouled” on four three-pointers

Disgusting. Love or hate James Harden and his controversial step-back three, it's hard to argue against his uncanny ability to create contact. While there's a common idea that the playoffs are more physical, it certainly doesn't warrant the physical contact that Harden received on four separate plays. All of these three-point attempts clearly indicate that he was fouled, but the officials just seemed to be disinterested. What makes this worse? This was a win or go home game that may just have rewritten history based on only four no-calls.

4. Paul George 's potential game-tying 3

This one still hurts. With the Utah Jazz leading the series 3-2, the Oklahoma City Thunder needed to win in order to stay alive in the series. Just as Paul George was going for the tie with a three-point attempt, he was definitely fouled by Rudy Gobert on the way up . Nevertheless, the call wasn't made and it eventually led to the playoff exit of the Thunder. What if George was called for the foul and he made the free throws? Well, maybe they would have won the game, won the series, and won over Paul George for the next few seasons? Who knows, all we can do is just speculate now.

3. Kevin Love Final Possession, Shawn Marion Hits Arm

How is this not a foul? The commentators, fans, players, coaching staff, and basically anyone who was watching knew that this play was a foul. Not to discredit Shawn Marion from the Dallas Mavericks as a decent defender, but he clearly fouled Kevin Love on his potential game-winner from the arc. Love could only chuckle at the afterthought that no call was made in which it ultimately cost the Minnesota Timberwolves the game.

2. LaMarcus Aldridge gets “fouled” on a potential game-winner

Absolutely unfair. While there is a notion that referees let players loose without making much calls when it comes to tight games, obvious calls should still be called nonetheless. Here, Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies clearly initiates body contact and hits the arm of Lamarcus Aldridge who was attempting to shoot a three-pointer. This was a no-call that cost the San Antonio Spurs the game. What a shame.

1. Kings vs. Lakers Game 6, Mike Bibby gets elbowed

This game was arguably one of the most controversial ones in recent history as it had no-calls, wrong calls, and was just plain rigged. In fact, just look at all the amount of content on YouTube and you can tell that everyone feels the same way. It was simply obvious who the referees wanted to win that night. As the Kings were up 3-2 in a best-of-seven series, you can make the argument that it would be best for the NBA to milk out the series in seven games rather than ending it at six. Be that as it may, fans certainly didn't think that it would get so bad that it would spur a plethora of conspiracy theories up until this day. So many things happened in this game such as the Lakers shooting more free throws in the fourth quarter than the Kings did the entire game and Vlade Divac getting pushed around by Shaq in which the foul gets called on him. Nevertheless, the icing on the cake was Kobe's no-call elbow to Mike Bibby's face as it potentially changed the fate of the series in favor of the Lakers.

Justin Alvarado is a writer for ClutchPoints.

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LeBron James explains his ridiculous travel that was not called

LeBron James somehow got away with what may have been the most obvious travel in NBA history on Wednesday night, and even he seemed like he was in disbelief after he watched the replay.

Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 121-96 win over the Utah Jazz, LeBron admitted that he should have been called for a travel in the first quarter when he stopped his dribble and took more than three steps before putting the ball back on the floor. He called it “probably one of the worst things I’ve ever done in my career.”

“I think at the same time, I was watching the underneath play, and KCP and Donovan got into it. KCP started to run, and Donovan bumped into him, he fell on the ground,” LeBron said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin . “I think I was ready to pass the ball, and my brain just kind of just, I had a malfunction. I really had a malfunction.”

LeBron said he didn’t even realize he had traveled until a coach showed him the replay at halftime. You can imagine what he must have thought when he watched the video:

LeBron got away with one pic.twitter.com/Uv4uMKKcDi — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 5, 2019

A fan heckled James about the travel during the third quarter, and he could be heard on the TV broadcast responding, “That’s one of the worst things I’ve ever done in my life.” He also said after the game that he felt sympathy for the officials.

“I feel bad for the refs on that one because they’ll probably get a write-up on that or something,” LeBron said. “That was pretty bad.”

We have seen NBA refs miss traveling violations during crucial moments in big games , so fortunately LeBron’s was not one of those instances. You have to wonder if an official would have blown the whistle if it were any player other than King James.

Lakers fans , show everyone who runs LA with this great T-shirt :

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Mar. 2, 2018 , at 10:55 AM

Which NBA Team Is Wronged By The Refs The Most?

By Chris Herring and Neil Paine

Filed under NBA

Photo illustration by FiveThirtyEight / Getty Images

The relationship between NBA players and referees has arguably never been more strained than it is right now.

In January, Golden State forward Draymond Green — who is never shy about complaining and already has a league-high 14 technical fouls — said that too many refs carry personal vendettas against players and that the NBA should consider replacing its entire crop of referees. Kevin Durant, who is Green’s teammate and started the season with one ejection in his entire 10-year career , leads the NBA this year, with four early exits . And this week, Paul George and LeBron James have both outlined what they perceive to be biases in how games are officiated. 1

When the NBA’s biggest names are complaining about something, it’s obviously going to get a lot of attention. But that doesn’t necessarily mean those voices have the biggest reason to complain. That honor belongs to the Brooklyn Nets. Through Wednesday, Brooklyn had seen more blown foul calls than any other club this season, according to our analysis of The Pudding’s compilation of the NBA’s “ Last Two Minute ” reports. In those, the league evaluates the accuracy of calls and non-calls made by officials at the end of close games. 2

Through Wednesday, the Nets had been disadvantaged by an official’s incorrect call or incorrect non-call 28 times this season. In second place is Dallas, with 26.

To get a sense of the sorts of plays that have hurt the Nets, watch the clips below, which highlight several sequences that the league later determined should have drawn whistles in Brooklyn’s favor. One involves Nets swingman Allen Crabbe, who managed to score a tough bucket despite being bumped by one defender and being fallen upon by another at the conclusion of the play. Two other examples show forward DeMarre Carroll being bumped or swiped across the arm while trying to get a shot off during the last 20 seconds of play. After many of the plays, you can see Brooklyn players turn to officials in disbelief over the fact that no foul was called.

There are a handful of interesting takeaways from this data. For starters, it seems to provide evidence to support comments made by Brooklyn guard Spencer Dinwiddie in January suggesting that this young Nets team gets less respect from officials than other clubs.

“To see the same type of respect not reciprocated is very frustrating for us,” Dinwiddie said after the Nets fell 87-85 to the Boston Celtics. “The other thing that’s very frustrating as well: We have these meetings as teams, or with [the players’ association], about respect, so we want to treat everybody with respect, right? Because everybody’s doing their job, and they’re trying their best, including us, [even if] we turn the ball over or calls are missed or whatever it is. But when you approach somebody, and they shush you or they wave you off like you’re not a man, or something of that nature, that’s also very frustrating.”

On an individual level, Dinwiddie’s frustration may be justified. The 11 blown calls that left him disadvantaged led the league as of Wednesday and is a very high number considering there’s still more than a month left in the campaign. In fact, that figure is already tied for the highest number of calls that left a player disadvantaged in a single year since the NBA first began publishing these reports during the 2014-15 season. (The National Basketball Referees Association, which has long pushed for an end to the public report s, recently called them “pointless.” The union argues that publishing the corrections, which ultimately have no impact on the standings, only creates more division, despite the transparency that the NBA is aiming for.)

These players have the most legitimate complaints

The NBA players who had the most blown calls against them (incorrect calls and incorrect non-calls) in the last two minutes of 2017-18 games when the score was within 3 points, through Feb. 28

In the Jan. 23 Nets-Thunder game, according to the report, Dinwiddie was disadvantaged twice — smacked on offense (with no call) and then bulldozed on defense (also with no call) — within a two-second span during the final 10 seconds. By swallowing the whistle both times, the officials likely sealed a loss for the Nets — in particular, the second non-call would have triggered an offensive foul on George, which would have kept Russell Westbrook from making a game-winning basket seconds later. (Worth noting: Going back to the 2014-15 season, we found that incorrect non-calls occur about 8.4 times more frequently than incorrect calls, suggesting that referees would rather risk missing a call than calling a phantom foul that ends up deciding a game.)

Said Dinwiddie of the play : “It’s like, that’s Russell Westbrook and Paul George … and I’m Spencer Dinwiddie.”

Whether it’s a respect issue or just a mere coincidence, five of the six NBA teams that have seen the most blown calls this season — Brooklyn, Dallas, Denver, Atlanta and Chicago — each lack a bona-fide, go-to star in the most traditional sense. None possesses a 20-point-per-game scorer, perhaps making it tougher for officials to anticipate who’d be most likely to draw a foul in a given situation.

While Brooklyn has almost certainly dropped at least a game or two as a result of these missed calls — this ultimately benefits the Cavs , since the Nets don’t own their first-round pick anyway — some additional details around this subject are helpful in understanding the full picture here.

First off: The Nets have played a relatively large number of games that went down to the wire, meaning that officials may have been forced to make more decisions — both correct and incorrect ones — in situations involving Brooklyn than with most other teams. The Nets have the fourth-highest of rate of incorrect calls against them this season, at 9.8 percent — meaning that nearly 10 percent of all possible calls in the Last Two Minute reports that could have gone against them did. That’s a high number, but not astronomically so compared with the leaguewide average of 6.8 percent this season.

Another detail that suggests officiating equity : That a team as awful as Orlando — in contention for the top overall draft pick — has the second-lowest blown-call rate in the league (4.1 percent, ahead of only Detroit) is a relatively strong counterexample to the notion that a team needs a star to get late-game calls to go its way.

Taking the opposite approach from Dinwiddie, Carroll said he wanted his teammates to stop focusing so much on how the games were being officiated.

“Hollering at the refs, screaming at them — that isn’t going to do us justice,” said Carroll, who was grabbed on the wrist while going up for a shot in the closing seconds of an overtime loss to New Orleans but got no call . “They’re human just like we are, so at the end of the day, we’ve got to try something different, maybe. Hopefully it works.”

CORRECTION (March 2, 7:05 p.m.): The analysis in this article originally miscounted “bad calls”/incorrect calls — in which refs made a call that shouldn’t have been made. Those calls were counted as disadvantaging the opponent of the team they were made against but should have been counted as hurting the team whistled for an infraction. The text and charts have been updated throughout. In correcting the analysis, the number of 2017-18 games that were included in the analysis was extended, from Feb. 15 to Feb. 28.

Check out our latest NBA predictions .

The players and officials met during the All-Star break to talk about their differences, but it’s unclear how much that has helped, if at all. One report suggested that some officials were disappointed by the lack of star-player turnout at the meeting.

Specifically, in the NBA’s words: “officiated events that occurred in the last two minutes of games that were within 3 points at any time in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter or the last two minutes of any overtime period.”

Chris Herring was a senior sportswriter for FiveThirtyEight. @herring_nba

Neil Paine was the acting sports editor at FiveThirtyEight. @Neil_Paine

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NBA (1152 posts) Brooklyn Nets (40) NBA Refs (4) Spencer Dinwiddie (3)

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Even for the NBA, this missed travel call by the refs is absolutely brutal

The NBA is known for being lenient when it comes to players getting away with traveling, but a no-call on Monday night was laughably awful.

The Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal took a full, very obvious five steps against the Detroit Pistons, and got away with it.

https://twitter.com/BULLETlN/status/1095141574789554176

How does this happen? Obviously it will always look worse in slow motion, but even in real time that’s quite clear.

While the refs blew the call, it didn’t make a difference in the outcome. The Pistons came away with a 121-112 victory.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at [email protected].

NBA Changed Its Travel Rule, But It's Still Not Perfect

In the NBA , traveling is a gray area. Officials, or when trying to decipher a walk, detectives, are put in a tough position to make these calls. Guys like Houston Rockets guard James Harden and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James , who manipulate the rules to their advantage, toy refs into blowing their whistle.

So why is the traveling rule so hard to define? Well, the league clarified the rule prior to the 2019-20 season.

The NBA's Traveling Definition

RELATED: NBA Referees Make The Most Money in American Sports

The main factor when calling a traveling violation is determining when a player gathers. The league updated the definition with new language in the NBA rule book. The new rules read as follows :

Definition of the Gather The following definition of the gather will be added to the definitions section of the playing rules: A. For a player who receives a pass or gains possession of a loose ball, the gather is defined as the point where the player gains enough control of the ball to hold it, change hands, pass, shoot, or cradle it against his body. B. For a player who is in control of the ball while dribbling, the gather is defined as the point where a player does any one of the following: (1) Puts two hands on the ball, or otherwise permits the ball to come to rest, while he is in control of it; (2) Puts a hand under the ball and brings it to a pause; or (3) Otherwise gains enough control of the ball to hold it, change hands, pass, shoot, or cradle it against his body.

In layman's terms, the player is allowed two steps post gather step. Some guys are so quick when they gather — leaving it to the discretion of the refs — that it looks like a walk to the average fan, which is where the scrutiny is built from.

It's up to NBA officials to determine when a player gathers, and NBA players love putting the pressure on them.

Given these rules agreed upon by the NBA Board of Governors, Harden's famous step back and Euro step into field goal attempts are more than legal, even if it appears the 2018 NBA MVP's completion of a dribble is murky.

NBA President of League Operations Byron Spruell issued a comment on the rule changes:

"One of the most misunderstood rules in our game is how traveling is interpreted and appropriately called," Spruell said . "Revising the language of certain areas of the rule is part of our three-pronged approach to address the uncertainty around traveling. This approach also includes an enforcement plan to make traveling a point of emphasis for our officiating staff, along with an aggressive education plan to increase understanding of the rule by players, coaches, media and fans."

Spruell appeared on ESPN's The Jump in October 2019 to further elaborate on the rule change. The crew talks about traveling at the four-minute mark in the video above.

While switching a pivot foot is an easy traveling call, the gather is the basis of this contentious rule. The second step may seem like an extra step, but as long as it's after a gather, it's within the rule book's confines.

MORE: Jeff Van Gundy Made a Boatload of Cash Before Working at ESPN

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LeBron James explains how he 'malfunctioned' on that hilarious missed travel call in the Lakers-Jazz game

Lebron picked the ball up, took a few steps, then started dribbling again like nothing happened.

Over the course of a long season, it can sometimes take teams a few minutes to get into the flow of the game. As the matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz on Wednesday night showed us, that apparently applies to the referees as well. 

A little over two minutes into the game, LeBron James brought the ball up the floor for the Lakers, as he does countless times per game. This time, after crossing midcourt, he took a few seconds to survey the defense, and then forgot to keep dribbling. That sounds somewhat ridiculous for any player, but especially one of LeBron's caliber. However, there's really no other explanation for what happened. 

Just watch. He picks up the ball, casually strolls for a few more steps, then starts dribbling again as if nothing happened. Meanwhile, Bojan Bogdanovic is screaming and pointing at the referee to blow the whistle and call a travel (or double-dribble), but gets met with silence. 

Bron went for a walk 😂 pic.twitter.com/aLOlXpmrnu — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 5, 2019

While talking to reporters after the game,  LeBron didn't shy away from talking about how awful of a travel it was.

"It was the worst thing, probably one of the worst things I've ever done in my career," James said. "I didn't realize I did it until halftime. One of my coaches showed me."

While it was one of those "athletes are just like us" moments, LeBron did offer up an explanation for what exactly happened in that moment and what he was focusing on.

"I think at the same time, I was watching the underneath play, and KCP and Donovan got into it. KCP started to run, and Donovan bumped into him, he fell on the ground," James said. "I think I was ready to pass the ball, and my brain just kind of just, I had a malfunction. I really had a malfunction.

"I feel bad for the refs on that one because they'll probably get a write-up on that or something."

To be fair to the referee, it does appear like his head was pointed in the other direction as LeBron pauses his dribble, which would explain why he missed the violation. When Bogdanovic screams, you can see him snap his head back to LeBron, who at that point was about to dribble again. 

It's a bit understandable that he looked away, as you wouldn't expect anything to happen when a superstar is dribbling by himself near midcourt. And to be honest it's not like LeBron got some big advantage in that situation. Bogdanovic wasn't pressuring him, and when he starts dribbling again he's still 30-plus feet from the basket. 

Obviously, he should have been called for traveling, but it's still a hilarious moment. And the fact that it was LeBron, of all people, only makes it funnier. Not only did we get to see one of the best basketball players of all time look like a clueless third grader for a few seconds, but the missed call will only fuel the conspiracy theories that the league is biased towards LeBron and the Lakers. 

All in all, it's just a perfect moment for the current era of the NBA. 

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These Are The Most Commonly Missed Calls In The NBA, Per The Last Two Minute Reports

As far as thankless jobs are concerned, being an NBA ref is up there near the top of the food-chain. A certain subset of hoops fans expect nothing short of perfection and have no qualms placing responsibility for the entire outcome of a game, or even a series, squarely on their shoulders.

Refs not only have to absorb a barrage of complaints throughout the game by players, coaches, and fans (and sometimes after the game as well ); they’re subject to an ongoing transparency initiative that is ostensibly designed to create greater accountability. The Last Two Minute Report is no doubt problematic; for instance, it does nothing to posthumously change an outcome, but it also offers us a wealth of data.

The good people over at The Pudding , thankfully, have been working to organize that data in a way that is more digestible and potentially more useful. A quick glance at some of the info they’ve compiled confirms at least a few things we already know about the types of calls that frequently get missed.

It should come as no surprise that traveling is one of the most missed infractions or that 24-second violations are among the easiest to get right. What’s somewhat intriguing his how often offensive fouls are missed.

In recent days, we’ve seen a pair of high-profile teammates – Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook – charged with such violations, in which both were subsequently elevated to the level of flagrants , so we might be witnessing a bit of over-correction at the moment.

In any case, The Pudding has all sorts of categories and topics to pore over, including player bias, home-court advantage, which officials are the worst offenders, and much more.

It’s an excellent resource for NBA data wonks who might need a little statistical bump to reinforce their arguments about how bad the refs really are, but it’s also potentially a tool that could increase the accuracy and efficiency of NBA officiating, which is the collective goal of everyone involved.

( The Pudding )

What's behind the NBA's new focus on traveling, and how players and teams are adjusting

NEW YORK -- Before the New York Knicks hosted the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday afternoon, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau was asked about the NBA's emphasis on enforcing traveling this season.

"I'm all for it," Thibodeau said.

Over the ensuing 36 hours, the Knicks were hit with six violations in a blowout loss to the Mavericks before committing another eight -- the most called on any team in a single game since 2010, according to Elias Sports Bureau research -- during Sunday's 91-82 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers .

But it was a traveling call Thibodeau believed wasn't called on Cavs guard Darius Garland that landed the coach a technical foul late in the fourth quarter.

"Obviously there's an emphasis on it by the league," Thibodeau said postgame. "I think [the enforcement] is good, for the most part. But I think you have to be consistent in the way in which you call it.

"If it's tight for one team, it's got to be tight for the other team."

Neither side was happy with the way Sunday's game was called. Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff echoed his New York counterpart after the Cavs were called for five travels.

"To be honest with you, every game could be called like this," Bickerstaff said after holding back a smile. "But it's not. So when it is, it makes it difficult to figure out what exactly we're doing and how we're going to do it."

Knicks forward Julius Randle , meanwhile, said he had never experienced such a game throughout his nine-year NBA career.

"I'm not saying they're wrong," Randle said. "I'm not saying they're the wrong calls. It's just, I've never seen it."

While Sunday's game might have been an extreme example -- New York and Cleveland's 13 combined travels is the most for an NBA game this season and the most since March 2007, according to ESPN Stats & Information research -- the league has seen a dramatic increase in both traveling and carrying violations in recent weeks.

October saw 1.7 travels called per game, according to analysis by ESPN's Kevin Pelton. That number doubled in November. (During the 2021-22 season, there were 1.26 travels called per game, the lowest frequency dating back to 1996-97, the first year that play-by-play data is available).

What has been even more dramatic is the increase in carrying and palming calls. In October, not a single carry was called. In November, there were 44 -- 43 were called across the entire 2021-22 season. Six palming violations in October were followed by 57 being called in November -- 67 such calls were made across all of last season.

The violations have played a part in the leaguewide offensive rating going from 112 points per 100 possessions in October to 111.3 in November, as opposed to offense typically increasing over the course of the season.

And calls have been immune to situation, score and stardom. Shortly after Thibodeau received the technical Sunday, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell was called for a travel a few feet away from the Knicks bench. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry was called for a travel on a potential winning 3-point attempt in the final seconds against Dallas on Tuesday.

"If we're going to call that now," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after that 116-113 loss to the Mavericks, "we've got to call that all the time."

Despite frustrations aired across the league, the NBA is trying to do exactly that.

Each preseason, the league releases points of emphasis -- made available not only to the referees, but to the teams and media -- outlining a new focus in rules enforcement. In recent years, the target has been opening up the game to be played in a more free-flowing fashion. First was an emphasis on freedom of movement, cutting down on defenders clutching and grabbing on the perimeter. Then came eliminating "non-basketball moves" that players such as Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden had honed into a science to draw fouls.

For Monty McCutchen, the NBA's senior vice president of referee development and training, tackling traveling is the next step in an ongoing quest to change how NBA basketball is officiated.

"We take direction from our stakeholders," McCutchen says. "I think that [offensive players'] footwork had gotten to where the stakeholders had realized ... when you have a game that's played in space with highly skilled people and then you turn around on top of that and give them the advantage of extra footwork, it's virtually impossible to guard people."

McCutchen says the free-flowing nature and spacing of the modern NBA has provided an opportunity for referees to focus on players shifting their pivot foot when attacking defenses, adding that the league has studied data that shows missing such calls leads to additional defensive fouls because it creates an advantage for offensive players to exploit.

"Our concentration was on defensive players because that's where most of the problems came from. We had to grow and evolve with the game," McCutchen says.

"We've been harping on it and harping on it [with our referees]: You must then find the legal pivot foot and then you must either see a legal step back or a legal dribble before transitioning your focus to defensive players.

"We're doing a much better job of this and, thus, you're seeing an increase in violations."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kevin Pelton (@kpeltoncharts)

Curry, for his part, echoed Thibodeau and Bickerstaff: As long as the game is being officiated consistently, everyone will adjust from there.

"All the ones they did call were clear travels. Not much to argue about," Curry said after the Warriors' win over the Rockets on Saturday. "Make the adjustments based on how the game is called, and we are talented enough to do that.

"Again, it's just making sure it's consistent on both sides, game after game."

While the emphasis on traveling hasn't come as a shock, both the number of carrying and palming violations -- neither of which were specifically spelled out as points of emphasis heading into the season -- have soared.

What has led to the sudden increase? McCutchen says the answer is simple: After watching the opening weeks of the season and studying how officials were reacting to the point of emphasis on traveling, not enough attention was paid to both carrying and palming the ball -- acts he says are part of the same sequence of events stressed to referees in the preseason.

"My job as the head coach -- for lack of a better description -- of our team, is to make sure that the rule book is being enforced," McCutchen says. "And when we emphasize traveling and sequencing and it picks up another part of footwork, then it needs to be adjudicated properly."

When asked if he expected there to be a decrease in calls as the season went along, McCutchen says there could be a natural decrease as players adjust. We have seen that in the past. Per Pelton's analysis, travels per game have declined after the first 20 team games in 24 of the past 26 seasons, including a dramatic drop in 2019-20 when traveling was last a point of emphasis.

Still, McCutchen says that despite some of the high-profile nature of recent calls, he's happy with the progress the league has made while acknowledging the referees' task of keeping up with a league constantly evolving around them.

"We're always going to be just a little behind. The key is to shorten that distance as much as possible through good training," McCutchen says of NBA referees.

"You've heard me say it a thousand times: A referee's role is to serve the game, and when we're told where we need to get better at serving the game, then it's my job to deliver on that."

And, after the Knicks had one of their best defensive performances of the season Sunday, Randle had one idea for how they could build on that success.

"Hopefully," Randle said with a smile, "we can force them into more travels."

ESPN's Kendra Andrews contributed to this story.

NBA reveals Warriors hurt by missed LeBron travel call

By tom dierberger • published march 6, 2022 • updated on march 7, 2022 at 12:37 pm.

There are missed calls in every NBA game. But some are more costly than others.

With the Warriors slumping in the midst of a four-game losing streak, every non-call and disadvantage stings a bit more.

On Sunday, the NBA released its Last Two Minute Report for Golden State's 124-116 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. The most notable of the referee miscues was a non-call on a late travel by LeBron James.

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After Steph Curry trimmed the Lakers' lead to 119-116 on a layup with 1:06 remaining in regulation, Lakers coach Frank Vogel called a timeout. A game-defining possession awaited both teams.

Opting to facilitate rather than score after the breather, LeBron bounced a pass to guard Russell Westbrook, who missed a fadeaway jumper. Lakers rookie Austin Reaves grabbed the offensive board and tossed it back to LeBron, who began directing traffic on the Lakers logo at half-court. 

LeBron, being guarded by Klay Thompson, drove into the paint and dished it outside for teammate Carmelo Anthony, who nailed the wide-open 3-pointer to make it 122-116.

CLUTCH LeBron finds Melo in the corner to increase the @Lakers lead to 6 late on ABC! pic.twitter.com/ZZ5CYE3KWi — NBA (@NBA) March 6, 2022

However, the league's report indicates LeBron traveled on his way into the paint before passing to Anthony in the corner.

"James (LAL) splits his pivot foot at the start of his dribble," it reads.

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If a travel had been called, Golden State would have gained possession down three points with 38.6 seconds remaining. Curry and company then could have tied it up or executed a two-for-one therefore greatly increasing their chances to steal a win on the road and end their losing skid.

Instead, the Warriors will take their four-game losing streak to Ball Arena on Monday night when they face the Denver Nuggets.

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Draymond Green calls Jusuf Nurkic the biggest hater inside the NBA: "Who needs help here?"

T he NBA's most intense feud reignited when Draymond Green , the forward for the Golden State Warriors, branded Jusuf Nurkic , the center for the Phoenix Suns, as the “biggest hater in the NBA.”

In a candid conversation with the legendary Shaquille O’Neal on “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” Green revealed how the “Bosnian Beast” had taken a dig at the Warriors’ loss in the play-ins, a move that prevented them from entering the playoffs.

Make it make sense

The native of Michigan is no stranger to engaging in verbal conflicts with anyone in the league. With Nurkic, the former Defensive Player of the Year, pleaded for the Suns' big man to make his social media attacks make sense. The 7-footer, who holds an embarrassing 3-17 record in the postseason—the worst mark of all time—posted a Looney Tunes meme that said, “That’s all folks,” when the Warriors lost to the Sacramento Kings in the play-in tournament last April.

“How you going to tweet at us, ‘That's all folks,’ and you got the worst playoff record in NBA history? The worst win percentage. And then, you’re going to tweet, ‘That's all folks?’ Man, I can go to sleep for five years and wake up, and you still won't have half the playoff wins we've accumulated,” Dray said .

“Who needs help here? Because clearly, you know, you ever have somebody like, ‘Hey, who’s going to tell him? Who’s going to tell him that was just stupid?’ You set yourself up for failure because it’s a guaranteed proven fact that you’re going to lose,” the four-time NBA champ added.

Nurk didn’t help his case in the Suns’ brief playoff run, where they got swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The center was a virtual non-factor, averaging only 7.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

An ongoing rivalry

Dray and Nurk have crossed paths numerous times, dating back to the latter’s days playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. However, their bickering intensified late last year when Green swung his arm and hit Nurkic in the face during a game on December 12. After that incident, the fiery forward was handed an indefinite suspension, while Nurk poured gas on the fire by saying the Dubs forward needed professional help.

According to Dray, the Suns' center posting such things says a lot about his character and tells the story of who he is: a hater.

“So, to me, when you’re just sitting at home watching like ‘That’s all folks,’ like bro, by the way, we’re the 10 seed, my man. Think about that. You’re sitting at home tweeting the ten seed is done. Brother, we were actually supposed to lose. We barely skated into the play-in,” Dray added.

With the Dubs and Suns already out of contention, these two players must wait a while to get on the court. However, when that happens, it is sure to be a heated matchup fueled by history and ongoing animosity. 

Related: Draymond Green on the possibility of teaming up with LeBron James: "Unless Bron comes to Golden State, I don't really see that happening"

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NBA Fans Ripped Ref for His Odd Description of Jaylen Brown’s Brutal Game 4 Foul

Andy nesbitt | may 28, 2024.

• Boston Celtics
• Indiana Pacers

Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics are going to the NBA Finals after finishing a sweep of the Indiana Pacers with a 105-102 win in Game 4 on Monday night.

The Celtics were once again able to pull off a comeback late in the game, with Brown, who was named the MVP of the Eastern Conference finals , leading the way.

However, one play by Brown midway through the fourth quarter had fans wondering why refs didn't call him for a flagrant foul. The Celtics star hit the Pacers' T.J. McConnell square in the face, sending the guard crashing to the ground. The refs reviewed the play and then made this weirdly-phrased ruling:

“The contact, although unfortunate, does not rise to the level of flagrant foul penalty 1,” referee Zach Zarba said to the crowd.

Here's the play:

This was NOT ruled a flagrant foul Good or bad call? pic.twitter.com/SEW9PCC0wb — Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 28, 2024

Here's Zarba describing his weird ruling:

“The contact, although unfortunate, does not rise to the level of flagrant foul penalty 1.” You don’t often get the ref’s views on what’s fortunate or unfortunate. pic.twitter.com/2JhgwnDCBy — Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) May 28, 2024

Fans were not impressed:

This not being called a flagrant is legit blasphemy. Not sure how any ref can say that this is “unfortunate” when it hits so many criteria for flagrant fouls. NBA is gross rn. pic.twitter.com/COSyY6LQl8 — Flow Bocaj (@jawolfUSA) May 28, 2024

Angel Hernandez retires today and NBA officials decide “y’all thought he was bad? watch this.” Calling this an “unfortunate common foul” and not even a flagrant 1 is absolutely insane. https://t.co/Ia5TDYSBZl — Luke Beer (@lbeer7) May 28, 2024

LMFAO did a real ref just say a punch to the face is unfortunate but not a flagrant — HaliMuse (@hali_muse) May 28, 2024

“Although unfortunate” is hilarious in a playoff game https://t.co/O68Bh29b3I — Nighthawk (@KrikorianB15) May 28, 2024

Zach Zarba just said the contact "although unfortunate" is not a flagrant. That's gotta be a new one. — Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) May 28, 2024

"Why the contact was unfortunate" 😂 That's clearly a flagrant foul... Awful ruling here — Destin Adams (@TheDestinAdams) May 28, 2024

It’s important to remember that the Boston Celtics have never actually committed a flagrant foul. Just unfortunate blows directly to the face (and accidental foot grabs b/c I’m still confused about that one from last series). https://t.co/alHtQXoies — Michael Drapcho (@M_Drapcho21) May 28, 2024

The Celtics will play the winner of the Minnesota Timberwolves-Dallas Mavericks series in the NBA Finals.

ANDY NESBITT