James Haden's Eurostep of the Year

[noob cake]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuWlsr8qlXs

[SyRyanYang]

Looks like a travel to me

[SugarHill]

Looks like a travel to me

Does seem that way in slowmo

[Rake2204]

Looks like a travel to me

I thought it looked pretty darn textbook. He did not gather until that left foot hit the ground then was in the air with the next step.

[nathanjizzle]

Not a travel

[Dro]

Definitely not a travel...........

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Not a travel

this

[ronnymac]

Looks like a travel to me

That looks pretty legal. Two long stride steps. His change of direction probably makes it seem like an extra step was intitiated

[Xsatyr]

I love when people call travel on plays like these. You guys need to learn how to identify which foot a player gathers their step.

[2swift4u]

Actually it is a travel imo. the last ball bounce was before he set his right foot. so after the bounce he went right-left-right which is 3 steps which would be a travel but usually they don't call that in the NBA.

[QuebecBaller]

and right after, he did his classic defense

[iznogood]

It's a travel. Even NBA video rulebook says it's a travel. The "gather" step counts as a step as well.

http://www.nba.com/videorulebook/category.html?cid=75

[Sakkreth]

Technically if you go by the rulebook it is a travel. But such travels never ever gets called for some reason even in europe.

[kurple]

dwade, lebron and any PG in the league would average 4+ travels a game if the refs were to call those

time to just change the rulebook

[Rake2204]

Actually it is a travel imo. the last ball bounce was before he set his right foot. so after the bounce he went right-left-right which is 3 steps which would be a travel but usually they don't call that in the NBA.

With respect, the last bounce is not what distinguishes a travel from a non-travel. The time of the gather is what is important (that is, when a player has definitively picked up his dribble). A player could theoretically bounce the basketball, do a 9-step jig while it's hovering in the air, then grab the ball & shoot under legal means.

In Harden's case, the gather was not induced until after the right foot was planted, so he had two steps to work with thereafter. Those ended up being the hard step to the left, then the counter step back to the right.

Here's a closer look. The "third" step has already been completed, with the ball not yet gathered. Harden is in the process of gathering the ball here, and will have completed the gathering process as he plants the initial left foot (step 1), followed by the cut back (step 2).