A lot of old timers hate that traveling is no longer called. Here’s my take.
When I played basketball, from the early ‘50s to early 60s, we were taught to move toward passes. The point was to prevent opponents from stealing the ball. What that meant (remember how slow the game was played back then) was that as the ball arrived, one foot was on the ground, and the trail foot was in the air. So we secured the ball just before the trail leg hit the ground. One foot down, second foot down, second foot became the pivot foot. It could not move. We caught a pass and immediately could only move one foot.
Somewhere along the way, BB coaches figured out that players were better off if they took a hop as they received passes so that both feet hit the ground when they caught the pass. That meant that the pivot foot had not yet been defined. Which meant that a player could take one step to establish the pivot foot and then could move the second foot: two steps. That looked like traveling but was not.
It was a big deal. IMO, it was what allowed Kiki VanDeWeghe to develop his step back jump shot and created all kinds of opportunities for 1s, 2s, and 3s to create their own shots.
But that is where it all began, not where the controversy began. That goes back to Michael. I haven’t studied the film, but I would bet that at one point he received passes with both feet in the air, came down on both, and had two steps to work with. If so, he looked like he had traveled but had not.
And then things began to really change. The players got faster and more important the game got faster. Then BB introduced the Restricted Arc/Area. That required refs to watch a newly critical detail, where are the feet of the defenders under or near the basket.
The restricted area is a big deal because the rule made it easier for offensive players to drive and get off a lay up. But it also created a challenge for refs. What do they watch, the feet of the player driving or the feet of the players around the basket?
Recommendation to Fans: Give the refs a break and enjoy the game.
When I played basketball, from the early ‘50s to early 60s, we were taught to move toward passes. The point was to prevent opponents from stealing the ball. What that meant (remember how slow the game was played back then) was that as the ball arrived, one foot was on the ground, and the trail foot was in the air. So we secured the ball just before the trail leg hit the ground. One foot down, second foot down, second foot became the pivot foot. It could not move. We caught a pass and immediately could only move one foot.
Somewhere along the way, BB coaches figured out that players were better off if they took a hop as they received passes so that both feet hit the ground when they caught the pass. That meant that the pivot foot had not yet been defined. Which meant that a player could take one step to establish the pivot foot and then could move the second foot: two steps. That looked like traveling but was not.
It was a big deal. IMO, it was what allowed Kiki VanDeWeghe to develop his step back jump shot and created all kinds of opportunities for 1s, 2s, and 3s to create their own shots.
But that is where it all began, not where the controversy began. That goes back to Michael. I haven’t studied the film, but I would bet that at one point he received passes with both feet in the air, came down on both, and had two steps to work with. If so, he looked like he had traveled but had not.
And then things began to really change. The players got faster and more important the game got faster. Then BB introduced the Restricted Arc/Area. That required refs to watch a newly critical detail, where are the feet of the defenders under or near the basket.
The restricted area is a big deal because the rule made it easier for offensive players to drive and get off a lay up. But it also created a challenge for refs. What do they watch, the feet of the player driving or the feet of the players around the basket?
Recommendation to Fans: Give the refs a break and enjoy the game.
