Did Kyle Korver travel near the end of Game 4 between the Hawks and Wizards?
Oh, the dreaded borderline traveling call in the NBA: Bane of highlight truthers the world over. Late in the Atlanta Hawks' 106-101 victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday night, there seemed to be a not-so-borderline violation committed by Atlanta's Kyle Korver. But no whistle came, so were the Wizards robbed of a possession?
The play certainly looks bad, and it wouldn't be surprising if the NBA announced that the officials missed a call here. But it's a lot closer than you might think -- and it's all because of the gather step. Sports Illustrated's Rob Mahoney has illustrated this often misunderstood part of the NBA and how the Houston Rockets' James Harden's mastery of the gather makes him such an offensive threat.
The NBA rule book makes the following allowance: "A player who receives the ball while he is progressing or upon completion of a dribble, may take two steps in coming to a stop, passing or shooting the ball. 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."
It's that last part that's key -- "after gaining control of the ball." If Korver hasn't completely gathered the ball as his left foot his sliding, his right foot, which seems to come down firmly from this angle, would be his first step, or "pivot foot," in the typical lexicon. His left foot can then move freely, so long as he doesn't lift and set down his right foot again.
Therein lies another rub; it's difficult to tell from this video whether Korver kept his right foot down. It does look like both feet are planted all the way through his getting rid of the ball, so from the point, anyway, there's no traveling violation.
This very well could be a travel, and it certainly looks like one. We'll have to wait for the NBA's official report on the last two minutes of the game to know for sure. But at the very least, let this serve as a reminder of one of the most subtle parts of the game.
(h/t Sports Illustrated)
Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports
