Comments on: Weekend NCAA update: On the move like Jeff Green

By: Double D

Double D — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 03:55:38 +0000

Bilas is quoting the rule incorrectly. Of course you pivot foot can leave the ground before you shoot, otherwise you can’t jump from a pivot. But you can’t step through or in green’s case, spin on the non pivot foot in the process of shooting.

By: SkippyFlipjack

SkippyFlipjack — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 07:05:10 +0000

I’ve spent the weekend believing it was a complete travel, and everyone I’ve demonstrated the move to thinks it’s a travel, because we’ve always been taught that once you pick up your dribble, your pivot foot stays put until you pass or shoot. It looks like Bilas is right, technically. I’ve pored over the NCAA and NBA rule books, and nowhere does it say specifically: If you lift your pivot foot while your opposite foot is on the ground, it’s a travel. I feel like that’s the *intent* of the rule that Bilas cites; I think they mean that if you take a jumpshot, you must get rid of the ball before your pivot foot lands again. The NBA rulebook also states that if you “alight” with both feet — ie, take a jumpshot — you must get rid of the ball before *either* foot touches the ground. If you look closely, Green comes close to breaking this rule (I know, it’s an NBA rule, but the principle is the same.) He spins to his left and a split second after he plants his left foot, his right comes up. If he had jumped off his right *before* his left landed, that would have been a travel. (the difference was a split second so no one’s going to make that call.) But you almost wonder if this is just such an obvious thing that they never bothered putting it in the rulebook. Anyway, an interesting discussion, but not as cut-and-dried as people seem to believe.

By: Marc

Marc — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 20:19:53 +0000

What do people think was a travel? When he spun his pivot probably did move but they never call that. When he took that step to shoot he didn’t travel. As Jay Bilas wrote on espn.com:

Take a Walk to the Rulebook: I was in San Jose for the West Regional, so I watched the Georgetown-Vanderbilt game in the East Regional from afar. When Jeff Green hit the game-winning shot for the Hoyas, I did not believe that he traveled. When I heard different commentators from the different networks say with a great degree of certainty that Green had walked and the officials had missed it, I disagreed.

What Green did was a legal move and is, in fact, taught by many coaches. Green did a simple step-through move that is used in up-and-under moves and in the use of a hook shot, and is legal. I went to the Rule Book, to Rule 4, Article 66, Section 4(a), which states that once a player establishes his pivot foot, the pivot foot may leave the floor as long as it is not brought back to the floor before the ball is released. Green established his right foot as his pivot foot, pivoted, and went up for the shot off his left foot. All of that was completely legal under the rules.

It may have looked like a traveling violation to some, but it was not. When such a move is called as a travel, most coaches argue to the officials that it was a missed call.

The only argument regarding a violation that has any merit, in my judgment, is the view that Green moved his right pivot foot well before he got into his move. However, that was only visible super close-up and in slow motion. It was nearly impossible to see in real time.

By: PostmanE

PostmanE — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:57:14 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e267jy4-DY

Law, his foot did not slip a tiny bit. He establishes his right foot as his pivot when he moves his left … and then moves his right foot to gain an obvious advantage moving toward the hoop. Not. Even. Close.

And for the record, I agree: some calls shouldn’t be made in the closing seconds. Close block/charges, for example. But when a blatant travel aids a player in a game-winning shot, well, fair’s fair.

By: Jason

Jason — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 03:25:32 +0000

Law, there’s a difference between your so called “ticky tack” plays at then end of games and an OBVIOUS travel. Even if refs call less toward that end of the game, there’s no reason not to call something that obvious. It was a pretty clear travel and it robbed Vandy of advancing to the Elite Eight.

And as long as we’re keeping track of PostmenE vs. Packer, let’s revisit the day that Hansbrough was elbowed to the face by the Duke player. PostmenE got that one right well Packer got that one wrong.

So my score right now is: PostmenE 2 Packer 0 (I’d take PostmenE over Packer anyday)

By: law

law — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 03:07:42 +0000

You seriously think that was a travel? Sure his foot slid a tiny bit…but if you slowed down every possesion you could find a guys foot moving that much every time (it’s like holding in football). Plus you have to figure the situation…there is NO WAY ever they would make a call that close at the end of the game. Packer is right and you are wrong. Watch any basketball game, refs let things slide a little bit more in the last seconds of a game. They’re not gonna make some ticky tack call in that situation EVER…they never have and they never will.

Packer 1 PostmanE 0