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How many steps can you do in basketball
How Many Steps Can You Take in Basketball?
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Every sport has its own rules and regulations for the players, and they must obey those rules and regulations.
When it comes to basketball rules, one of the basic things that almost every lover knows is, “How many steps can you take in basketball?”
But if you have just set foot in the world of basketball and don’t know it yet, this post will be a complete guide for you. Let’s go with Scott Fujita to explore!
Contents
How Many Steps Can You Take in Basketball?
You can only take two steps without dribbling the ball in basketball.
Basketball players can only take two steps without dribbling. It is one of the basic basketball rules that have been around since this sport was invented.
There are various ways to interpret that rule, but the simplest way is that basketball players can take up to two steps in any direction.
If a player is a defense, he can only move sideways and can’t get into one defensive spot by moving forward. Besides, if he is on offense, he can take one step backward or forward and one step to the right or left.
What Is Traveling Violation in Basketball?
It is a foul or violation in this sport that happens when one player moves many steps but does not dribble the ball.
This rule means that players can only move up to two steps without the ball being dribbled, and three steps or more are considered traveling. But the fact is that this rule might be much more complex.
This violation is called whenever one player takes more than two steps without the ball being dribbled. It can occur when he receives the ball while stationary, moving or when he begins dribbling.
When he stops dribbling the ball, it is essential to establish a pivot foot. He can turn his pivot foot side to side to move or determine better angles. It doesn’t count as traveling if his pivot foot isn’t lifted until a ball leaves his hands.
How to Avoid Travel Violation in Basketball?
Practicing is the best way to avoid travel violations.
Through an online search, it is easy to know, “How many step can you take in basketball?” But practicing to avoid the travel violation in basketball is not as easy as it seems.
It is possible to avoid the traveling violation in basketball by understanding the basketball rules deeply and practicing them. They become your second nature.
This sport’s rules are significantly different from other sports, and it is easy to find a complete list of them on many pages for basketball or Wikipedia.
However, you will not be able to master them by reading a list and trying to memorize them. It is wise to learn the rules of this sport via observation or by watching game footage.
Once you understand how to avoid these fouls in basketball, you should practice the skills necessary to allow them to become second nature.
We recommend spending time practicing dribbling and shooting the ball. Over time, your body will know what to do when it needs to move in specific ways.
FAQSHow Many Steps Is a Travel in Basketball?
A traveling violation is called if you take more than two steps without dribbling the ball.
Can I Pivot After Taking Two Steps?
Pivoting after taking two steps is okay in basketball. But remember that you must pivot on one foot. If you try to pivot while jumping both feet, it will not be considered a pivot and will be illegal.
Can I Take Three Steps for a Layup?
Yes! You can take three steps in basketball for a layup.
How Many Steps Can I Get in College Basketball?
If you receive the ball while progressing or upon completion of a dribble, you can take two steps in coming to a stop, shooting or passing the ball.
If you receive the ball while progressing, you must release the ball to start your dribble before your second step.
Can I Take Three Steps While Dribbling?
Yes! It is possible to take as many steps as you like while dribbling your ball.
Are Taking Fewer Or More Steps Effects The Game?
Taking fewer or more steps can significantly affect your game
Taking more steps is usually not good since it might slow you down and make it more challenging to move around. But there are a few cases where it is helpful to you, such as when you play against a taller player who has a longer reach.
Conversely, taking fewer steps might be much better as it lets a player change his direction easily and quickly without worrying about running into others.
Furthermore, taking fewer steps makes it easier for a player to dribble the ball.
Is Stepback a Travel?
Yes, stepback is travel in basketball.
Conclusion
How many steps can you take in basketball without dribbling? You can only take up to two steps without dribbling the ball.When you take more than two steps, a traveling violation is called.
How Many Steps Is A Travel In Basketball? With Examples – Basketball Word!
We all watch the NBA or basketball highlights and see a play that leads to dunk, then stop and think how many steps did he take? was that legal. We think the referee missed the call, actually, we know the referee missed the call. So we question ourselves?
How many steps is a travel in basketball? Taking more than two steps with control of the ball is considered a travel, so in this case, three steps is a travel. Oftentimes a player will catch the ball while taking a step but not have full control of it and then take two more steps for a layup or dunk, this is legal. It is only a travel violation if the referee blows the whistle.
Travel violations can happen in many ways, but in the end, you are technically allowed two steps when in control of the ball. Taking more than two steps is not the only way to travel, let’s look at what else is considered a travel.
More On Travelling
We can say that 3 steps is a travel but really it depends, for example picking up your pivot foot is a travel and that’s one step. If you catch the ball in motion it has to be out of your hands bypassing, shooting, or dribbling, if not this can be a travel. Jumping up and down with the ball is a travel, so it obviously depends on the type of violation.
Easy to Understand Travel Violations
Below I have listed the rules to traveling as per the NBA rule book but if you don’t want to go through the fluff I will list in simple terms what other ways in basketball is a travel besides taking more than two steps.
In no particular order doing these things may result in a travel violation call:
Picking up the pivot foot.
If you land with a left then right and while catching the ball the first foot which in this case is the left is the pivot foot. If you use the right foot it is actually a travel.
Switching pivot feet.
Taking more than two steps without a dribble or motion to shoot.
Standing still you may not take a step without a dribble before the pivot foot is released.
Catching your own airball is a travel, it must hit the backboard or rim or touch another player.
You may not jump up and down with the ball you must release it on the way up, and catch it mid-air on the way down.
You may not take two steps after a jump stop.
If you fall to the ground you may not slide, roll or move on the floor with the ball.
Pass to yourself off the backboard unless you’re in motion to layup/dunk it.
Jab step to quickly and in the process pick up your pivot foot before dribbling the ball.
Catching the ball and then taking your two steps to set up for a shot at the hoop.
Up and Under is usually done in the post, you fake out the defender with a shot, defender jumps and you go underneath him by taking a step, you must be in the process of shooting the ball as you lift up your pivot foot.
Nba Rules on Travelling
So what do the rules say I will go over them using the NBA Rule Book as a reference, most of these rules are universal. You can find the traveling rules in Section XIII—Traveling.
1 . A player who receives the ball while standing still may pivot, using either foot as the pivot foot.
A player who catches the ball and is standing still can pivot but can not take any steps.
2. 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.
This is pretty clear you are given 2 steps to come to a complete stop, pass or shoot. Sometimes this isn’t always called when it is more than 2 steps as the player is running it may be difficult to catch, happens all the time in the NBA where the player looked like they took 3 steps.
3. A player who receives the ball while he is progressing must release the ball to start his dribble before his second step.
I feel this could have been worded better, usually, the ball is not in full control of the player’s hand until the second step which isn’t a travel. Even when the ball is in full control a lot of players do not put the ball down by the second step more like they have already taken their second step and now dribbled not released the ball.
The first step occurs when a foot, or both feet, touch the floor after gaining control of the ball.
The second step occurs after the first step when the other foot touches the floor, or both feet touch the floor simultaneously.
A player who comes to a stop on step one when both feet are on the floor or touch the floor simultaneously may pivot using either foot as his pivot. If he jumps with both feet he must release the ball before either foot touches the floor.
A player who lands with one foot first may only pivot using that foot.
A progressing player who jumps off one foot on the first step may land with both feet simultaneously for the second step. In this situation, the player may not pivot with either foot and if one or both feet leave the floor the ball must be released before either returns to the floor.
This is why in basketball footwork is so important, there are many ways to travel, as you can see in most cases the if you lift up the pivot foot before releasing the ball this will be a travel violation.
(e) In starting a dribble after (1) receiving the ball while standing still, or (2) coming to a legal stop, the ball must be out of the player’s hand before the pivot foot is raised off the floor.
This is one of the most common travel violations, may not be called very often in the NBA.
(f) If a player, with the ball in his possession, raises his pivot foot off the floor, he must pass or shoot before his pivot foot returns to the floor. If he drops the ball while in the air, he may not be the first to touch the ball.
This all has to be in motion you can’t let the pivot foot hang in the air.
(g) A player who falls to the floor while holding the ball, or while coming to a stop, may not gain an advantage by sliding.
Any movement and you are more than likely to get called for a travel. You may dribble from the floor if you are that skilled.
Is The Step Back A Travel
Many people think that the step back is a travel, to those that play basketball it looks normal to those who just spectate it may look awkward to them. The way that I can explain the step-back is a backward jump stop or sideway jump stop. This move is actually legal.
Sometimes it is a travel, the player will take one too many steps, this is on the ref to call it. But when done right the step back is a very difficult move to guard that James Harden lives by.
I watched videos of James Harden doing step-back three’s this offseason and shooting them off one foot and making it during pickup games, this will be interesting to see if he pulls this off in a real game this season.
If your looking for more rules to the game of basketball check out my other articles down below.
Further Readings:
What Is A Carry In Basketball? Explained
What Is A Reach-In Foul In Basketball? Explained
What Is The “KEY” In Basketball?
Basketball Rules. - Sport
Basketball is played by two teams, each consisting of five players. The goal of each team is to shoot the ball into the opponent's basket and prevent the other team from getting possession of the ball and shooting it. During the whole game, players can be replaced, and the number of replacements is not limited. The coach, as a rule, allows all the players on the team to participate in the match by making substitutions. Each team elects a captain who is an assistant coach who plays on the court.
The game consists of four periods of 10 minutes each. The break between the first and second periods is 2 minutes. After the second period, a break of 15 minutes, this is the end of the first half of the game. Teams change venues. After the third period, again a two-minute break. During these breaks, the players can rest and discuss the progress of the match, get advice on how to play next. During the breaks, the coach can change players, allowing one to rest and including other teammates.
During each of the four periods, the coach may ask the referees for a one-minute break, or time-out. One break may be granted to each team during each of the first three periods, two minute breaks may be granted during the fourth period and one break in each overtime period.
There are no draws in basketball. If four periods ended with a tie, an additional 5 minutes are assigned. If this five-minute period does not give an advantage to one of the teams, after a two-minute break, another 5 minutes are given, and so on, until the advantage in the score.
The referee starts the game, he tosses the ball in the central circle between two players of opposite teams. Who this player will be is decided by the team (coach, captain), usually the tallest or most jumping player. The referee must toss the ball so that, firstly, it flies upwards at an equal distance from both players, and secondly, it rises above an imaginary point that the players can jump to. The ball cannot be caught, but only beaten back to your partner; the ball must not be touched on takeoff, but only after it reaches its highest point and begins to descend. The jump is supposed to be done from a place, and not from a run, even if it is one step; you cannot throw the ball to yourself, that is, the declarer can only touch the ball a second time after it has been touched by another player. Before the start of the rally, the players may be around the place of the rally and not enter the circle before the pointer has touched the ball.
Having received the ball, the players of the team have the right to own it (drill, pass) for 24 seconds, before their expiration, a throw must be made on the ring. If this is not done, the referee will pass the ball to the opposing team, which also has 24 seconds. This time limit is introduced for the sake of entertainment and activity, so that a team that manages to gain an advantage in the score does not "buy" time by passing the ball to each other, or moving with the ball without attacking the rings. If the opponent intercepted the ball, the countdown of 24 seconds starts for him. Here's a little thing to watch out for: if your team is in possession of the ball and an opponent manages to touch the ball but doesn't take it away, and your team still has the ball, your 24 seconds count continues.
On a well-equipped basketball court, the countdown of 24 seconds is clearly visible on a special scoreboard. There are either two such scoreboards on each shield, or four in each corner of the basketball court behind the end line. The numbers on the scoreboard have a countdown, that is, when your team puts the ball into play (or intercepts it from the opponent, or picks it up from the shield) - the number 24 lights up on the scoreboard, then 23, 22 and so on. When 24 seconds have elapsed, the display will turn red and an audible signal will sound.
Another time limit related to the same desire to make basketball a fast and attacking game is the 8 second rule. If you took possession of the ball in your own half of the court (officially, in the rules, it is called the backcourt), then you must transfer the ball (by passing or dribbling) to the opponent's half (in the rules - frontcourt) within 8 seconds. Those 8 seconds are included in the 24 seconds you have before the shot.
There are also time limits for the individual actions of each player. This is the 5 second rule. If you take a free throw, you can’t aim and look at it for a long time, spin the ball in your hands - you only have 5 seconds to throw the ball around the ring. In the same way, you can’t think for a long time if you throw in the ball from behind the front or sideline - you also have only 5 seconds at your disposal. Yes, and on the court: if you are in the so-called close custody with the ball, that is, the defender of the opposing team is in front of you in an active defensive stance at a distance of no more than one meter, you cannot stay in place with the ball for a long time, but must within 5 seconds to get rid of it (pass the ball to a partner or throw it around the ring), or find an opportunity to start dribbling.
Finally, the 3-second rule: an attacking player may not be in the opponent's penalty area with the ball for more than 3 seconds, regardless of whether he entered the area with the ball or received a pass from a teammate.
The team in possession of the ball in the frontcourt may not bring it back into their own backcourt, either by passing or dribbling. If this rule is violated, the ball is passed to the opposing team.
The team with the most points wins the game. When the ball hits the basket from the field, the team is awarded 2 points. A free throw earns a team 1 point. And if the player scored the ball from behind a line located 6 meters 25 centimeters from the ring, that is, a long-range shot is scored, the team receives 3 points.
If a team accidentally scores the ball from the court into its own basket, points are recorded to the opposing captain, and if it intentionally scores into its own basket, it is a violation and the points are not counted.
If a player accidentally causes the ball to enter the basket from below, the game shall continue with a jump ball between any two opposing players, and if the player intentionally causes the ball to enter the basket from below, it is a violation and the ball is given to the opposing team.
Now let's look at what individual violations exist. You must learn to prevent them from the very first steps of training.
Wrong guidance. The ball can only be dribbled with one hand, right or left, it doesn't matter. Hands can be changed: lead with the right hand, then with the left, then again with the right. The only thing you can't do is touch the ball with both hands at the same time. The referee will stop the game and show signs of a violation - “wrong dribbling”.
Double guidance. If you dribble and stop dribbling, then you can’t start dribbling a second time - you must pass or throw on the ring, otherwise the referee will fix the violation. If the ball after your throw bounced towards you from the ring (shield) or from another player, you can start dribbling again.
Jogging. The player with the ball in his hands can only take two steps, on the third you must get rid of the ball. Otherwise, the judge will fix the violation - a run. Also, you can not change the axial leg or move it from its place - this will also be a violation.
Intentional play with the foot, fist, head. These violations are also recorded by the judge. But, if the ball accidentally hits the leg or head, there is no violation.
Rough play. In the game, you can not push an opponent, hold him with his hands, grab his hands or clothes, especially hit the player, put trips. For each such violation, the player is punished with a personal remark, or a foul.
If a foul is committed against the shooter and the ball enters the basket, two points are scored and an additional free throw is awarded. If a field goal is missed, two free throws are awarded. If the shot was taken from behind the three-point line, then three points are scored on hit with one free throw awarded.
Three free throws are awarded if a ball thrown from behind the three-point line misses the hoop due to a foul by the defending team.
For offenses other than throwing the ball into the ring, a foul is charged to the player, but free throws are not taken, and the ball is passed to the other team for a throw-in from behind the touchline. Sometimes, in order to achieve victory at any cost, players behave in an unsportsmanlike manner, disrespectfully addressing referees, spectators, and opponent players, deliberately not following the rules of the game and rules of conduct that are not related to contact with an opponent player. For such "technical" fouls, the player is penalized with one free throw and a throw-in from the center of the court by the team in whose favor the foul was called.
In total, each participant in the match can receive 5 such remarks, after which he leaves the court and does not participate in the game until its end. Any other substitute is placed in his place.
A team that receives four personal and technical fouls in one period of the game, when receiving another foul, is penalized with two free throws.
If the referee calls a personal or technical foul on a player from one of the teams, then the “injured” player from the other team shoots one, two or three free throws freely without interference, depending on the situation in which the violation was made.
"Basketball - gladiator fights of a healthy person." Nikita Belogolovtsev is a fan of the NBA and advises you Despite working in a different field, three children and a respectable age, he still does not change the NBA - he maintains a basketball telegram channel and sometimes updates the blog on Sports.ru.
We talked about the unpopularity of basketball in Russia, the best players in the NBA, and even a future without 3-pointers.
The Fellowship of the Ring
“I did a lot of different programs on different channels, about 20 different projects. And The Fellowship of the Ring is one of the programs I'm incredibly proud of. It will sound a little pompous, but there we were responsible for literally every second that was broadcast, we tried to ensure that there were no even gluings of checkpoints.
This program was born out of three calls - from the idea of making it after the Russian team won bronze at the London Olympics, and before our producer Grigory Kovbasyuk called me. “Nikita, urgently collect the concept of the program, we will start in two weeks.” “But I can’t in two weeks, I’m on vacation.” "Then in three weeks."
And we put together a line-up close to the dream team. The head of the program was Nikita Koroteev, who grew up on the Tribune. Voice - Dima Matheransky, who gave us style. Well, Vova Spivak, there is no other person who would be so fanatically fond of FIBA basketball and European basketball. I heard how he commented on the matches of the German championship - I don’t talk about children with such love, as he does about German basketball.
We did wild things: somehow we were taken to the police because of the shooting of a trickshot. We filmed the first episode in Riga - a dude scored, throwing a two-story house in the backyard of the cathedral.
But the craziest thing happened in Vilnius: we came to the central square, on one side - the cathedral, on the other - the presidential palace, on the third - the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Between them is a monument to Gediminas, the founder of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. We threw so that the ball flew over the pedestal, between the legs of the horse on which Gediminas was sitting and flew into the ring behind him. We left three balls there: there was snow under the horse, and several balls got stuck in it. When we finished filming, the local policemen approached us. “We were called: they say vandalism and hooliganism. Let's go." We have been charged with an administrative offense. The hero of the program was eventually sent a fine of 100 or 200 euros.
The program ran for only one season. In part, it was closed due to the fact that it could only be done on such a super effort, where we constantly came up with something unique. For example, we agreed with the Mercedes salon to give us expensive cars and we raced with Timofey Mozgov. Nikitos Koroteev competed with a Khimki youth team player to see who could shoot the most phones at a cheerleading party. We approached each issue as something special. It ate a huge amount of time and resources. In this sense, Nikita Zagday's program "View from above", successfully aired, is much more technologically advanced, in a good sense of the word.
To be honest, there was a sense of artificiality in what we were doing. Talking about the VTB League is not the easiest thing to do. I have to look for intrigue in the Lokomotiv-Kalev match and explain why it needs to be watched. Or when you have to explain to you the meaning of being in the league club "Donetsk" or "Astana". It was an attempt to help people see that there is more to the VTB league than meets the eye.
This is what happens when a young man invents a girl, and then falls in love with the invented one. So we tried to come up with a wonderful VTB league and tell others about our love. Due to the fact that there are too many conventions, not everything worked out.
Basketball and Oklahoma
“Basketball has always been in the family, because my dad played basketball at the small town level and then at the level of not the strongest college team. He not only taught to play, but put a throw and explained that he was learning to dribble the ball correctly with both hands. In this sense, since childhood, I played at a level that allowed me to be the best in a physical education lesson and not the last on almost any street playground.
I can't say that I was very active, but I went to basketball with my dad, it was CSKA in the Euroleague. I saw a number of bright things that I could not fully appreciate then, but now they suddenly appear in my memory: I saw Sabonis when he was still with Real Madrid, I saw the All-Star Game, which was held in Moscow, where Bodiroga was the best scorer. Then I appreciated all this less, but I loved CSKA, for which it was more pleasant to root when it was a Russian-speaking team. And at 90, like all decent people, watched the NBA when it was shown on the second button and the Gomelskys commented.
As a kid, I was obsessed with how cool Jordan is, how cool Pippen is, how crazy Rodman is and how Kukoc is Kukoc, how funny center Wennington is and how neat Steve Kerr is in shorts. And I watched how they beat the unfortunate Utah every time, which was incredibly sorry. But it seemed that the Jazz were such a perfect nice opponent that it was impossible not to beat. I can’t say that I was a fan of Chicago, but somehow in my world there was the best team, the best basketball player, and in my universe it was unthinkable not to sympathize with them.
Then, like the rest of the league, I had some timelessness after Jordan left. In European basketball, I also got a little disappointed - the charm of going to USC CSKA began to fade.
And then I got my favorite basketball team.
Subconsciously, my brain decided: “We will get more pleasure, Nikita, if we root for someone in the NBA.” Rooting for Chicago was stupid. And then somehow the sale of SuperSonics happened. I never rooted for them, but I read about Sam Presti, looked at what he was doing, fell in love with the concept of building a new young team in a new place.
And, on the one hand, I liked the idea that you can root for the team from the very beginning – the team is growing, you are growing, you have some kind of common history, everyone starts from scratch, Oklahoma and me.
On the other hand, I was attracted to Presti. It was easy for me to associate myself with him. This is a rare story for fans when you sympathize not with the history of victories, not with some player, but first of all with the general manager. It was somehow simple and clear for me to look at basketball through his eyes: I never played professionally, and even my not the worst level of basketball would never allow me to feel in the body of a basketball player - I don’t hit from above, I don’t run super fast, I defend imperfectly . It's much easier to imagine yourself as a football player - you can do the same basic set of things. It is more difficult to feel like a basketball player, and the involvement in basketball, which is experienced by a smart guy with glasses who has never played, was closer, simpler and more understandable to me.
Rooting for Oklahoma doesn't hurt.
I'm rooting for Spartak Moscow, and it hurts ten times more. I know what fan pain is, and Oklahoma is definitely not it.
Oklahoma always gave hope. The withdrawal syndrome of this hope was gradual. First playoff run - you think we're building a great dynasty. Then you lose Harden - Kevin Martin is awesome, he is no worse, we had the same regular season with him. Then in the playoffs, Westbrook breaks down. Durant broke down - but he will return. We lost to San Antonio simply because Ibaki wasn't there. You always hope for the future.
Durant's move was a shock story. You can't understand how this is even possible. But then you switch to Westbrook's triple-double season. Then George arrives, you think we're back in the game. Then it didn’t work out with George - but you have all the peaks in the world.
Plus, champions rarely change in the NBA. Perhaps the NBA taught me from childhood that there are two and a half teams that win, and there are others that do not win, therefore they do not win at all.
And it's not a shame, such a league.
The main basketball impression
“I can't say that I had one moment that definitely outweighs everything. If Oklahoma had finished off the record-breaking Golden State and made it to the Finals to play against LeBron, I would call this moment.
I was somehow very lucky to see basketball in different variations. It was imprinted in my memory when we went to CSKA games. It was a team of Russian players that you can then approach and say “Hi” to you (because you are with a person they know).
Was in the States for an all-star weekend filming for The Fellowship of the Ring. Sat there at a rookie game where I fell asleep because there was a jet lag. But the feeling itself is fantastic. When you walk around the town of the All-Star Game, listening to Yao (because it was in Houston), it's all amazing.
I watched the game in Brooklyn from the front row: I remember that then Ellis and Jennings for Milwaukee shot 70 in four hands, and the Nets dragged the game-winning shot of Joe Johnson. Then I saw everything that surrounds basketball, from one of the best places in the arena.
That is why American basketball is my favorite, in principle, not only a sports spectacle. I like that both in the league and in terms of a single game, there is not only sports, not only “fight-fight”, that the league is an incredible combination of cultural, socio-economic, legal and other components. Each match is a separate show, a separate performance. And often sport unites everyone and is one of the most important things in the life of the city.
I dream of such a sport in Russia. Not when twenty people came out to kick the ball, and then it is discussed whether Dziuba is an asshole or not. And when there is a gigantic life behind this, and it concerns people who are not at all about playing basketball and not watching basketball. When I saw how it works in the States, it was a very powerful feeling.
And also from such life experiences. I studied at the Faculty of International Journalism at MGIMO: there are about 90 girls and 10 boys. The pinnacle and downfall of my basketball career is the Freshman Cup. So far, I've had a great summer. We traveled for a long time to Montenegro. It was like a training camp for me there, because playing basketball with the Montenegrins is a separate madness. For the first three weeks, absolutely everyone beat me: bespectacled men, fat men, some strange people. By the end of a two-month vacation, they began to take me not the last in the team: they took me seventh out of ten, I came and celebrated. He returned from there in better shape: he went to play every day, and so that it was not completely humiliating, he came in the afternoon and fucked up throws for two or three hours, ran, drove.
We had a shitty faculty team, but we played streetball: there was me and two guys who understood how to hold the ball, if anything, I taught them how to put up screens for me.
All in all, it was the best gaming day of my life. I got everything. I got absolutely brick-shaped throws. We sensationally banged the team of those who had already entered the basketball section in the semi-finals. I just threw in the direction of the ring and hit five three-pointers. Another one picked it up - eleven. In the final, I dragged myself with my tongue on my knee. The score was 3-2. Both of them are dead. And in the last attack, I took the last rebound, I just had to keep it. I landed badly on my knee and tore my anterior cruciate ligament in patchwork. That was the end of my basketball career. Of course, I play, but nothing has been brighter since then.
Greatness of the NBA
“From my point of view, American basketball is the gladiator fights of a healthy person. Again, because absolutely unique people play basketball. It is clear that Messi and Ronaldo are also unique and inimitable. But in general, the statistical probability that you will be born a footballer is much higher. It's something public. Basketball players are absolute celestials, because physically there are very few such people. Physiological elitism makes a strong impression on me: you are watching the battle of ancient heroes - Hector against Achilles. You watch four hundred of the most physically gifted people on the planet play basketball. Okay, four hundred from the NBA, and another hundred from all other sports combined.
In general, it's just cool.
There are no boring games in the NBA. The greatness of the league is that on the absolute worst game day, when two or three games are played, you will still score at least a strong five highlights, or even a ten. People who have been used to watching the NBA since childhood are very spoiled. I can’t say that European basketball is flawed, but if you make a review of the VTB League tour (not the last tournament on planet Earth), you need to pick out these ten highlights, search, find, and sometimes they are ashamed (someone just ran up and scored from above). And the greatness of the NBA is that on the worst game day there will be a stunned selection.
There's never a match like Manchester City - Manchester United, who are talked about all week and they play 0-0 with two shots on goal.
Why basketball is so unpopular
“Because no one cares about its popularity. Basketball is not lucky with the people who run it. With all due respect to Andrei Kirilenko as a basketball player, it is obvious that he is not the strongest basketball manager.
Historical unpopularity in the country is multiplied by the impotence of the leadership, multiplied by the hegemony of one club, multiplied by the absence of Russian players, multiplied by an inconvenient time to watch the NBA.
And so, when numbers less than one are multiplied, then 0.1 turns out to be 0.01, something completely disappearing.
I think it will change quite quickly and suddenly. Basketball has objectively many advantages. Several things must coincide: there must be a headliner, a new generation must grow up, some other service will buy basketball ... Some Alfa-Bank will remember that Ivan Urgant loves basketball, come up with a basketball collab with him, and everything will work out.
I don't like the argument that Victor Yan won the short track and everyone went to the skating rinks, but chess sales really grew after the Queen's Move, and this is chess and a very local series. When that happens at the federal level, basketball will explode. Because basketball has awesome starting positions to become a popular sport.
I don't think anything good is going on for basketball right now.
Aleksey Shved is a very good example of why basketball is stagnating in Russia. This is the personification of what I don’t like in Russian sports, what hinders it. If you are Alexey Shved, you have no right not to go to the All-Star Game. Aleksey Shved is the personification of a dude who is in a comfort zone for insane, absolutely non-market money, plays for a team that has the norm to lose from year to year, which is not tired of starting from 2-11. How many interviews did Alexey Shved give? How many times have you come to Evening Urgant? This is a very bad headliner: it hinders the development of Russian basketball.
Moving Up is not a basketball movie. This is a film about how ours defeated not ours. It just so happened that we won basketball. I can appreciate that the final match was filmed well and naturalistically, and my wife sees in this some kind of uplifting film, where there is love, a disabled child, and the guy’s heart stopped, he gestured to the girl in the stands and won. I wouldn't overestimate the basketball component in Moving Up. It's better for basketball that Upward Movement is here than if it didn't exist. But no, this is not a basketball movie.
Now, if Channel One showed something like The Last Dance about that team, it would help basketball. I would release it for the premiere, it would be cool.
In fact, an indicator of how cool and exciting the sport of basketball is that, despite the absolute lack of systematic work, basketball videos on YouTube collect 50-100 thousand views, basketball journalism is still alive, the fourth generation of commentators is growing up "Tribunes". All this is happening “in spite of”, in the absence of broadcasts in Russian, which are just returning to wide access. This speaks to the fantastic potential that basketball has. When this is superimposed on the correct operation, when there is a spark, an explosion will occur.
At least I judge by children. It is difficult for my older children - who are 9 and 5 - to watch football with me, because for a long time, nothing happens, not a very easy game to understand if you did not go to the stadium. When I watch a basket in highlights, cuts, the child always stops, because an understandable action is taking place. As they say in IT, intuitive technology.
ESPN Top 10
LeBron James
Legend.
When I was eight or ten years old, I was worried that all the legends were in the past (Pele, Maradona, Chamberlain and even Jordan ended): “And you, Nikita, you won’t get them.”
It is a happiness that we underestimated that we live in an era when real legends are created, including in basketball. Every time you look at LeBron, you touch eternity. We need to appreciate every second that we can watch him.”
Anthony Davis
“When I resumed the blog on Sports.ru, I looked at the status that I wrote a long time ago. It was a stupid idea to trade Anthony Davis. It boiled down to the fact that, perhaps, they will never reach the final, they paid so much for him in vain. It's hard to underestimate the first pick as much as we underestimated Davis.
Davis is a modern-day Pippen. I grew up on the great Pippen. And so is Davis. He was very lucky with LeBron: he will tell you where to stand on the court and what contract to sign.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Freak. One of the strongest impressions from basketball was when I read about Giannis' ankle length. Once he showed his dad how he walks half the site in three steps. It's a pity for him. In my opinion, Milwaukee have not improved, now they are wildly worried about Bogdanovich. I don't think Holiday will take them anywhere. I think this will be a doomed season for Giannis - he will either take MVP or be close to it, but there will still be no title. They won't even make it to the final."
Luka Doncic
“It's fantastic. One of the main disappointments was that he never saw Doncic live in Europe. But I remember how he played against Oklahoma for Real Madrid. Great White Hope. I want to see a lot of it this season."
Kawhi Leonard
“I have a hard time with Kawhi. It seems that he proved everything to everyone. And Finals MVP with the Spurs and a title with the Raptors. But I still want to say that he is a product of the system, that it's all accidental. I don't get along emotionally with him. I understand that perhaps this is the best two-way basketball player in the NBA, but if you asked me to name my ten, then I would definitely forget about him.
Kevin Durant
Pain. One of my favorite basketball jokes is when delegations from different cities met with him before moving to Golden State, the great quarterback Brady came from Boston, Golden State arrived in full force, “and Kevin Durant came from Oklahoma to meet Durant” . A player of completely unique anthropometry. I hope he comes back healthy and active. And that they will make the heat together with Irving.
Damian Lillard
“Perhaps this is the year when we find out what he really is worth. We used to say that he was not taken anywhere, he was not chosen anywhere. Although during this time he had five All-Star Games, five symbolic fives and a conference final.
This year he has a great team - take it and prove it. Now I list Portland third in the West after two Los Angeles. There is a chance to drag them somewhere in the playoffs, unhook someone cool.
Steph Curry
“I have no idea what state he will be back in. I can’t imagine what inhuman pressure he will play with. How everyone will expect him to fail. How carnivorous everyone will smile: and we said that this bullet can not pull without Durant and Thompson. I hope that he will get them into the playoffs, give five to seven 50-point games.
Well, in general, I am a family man, I have sympathy for the family Curry.”
James Harden
“The Harden trade still hurts. With this exchange, I went through all the stages: bargaining, anger, denial, acceptance ... For a long time I tried to convince myself that this was not as disastrous as everyone believes.
Harden is a great basketball player who epitomizes all the nasty things you can dislike about the league. Bars, alcohol, whims, "exchange me", "I'll give my sidekick a purse with a hundred thousand." The basketball player is amazing, but does not cause sympathy.
If I had to do an interview with any of the top 10, I would certainly be happy with Harden, but least of all. The only one about whom I would say: "Damn, why are you."
Nikola Jokic
“I love Jokic for giving us all a chance in the Super Athletics League. And he says that even you, a guy with imperfect abs, can play basketball and do it well.
When I re-read my ideas and thoughts, I sometimes get scared. Therefore, I’m afraid for my telegram channel, there are a lot of my thoughts there, which can be read in a year ... But I’m proud that when Roma Sprikut conducted an NBA draft simulation on Sports.ru and we played the Oklahoma team, I insisted that we need a trade with Denver that would have involved Jokic, then the non-athletic MVP of the Adriatic League. I remember fighting for this exchange. The dude in Denver was smart and didn't give us Jokic. But this is one of those cases where I guessed something.
I think Denver will be worse this year. But I wonder how it will be - without Craig and Grant, without protection. Something bright and circus.
The only troublesome dude on this list seems to me to be Durant. Simply because we don't know what form he is in and what he can do now. If you take it out of the brackets, then I would replace it with Butler. He, of course, should be in the top ten as a person who dragged the team to the final with one snout.
Who will be the champion in 2021
“If you had a gun to your head, the Lakers championship would probably be the safest bet. They've gotten great. Pelinka showed that he still knows how to work as a general manager. Schroeder will help them tremendously. Harrell is a good signing to unload the leaders, they will drag the regular season.
That being said, I think we're underestimating the factor of two seasons in a row: LeBron is going to have an incredibly hard time putting in the effort he's supposed to. Rationally, I want to say that the Lakers should become the champion. But intuitively I believe in it.
And then a topical question for Russia arises: if not the Lakers, then who? And now I feel like saying that Brooklyn has good chances.
What will be the future of basketball
“It's hard to say about the future of basketball as a game. Basketball is such a self-sufficient thing that does not need anything.
Why is it difficult to make feature films about basketball? Basketball is so rich that it often turns out to be brighter than cinema. Shoot a feature film about the Toronto championship, no one will believe it, they will say that this is some kind of cloying garbage. It would have ended beautifully: “In a hockey country, a basketball club that no one believed in became a champion in its twenty-third year of existence. Hockey teams haven't won the Stanley Cup in twenty-six years." It doesn't happen, but it did!
What will happen to the basketball show, we began to notice in the bubble. The future will come when wide-angle cameras will be installed around the court, which will allow you to watch basketball from anywhere. This is already more or less implemented on compact things like boxing. Basketball will be shown more and more through the eyes of the players: how the rally looks like from the position of the defender or the corridor for passing under the basket, they will show slow-mo in replays and in moments. It's all technical stuff. On the brink of augmented reality.
Plus, statistics will be added to broadcasts. In clutch time, they will be able to display the statistics of involvement in the clutch with one button, so that you understand who the attack will develop through. You will be prompted for information about teams that you rarely watch. Everywhere they use big data and everything else, ligpass will quickly analyze which teams you know better and worse, and conclude what additional statistics can be shown.
Then this data will sprout into the broadcast - the marking of the throwable zones, the probability of something, and so on.
From the point of view of the game itself, I think that after a while we will see a little more contact again.
It is wise to learn the rules of this sport via observation or by watching game footage.
When you take more than two steps, a traveling violation is called.
If he drops the ball while in the air, he may not be the first to touch the ball.
After the second period, a break of 15 minutes, this is the end of the first half of the game. Teams change venues. After the third period, again a two-minute break. During these breaks, the players can rest and discuss the progress of the match, get advice on how to play next. During the breaks, the coach can change players, allowing one to rest and including other teammates. 
Who this player will be is decided by the team (coach, captain), usually the tallest or most jumping player. The referee must toss the ball so that, firstly, it flies upwards at an equal distance from both players, and secondly, it rises above an imaginary point that the players can jump to. The ball cannot be caught, but only beaten back to your partner; the ball must not be touched on takeoff, but only after it reaches its highest point and begins to descend. The jump is supposed to be done from a place, and not from a run, even if it is one step; you cannot throw the ball to yourself, that is, the declarer can only touch the ball a second time after it has been touched by another player. Before the start of the rally, the players may be around the place of the rally and not enter the circle before the pointer has touched the ball. 
If this is not done, the referee will pass the ball to the opposing team, which also has 24 seconds. This time limit is introduced for the sake of entertainment and activity, so that a team that manages to gain an advantage in the score does not "buy" time by passing the ball to each other, or moving with the ball without attacking the rings. If the opponent intercepted the ball, the countdown of 24 seconds starts for him. Here's a little thing to watch out for: if your team is in possession of the ball and an opponent manages to touch the ball but doesn't take it away, and your team still has the ball, your 24 seconds count continues. 
When 24 seconds have elapsed, the display will turn red and an audible signal will sound. 
And The Fellowship of the Ring is one of the programs I'm incredibly proud of. It will sound a little pompous, but there we were responsible for literally every second that was broadcast, we tried to ensure that there were no even gluings of checkpoints. 
“We were called: they say vandalism and hooliganism. Let's go." We have been charged with an administrative offense. The hero of the program was eventually sent a fine of 100 or 200 euros. 
In this sense, since childhood, I played at a level that allowed me to be the best in a physical education lesson and not the last on almost any street playground. 
But it seemed that the Jazz were such a perfect nice opponent that it was impossible not to beat. I can’t say that I was a fan of Chicago, but somehow in my world there was the best team, the best basketball player, and in my universe it was unthinkable not to sympathize with them. 
If Oklahoma had finished off the record-breaking Golden State and made it to the Finals to play against LeBron, I would call this moment. 
So far, I've had a great summer. We traveled for a long time to Montenegro. It was like a training camp for me there, because playing basketball with the Montenegrins is a separate madness. For the first three weeks, absolutely everyone beat me: bespectacled men, fat men, some strange people. By the end of a two-month vacation, they began to take me not the last in the team: they took me seventh out of ten, I came and celebrated. He returned from there in better shape: he went to play every day, and so that it was not completely humiliating, he came in the afternoon and fucked up throws for two or three hours, ran, drove. 
I just threw in the direction of the ring and hit five three-pointers. Another one picked it up - eleven. In the final, I dragged myself with my tongue on my knee. The score was 3-2. Both of them are dead. And in the last attack, I took the last rebound, I just had to keep it. I landed badly on my knee and tore my anterior cruciate ligament in patchwork. That was the end of my basketball career. Of course, I play, but nothing has been brighter since then. 
You watch four hundred of the most physically gifted people on the planet play basketball. Okay, four hundred from the NBA, and another hundred from all other sports combined. 
All this is happening “in spite of”, in the absence of broadcasts in Russian, which are just returning to wide access. This speaks to the fantastic potential that basketball has. When this is superimposed on the correct operation, when there is a spark, an explosion will occur. -Step-5.jpg/aid43486-v4-728px-Play-21-(Basketball)-Step-5.jpg)
Every time you look at LeBron, you touch eternity. We need to appreciate every second that we can watch him.” 
I don't think Holiday will take them anywhere. I think this will be a doomed season for Giannis - he will either take MVP or be close to it, but there will still be no title. They won't even make it to the final." 
One of my favorite basketball jokes is when delegations from different cities met with him before moving to Golden State, the great quarterback Brady came from Boston, Golden State arrived in full force, “and Kevin Durant came from Oklahoma to meet Durant” . A player of completely unique anthropometry. I hope he comes back healthy and active. And that they will make the heat together with Irving. 
I can’t imagine what inhuman pressure he will play with. How everyone will expect him to fail. How carnivorous everyone will smile: and we said that this bullet can not pull without Durant and Thompson. I hope that he will get them into the playoffs, give five to seven 50-point games. 
The only one about whom I would say: "Damn, why are you." 
Basketball will be shown more and more through the eyes of the players: how the rally looks like from the position of the defender or the corridor for passing under the basket, they will show slow-mo in replays and in moments. It's all technical stuff. On the brink of augmented reality. 
