James Harden’s Ridiculous Double Step-Back Travel

It’s not hard to find something hilarious from the situation. Whether it’s the double step-back travel, Harden’s comment on his travel, or the whole thing inevitably blowing up on social media, this whole situation was crazy. As much as Harden is criticized for his way of drawing fouls and getting away with calls, this moment will definitely be pointed out as he drew 3 free throws on his 5 step uncalled travel. Interestingly enough, Utah didn’t even try to debate with the refs on what was one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen in an NBA game. Instead, they simply shook it off as Harden got his, “MVP, MVP, MVP” chants by the crowd. Who can blame them, It’s honestly normal for Harden at this point. What can you do against a player who get the most calls while abusing rules in an NBA game (not a knock on Harden’s talent, though like many, I find it annoying). Harden then continued as he dropped 47 points on the Jazz in a 102-97 victory over Utah.

It seemed like everyone had something to say on the matter as this blew up on the internet and why not, it’s the first time I’ve seen a travel like that while watching a game. Even the refs said the missed the call after the game ended and that’s not something they do often. “You watch the play? What do you think?” Rubio said as he was asked if the play was a travel. “I’m not going to answer, but I think 100 percent of the people know the answer”. This likely won’t change anything though about the calls that Harden gives and gets away with dealing with the officials though. All anyone can do is try not to foul and try not to get agitated with the outcome, but can you really? Harden may rely on free throws for a large portion of his points, but we cant overlook the fact that his skillful shooting, ball handling, footwork, and IQ all contribute to that. So fans who rage easily at the calls in favor of James Harden, don’t stop now, because Harden has many more calls to come.