The NBA took away his hop-step. Will the "crab dribble" be soon to follow?
Cavaliers forward LeBron James was called for traveling with 2.3 seconds remaining in Sunday's three-point loss at Washington. Official Bill Spooner said James took three steps on the infraction. James explained after the game that he took a hesitation dribble -- which he called a "crab dribble" -- and then took two steps toward the basket. That's when the whistle blew, and the Cavs' chances for a win along with it. "If they take it away like they did my hop-step after my first two years, I'll find a way to do something else," James said.
Teams send questionable calls to the league office on a game-by-game basis and an interpretation is made by an official.
The league reviewed the traveling call on James, a league spokesman said, and the official made the correct decision. Two days after the play, James insists that it was a bad call.
"I've done that move many times," he said. "I believe it's a good move. If they call it more consistently, then maybe it isn't a good move and I'll have to change my game."
CAVALIERS 111, BOBCATS 81: Even though the fans had already moved on to the Celtics' matchup on Friday, the Cavaliers had some unsettled business on Wednesday. The Cavs burst out of the gates quickly and buried the Charlotte Bobcats before 20,562 at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Cavs extended their home winning streak to a sterling 18-0. But that's just another chapter in the Cavs' magical season. Their 28-6 mark is the best in the NBA heading into their showdown with defending champion Boston on Friday.
They never trailed in Wednesday's contest. They made quick work of the Bobcats with a staggering 28-3 run, which spanned the first and second quarters. The Cavs have not lost in nine meetings against the Bobcats at The Q. They have also won the season series against Charlotte, 3-0.
The Bobcats were fresh off beating the Celtics on Tuesday. Coach Larry Brown didn't want to hear any talk about being fatigued.
"Oh, come on," he said. "It had nothing to do with (being) tired. They just played harder, played better, wanted to win more and they played great. The first play of the game, the game was over in my mind.
"LeBron (James) just dribbled in and laid it up like nobody was guarding him. That was indicative, I thought, of how the whole game went."
The Bobcats (13-23) fell behind after one quarter, 29-12, and were never really in the game. The Cavs shot 60 percent from the field (45-of-75). That was only surpassed once this season, when they shot a sizzling 60.8 percent against Oklahoma City on Nov. 26.
James led all scorers with 21 points, four rebounds and four assists. He made 9 of 16 shots and sat for the entire fourth quarter.
