Add LeBron James’ “crab dribble” to the lengthy list of talking points in the Cavaliers-Wizards rivalry.
“I’ll have to check in my book to see what a ‘crab dribble’ is. I’m not quite sure,” Washington interim coach Ed Tapscott said with a smile Monday. “I do know that we don’t seem to get away with very many of them, whatever they are.”
James and the rest of the Cavaliers were given Monday off by coach Mike Brown, so the world will have to wait for more thoughts from them as to whether The Chosen One did, indeed, travel a day earlier when driving for a potential tying basket in the closing seconds of Cleveland’s 80-77 loss at Washington.
Referee Bill Spooner waved off the play and called the violation. Asked to clarify his ruling, Spooner wrote in an e-mail to a pool reporter: “3 steps on the move to the basket. Basic travel call.”
The NBA did not immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press to comment on whether Spooner made the correct call.
On Sunday, James said it was a “bad call” and that “they need to look at it and they need to understand that’s not a travel.”
In giving his take on what happened, James said: “I watched it again, and I took a ‘crab dribble,’ which is a hesitation dribble, and then two steps.”
Asked Monday if he knows what a “crab dribble” is, Wizards All-Star forward Antawn Jamison said, “I know what a traveling is. … I think we all know what traveling is.”
Washington’s other All-Star forward, Caron Butler, gave a similar answer.
“‘Crab dribble’ is when you, uh, travel,” Butler said. “That’s the hottest thing on the market right now.”
Turning to a more serious explanation, Butler said he thought James switched his pivot foot.
“I couldn’t do it in AAU, I couldn’t do it in college,” Butler said, “and obviously I can’t do it now.”
