"LeBron situation" - Paul George highlights referees' tendency to ignore travel calls in modern NBA 

Philadelphia 76ers star wing Paul George recently reflected on the state of the modern NBA's officiating. The nine-time All-Star highlighted referees' tendency to overlook travels, using LA Lakers superstar forward LeBron James as an example.

As NBA teams increasingly implement pace-and-space playstyles and get out in transition, many fans have noticed more players getting away with traveling.

On Thursday's edition of "Podcast P with Paul George," George and his Sixers teammate Reggie Jackson discussed the issue. According to George, referees barely check for travels during games, as they consistently brush aside clear cases of players taking too many steps.

"There's a lot of traveling that goes on in the NBA that refs just don't — they're not looking for it," George said. "They're not reffing. I'll be on the bench like, 'Damn, he traveled. Damn, he traveled.'"

George continued to break down different types of commonly missed travels, including those on fastbreaks and in half-court settings. The six-time All-NBA selectee noted that James often gets away with egregious walks.

"There are some obvious travels you'll watch on TV where a guy has a fastbreak and takes five steps, and no ref calls it," George said. "Or the Bron situation where he's talking and directing, and taking steps as he's doing it, and then he dribbles again."

George added that attentive fans could "probably spot five to 10 travels" per game if they put their minds to it.

---

Paul George on "tricks" NBA players use to "get away with traveling"

Later in Paul George's podcast discussion, he and Reggie Jackson were asked which "tricks" NBA players use to "get away with traveling."

George called attention to players capitalizing on their step-through moves while Jackson pointed to players switching up their pivot feet.

"That step through is getting dangerous," George said.

"People changing pivot feet. You don't know what to call," Jackson said. "Yeah, it's definitely getting more dangerous."

George concurred with Jackson, adding that "dudes know how to manipulate their pivot foot."

However, officials cracking down on travels would likely inhibit the flow of games and could contribute to the league's reported viewership decline.

---

Photo: Paul George's wife Daniela Rajic shares candid picture of 76ers star with son Paul Vuk from movie night