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Why is traveling so integral to the NBA?

If you were paying close attention to the Knicks-Heat game Monday night, you might have noticed an egregious no-call in the waning moments of the 3rd quarter, when Carmelo Anthony took what appeared to be a half-dozen steps before hoisting up a (missed) 3-pointer.

It wouldn't be the first time that Rule No. 10, Section XIII of the NBA rulebook – the league's base traveling rule – has been violated with such astonishing vigor. Three weeks ago, OKC's D.J. Augustin enjoyed a similarly exhilarating walkabout in the 2nd quarter of the Thunder's game against Houston.

While fans might be tempted to criticize the NBA and its officiating crews for letting such long jaunts go uncalled on the regular, former player and current NBA Analyst Brian Scalabrine has a different take on the matter. The player in him understands the art of manipulating the dribble (within the technical confines of Rule No. 10 Section XIII) and the spectator in him knows it's good for business.

As he concedes to Yahoo Sports, "there's a reason no one goes to high school games. There's a reason our TV contract is in the billions."