NBA or NTA? First, find the gather.

Count later. Look at the ball first.

A slow-motion clip, three visible footfalls and an outraged caption: basketball's most efficient argument generator. The useful starting point is the gather. In the NBA, the timing of control determines when the step count begins.

For a dribbler, the gather can occur when both hands touch the ball, when the controlled ball comes to rest, when a hand underneath brings it to a pause, or when the player otherwise has enough control to hold, pass, shoot or cradle it. It does not require two hands.

Then count the steps.

A player gathering during a dribble may take two steps to stop, pass or shoot. Step one is the first contact with the floor by a foot, or both feet, after control is gained. A foot already planted when the gather occurs is not automatically step one.

That timing can explain a sequence that looks like three steps at first glance. It does not legalise every sequence with three footfalls. Identify control, then check each contact.

The gather is not a carry exemption.

The NBA separately prohibits putting a hand under the ball and carrying it between points, or bringing it to a pause and then continuing the dribble. A photograph of a hand beside the ball cannot settle what happened across the whole movement.

The two-step allowance also does not erase pivot rules. Starting a dribble from a stationary catch or legal stop requires releasing the ball before lifting the pivot foot. Consecutive hops on the same foot after ending the dribble or gaining control are prohibited.

Our ruling on the outrage.

Watch the whole action. Locate the gather. Count subsequent contacts. Check for a separate dribbling or pivot violation. If the angle hides the ball or a foot, say the evidence is inconclusive.

NBA or NTA? is a joke with homework. We will use the NBA's written rules and video examples, identify the competition, and keep an uncertain call uncertain. The verdict should survive after the punchline.

This explainer concerns NBA rules. Other competitions should be assessed against their own applicable rules and interpretations.