Sometimes the rhythm just takes control.
Magic guard Chris Duhon set the internet ablaze when he broke out his "Travel Dance" to celebrate a critical final-minute walking violation by Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granter that helped give Orlando an upset victory in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference playoff series on Saturday.
Duhon couldn't control his glee and was caught on camera celebrating the violation by rotating his hands over each other, mimicking the official hand signal for travelling, and bouncing up and down while bending at the knees.
In a video interview posted on NBA.com, Duhon explained that the dance was totally spontaneous.
"I mean it's just a spur of the moment thing," he said. "The emotions of the game. It was a huge play for us, a big play for us, it wasn't something that I thought about, it was just something that happened at the time... It was a defining play for us and my emotions kind of [got] the best of me."
Duhon said the Magic have specific dances or celebrations for made 3-pointers and 2-handed dunks. His main dancing partner is Magic forward Quentin Richardson and his speciality is the air guitar.
He also explained that Saturday was not the official debut of the travel dance, although it was the first time he had done it during an NBA game.
"Usually for my basketball camp, when I'm refereeing, I blow the whistle long and do the travel all the way down the court," he said. "Other than that, I haven't done it in any of our basketball games."
One YouTube clip of Duhon's dance had been viewed 151,000 times in less than 24 hours after Duhon broke it down. He seemed amused by how much attention his celebration has received online and was even asked if he had potentially started a new dance craze.
"It's been rumored that it's starting something," he said. "It's nothing special but you never know. There are all types of new dances that people come up with."
