NBA

Nets’ Blatche explains Fifth Ave. skipping video

As anyone who follows Andray Blatche’s Twitter account knows, the Nets big man enjoys having fun on social media. Fans got their latest chance to see Blatche’s sense of humor on display when he recently posted a video on his Instagram account of himself Euro-stepping down Fifth Avenue.

“I don’t know,” Blatche said with a laugh following Monday’s practice in New Jersey  when asked where the idea for the video came from. “It just came to mind. We were walking down Fifth Ave., and for some reason, I kept walking and doing this [as he did a Euro-step]. I was like, next person that walks up, I am gonna Euro-step around them.”

The Euro-step — using sideways steps while driving to the rim to get past defenders and avoid being called for offensive fouls –has been around for a while, but has become mainstream in the NBA since Spurs star Manu Ginobili popularized the technique.

Blatche, who is a good ball-handler for a player of his size, playfully said at times last season he could play “point-center” for the Nets. Could we see a point-center Euro-step in a game this season?

“If I get the opportunity to do it,” Blatche said with a broad smile, “I’m gonna bust it out.”