[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by bucky

I see your point however the OP neither had a fumble nor a muff. The OP indicated 3 times that the inbounder included a pass.

Let's try this: Team B scores a basket. During the subsequent throw-in, your 5-second count is at 4 and A1 and A2 are out of bounds behind the endline. Inbounder A1 throws a pass, which travels high and over the endline, and you stop your count. In a surprise move, A1, still out of bounds, steps back, and takes a running leap, jumps over the endline, catches the ball in the air, and throws it back to A2, who is still out of bounds. This stepping back, catching, and throwing back to A2 action, took more than 2 seconds.

When A1 caught his own pass, was that legal?
When the official stopped counting, is there recourse?
Can the official resume counting? If so when? Or is it simply a 5 second violation even though the count was stopped but you knew it took longer than 5 seconds?
What does "directly on the court" mean?

Officials stop counting on the release, not when the ball touches something. So in the OP, should not have the official stopped counting once the pass was released? (remember it was not a fumble/muff, but rather a pass)

The thrower must keep one foot on or over the throw-in spot. In this case, the out of bounds area behind the end line. So A1 violated in your scenario.