[ChuckElias]

I would rather an official be a little too slow with counting than a little too fast. But I also would rather not see an official's 10-second count take 15 seconds. That's way too slow in my book.

I've been reffing for 14 years now and I still practice my count with the microwave. But usually, I use the shot clock to keep it. As Rut said, the 10-second count may not always start at the same time that the shot clock starts; but it usually does. So if I know the ball was controlled at the first touch, and I know the shot clock started properly, then I have a 10-second violation when the shot clock hits 25 (or 20, if you're using women's rules). And yes, I still do actually count, but when I get to about 8, I look at the clock to see how close I actually am.