Interesting Strategy

[rainmaker]

Saw a trick play in a very normal situation last week that has raised a couple of questions in my mind. Here's the normal part of the play --

A1 scores and then sets up for a tight press. B1 grabs the ball as it falls through the basket, and then stands facing the endline and waits for B2 to step oob, then passes the ball to B2. B2 doesn't step out, until she's sure everything is the way it needs to be. She stands facing the rest of the floor with her feet just inside the baseline, watching to see where the other players were. Then she finally stepped out, and quickly received and passed the ball.

The first time I saw this, I figured they were just disorganized, because it didn't take very long to run through the process. But then I saw it again, and it took a little longer than that first time. They used it a couple or three more times in the game.

Obviously, my partner and I both started counting as soon as it was apparent that B1 had the ball, in other words, right away. They never complained about the count so it appeared that their play wasn't to buy time. I think it must have just been a way to trick the defense a little.

Here are my questions: First, is it legal?

What rights does B1 have while she is holding the ball? Could a defender legally steal the ball, if it didn't involve any body contact? Could B1 be fouled?

Could a defender intercept the ball while it is in the air on the pass from B1 to B2?