NBA signal question
 

was watching clevelands game last night and seen the ref's signal to each other moving their hands over their heads back an forth??? just wondering what that signal was for??? both times i seen them do it, it was under a minute, so i thought it may be letting everyone know that there is under a minute on the clock!

What ways to you guys let everyone know when there is under a minute? some hold up 1 finger till everyone notices, don't like that one very well..

that was to inform Dick Bavetta that his Toupee was falling off.

You're exactly right jritchie. It is to inform the crew that there is under one minute left in the game. I like this as well as the one finger in the air, but whatever works to keep you and your crew on the same page. There are a couple of other signals that you might have seen them use as well. They put two fingers up when under two minutes in the 4th qtr. and they use the illegal use of hands signal below their waist while the ball is alive to indicate to the other members of the crew that the other team is most likely looking to take a foul and to make sure you take it quick, but then again that is the good thing about the nba guys, is if they want to take a foul, then when they go to take a foul on someone they will say the word "foul" as they touch the player and you can just blow it without it getting ugly.

The signal over the head that you saw is for the last minute of each quarter and last 2 minutes of the game... Lets everyone know to pay attention.
Once there is less than 24 seconds, they show one finger for the last shot...

I love this mechanic and wish it would beome a NF mechanic

I vote for this to become an NFHS approved signal. Other possibilities for new signals:

Clenched fists facing each other, moving up and down in opposite directions - Shine your shoes!

Finger circling near temple - You must have taken an open book qualifying test.

Both hands on hips, stern expression - If you ever call 3 seconds in my area again ...

Both hands on head, then shoulders, then hips - What are you doing over there, the Macarena? :cool: :rolleyes:

I've seen it used, and I've used it at camp b/c everybody else did. But frankly, I think it's kind of silly. If you're working a college or NBA game and you don't know that there's a minute left in the game, you've got bigger problems than remembering to put up 1 finger for the last shot.

"Lets everyone know to pay attention"?!?! Like I'm just standing around, picking my nose, checking out the cheerbabes; but when I see that "1 minute" signal, I'm suddenly going to pay attention to the game? :) Come on, we're already paying attention. I don't need a signal to tell me to pay attention.

JMHO

that's how i feel about it chuck, maybe a signal between everyone to make sure who knows who has the last shot, but if that is covered in the pre-game you don't need that either i guess! It's just good sometimes to make sure who really has it, so you don't have someone counting it and another waving it off!

Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. But, if that's the case. Maybe they need the traveling signal above their head to remind them there is a traveling violation. :D

You musta watched the end of the Knicks opener the other night. Fifteen seconds to go....steal and a pass....the guy taking the pass ends up taking...oh...about <b>six (6)</b> freaking steps...and the call is......a foul at the end of the 6 steps. Hit 2 FT's and win by 1.

The NBA......Faaaaaaantastic!:D

After 3 OTs you wouldn't have called that travel either.

Besides, the tournament director was getting pissed because the rest of the games were now all backed up...

They must of been busy looking at each other's under 15 second signal and missed the traveling! :)

Rag on it as much as you want, but these are all good mechanics. It's better to be safe than sorry. You all know at one point and time in your careers that you looked up at the clock and there was about 5 seconds or less on the clock and you had no idea. Another reason they use this mechanic mainly under 2 minutes in the 4th qtr. is because there can be certain things that happen under that time that are administered or enforced differently, i.e., substitutions and away from the play fouls.

if you have no idea there are 5 seconds left i would suggest maybe a double shot of espresso before the game :)

I'm not ragging on it. At least, that wasn't my intent. I even said I've used it myself. But the fact is that the signal is totally and absolutely unnecessary for any official that officiates D1 NCAA or NBA, which is typically where you see it used. Those officials already know that there's 1 minute or 2 minutes left in the game. They already know when it's under 24 (or 30 or 35) in the game. If they didn't, they wouldn't be on those games. Additionally, in NBA games, the PA Announcer tells everyone when the clock hits 2 minutes in the 4th quarter and 1 minute in each quarter. The finger in the air is just unnecessary and, IMHO, silly-looking.

And yes, I have absolutely been surprised to see only 5 seconds left in the game. But that was 10 years ago in a Saturday morning kiddie league.

I realize that we discuss things in the closing minutes that we all already know. I realize that it's good to remind ourselves of things -- like the arrow and bonus situations or TO's remaining. But to me, the "1 minute" mechanic is superfluous.

(The thing I was ragging on, BTW, was your rationale for using the mechanic; viz., that it tells everyone to pay attention.)