Good or No Good?

[Chess Ref]

Lets say they were watching the clock to make sure it started but it didn't
would you

A. tweet, and talk to timer to make sure he got it this time

B. Just count it yourself then blow whistle after time ,in your count , had expired.

[Texas Aggie]

Something similar happened around here a few years ago during a playoff game I went to watch -- not to work (thank God!!). 3.4 seconds left, TO after made basket, so team down by 3, who has the ball, can run the baseline. They throw a pass out of bounds followed by a pass down 3/4s of the court to about the 3 point line a third or so of the way between the top of the key and the corner. Buzzer goes off when he starts to dribble. From replays, I saw that the lead official realizes clock started too soon (on first OOB pass) about the time the buzzer went off.

To make a very long story as short as possible, they replayed it, putting it back at the baseline, but this time, the clock operator accidentally put 3 minutes, 40 seconds on the clock as he couldn't differentiate that on his clock from 3.4 seconds. During this sequence, thee buzzer never goes off, but the clock runs. The long inbounds pass is stolen, the ball is thrown up in the air for jubilation purposes, and when it comes down, the team behind grabs the ball and sinks a 2 point shot. Then, everyone realizes the clock was set wrong. Instead of calling that the game (there were at least 4-5 seconds in all that play), they decide to do it ONE MORE TIME. It ended up with the team ahead winning, but I swear, there would have been a riot there had the team behind tied the game and eventually won.

Know what's on the clock and when it should go off.

[johnnyrao]

Originally Posted by Texas Aggie

Something similar happened around here a few years ago during a playoff game I went to watch -- not to work (thank God!!). 3.4 seconds left, TO after made basket, so team down by 3, who has the ball, can run the baseline. They throw a pass out of bounds followed by a pass down 3/4s of the court to about the 3 point line a third or so of the way between the top of the key and the corner. Buzzer goes off when he starts to dribble. From replays, I saw that the lead official realizes clock started too soon (on first OOB pass) about the time the buzzer went off.

To make a very long story as short as possible, they replayed it, putting it back at the baseline, but this time, the clock operator accidentally put 3 minutes, 40 seconds on the clock as he couldn't differentiate that on his clock from 3.4 seconds. During this sequence, thee buzzer never goes off, but the clock runs. The long inbounds pass is stolen, the ball is thrown up in the air for jubilation purposes, and when it comes down, the team behind grabs the ball and sinks a 2 point shot. Then, everyone realizes the clock was set wrong. Instead of calling that the game (there were at least 4-5 seconds in all that play), they decide to do it ONE MORE TIME. It ended up with the team ahead winning, but I swear, there would have been a riot there had the team behind tied the game and eventually won.

Know what's on the clock and when it should go off.

Now where have I seen this one before...oh yeah, the 1972 Olympic Men's Basketball Final game in Munich.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by Texas Aggie

To make a very long story as short as possible, they replayed it, putting it back at the baseline, but this time, the clock operator accidentally put 3 minutes, 40 seconds on the clock as he couldn't differentiate that on his clock from 3.4 seconds.

And no one looking at the scoreboard could tell the difference either?

[A Pennsylvania Coach]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

And no one looking at the scoreboard could tell the difference either?

The scoreboard in the new gym at my alma mater shows tenths and hundredths during the final minute. If the clock stops at 5.82 seconds, the scoreboard shows 5:82 and no one is confused. If it stops at 3.40 seconds, it would show 3:40 and a person could be confused.

Come to think of it, there may be lights in between the MM and the SS that can change from : to . but I'm not sure about that.

[ca_rumperee]

from OP

There is dead ball timeout with 3.5 seconds on the clock. Team takes it out of bounds after the timeout.

What exactly are you doing/saying both within the team of referees and to the table during this timeout? Say for 2-man and 3-man?

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Chess Ref

Lets say they were watching the clock to make sure it started but it didn't
would you

A. tweet, and talk to timer to make sure he got it this time

B. Just count it yourself then blow whistle after time ,in your count , had expired.

Probably B because with that little time and a full court pass, I don't want to interrupt a scoring play.
BTW I'm making a VISIBLE COUNT in such situations just in case the timer visits LA-LA land and the clock doesn't start. If I am going to end a period/game without a horn, you can darn well bet that my count is going to show up on video.

Unfortunately, this stuff does happen as the NFHS manual notes. Timers sometimes get excited about the game and involved in watching the action and forget to do their job. We need to know the rules and deal with it properly. That means that if there is no count and no definite knowledge, the basket counts, nothing is taken off the clock and the opponent is awarded an end line throw-in. Sucks for them, but mistakes happen.