Clock reads 0:00

[jdmara]

Had a situation on Sunday I was uncertain of at a men's league game at the local rec center (which surprisingly was enjoyable, good group of guys). Anyways, in the final seconds of the first half Team A makes a basket and Team B quickly calls timeout. Both my partner and I whistle for the timeout and look up at the clock to see 0:00 (without the buzzer sounding). Unfortunately, the scoreboard at the rec center does not display tenths of a second in the fleeting moments of the final minute, however, the scoreboard module does. The time on the module reads 0:00.5.

5-2-5

ART. 5 . . . When play is resumed with a throw-in or free throw and three-tenths (.3) of a second or less remains on the clock, a player may not gain control of the ball and try for a field goal. In this situation only a tap could score.
NOTE: This rule does not apply if the clock does not display tenths of a second.

I don't quite know how to interpret the note in 5-2-5. Does that mean that if the clock reads 0:00, the period is complete? Or does that mean a player may gain control of the ball and try for a field goal as long as their release is completed before the buzzer sounds? My intuition is that the period is completed once the clock reads 0:00 but I'm, honestly, uncertain. Unfortunately the 2008-2009 casebook does not address this situation. This probably is because the clocks are suppose to display tenths of a second.

Thanks Gentleman!

-Josh