Then what's the benefit of an opposing coach calling a timeout after the first of two free throws or a football coach calling a timeout before a field goal attempt?

By your theory, there's no point..... But coaches do it on a regular basis, so there must be something to it.

Because - according to reports - one of the officials had already asked/directed them to correct the error repeatedly. At that point, stop being polite and tell them to fix it and fix it right now - which is what Crawford did.

Yeah, urban myths that it somehow affects the shooter or FG kicker.

A lot of people do stuff that has no intellectual basis.

Yes Virginia, Free Throw Shooters Can Be Iced ...
 

Add me to the list. I have no empirical data, but I have a lifetime of personal anecdotal data. I've shot a lot of free throws over the years. The second is always easier, and more accurate. Miss the first, adjust the second. Make the first, do the same thing for the second. Timing, and routine, are always important in free throw shooting.

Let's Go To The Videotape ...
 

At least in the NFL, kickers actually make it at a higher clip after an opposing head coach tries to "ice" him. Still doesn't stop coaches from the practice. Fans and coaches always remember the one time that it concidently "works."

In fact, you don't even see NBA coaches try this silly practice. Timeouts are too valuable, in being able to advance the ball, for them to waste one of their at maximum 3 timeouts at the end of the game.

I'd guess that coaches do it when time is running out since it is the only hope they thing they have and that there is no use going to the locker room with timeouts remaining. Of course, the stats you show seem to suggest that it is actually counterproductive. I'd be interested to see such stats with respect to basketball where there are two shots and the 2nd one is iced. It may have a different result than the case where there is only one attempt to be taken as in football.

He should have, and could have waited until the free throw was over, especially considering Durant already had the ball. Crawford just tries to put on a show and always seems to have to make a scene about everything.

And if teams think the foul situation is different, then what? What if a foul took place with a team thinking they were not in the bonus?

Peace

What if the scoreboard is wrong about the score and a team thinks it is behind when the game is actually tied and commits a foul?

That would be a protest in the making...that would have a high chance of being upheld. ;)

Is it wrong that I am now rooting for a protest?

Wow...just...wow.

What if Memphis wanted to run a quick throw-in and rush the ball up the court after the made free throw to catch OKC off-guard on defense? So it's alright to interrupt that opportunity?

All calling the ball back from the FT shooter does is make him start his routine over again, a routine he's done thousands of times in his career. This "icing" whining is so freaking funny.

What happens if there's a miss? Are you going to stop play right away to fix the board? What happens if the FT is made but Memphis is leaking a guy down the court hoping to catch OKC off guard and for an easy two...yet you blew your whistle and stopped play because you didn't take care of business before hand? If you stop the play on a made FT, you allow the defense to set up the defense rather than the offense being able to get the ball in quick and push the pace and in doing so, set up a potential mismatch because the defense didn't get back quickly. What if a team carries out a strategy due to the misinformation on the board (commits a foul/plays out a possession)?

So many scenarios that can be affected by not taking care of this right away...and yet people are concerned about the league MVP and excellent FT shooter at 87 percent being "iced."