Your team just scored a basket with 15.5 seconds to go in the game and you call a Time Out.
You are now LOSING by 5 points......and the other team will be inbounding the ball and heading for the opposite end of the court. Again now, there are 15.5 seconds left in the game.
It is your last Regular Season Game. If you WIN, you qualify for the first round of the Post Season Tournament Games. If you LOSE, you become a spectator at the Post Season Tournament games.
You call your LAST time out.
What do you tell your players to do?
You tell them to FOUL someone to stop the clock and hope the other team misses their Free Throw (they are in a 2 shot Bonus situation) so you can get the ball back and score, right? Preferably someone who is not a very good free throw shooter....
In comes the ball, NOT to the other team's Point Guard who is 8 for 8 from the Free Throw Line tonite, but to a recent Sub who is not one of the better players on the other team. (The Sub had replaced a starter that had fouled out.)
Your players makes minor foul contact on the opponent and my Referee Partner calls a Foul.
You holler at the Ref, "Why'd you call that foul!!??"
The opponent shoots and misses the 1st Free Throw, your team gets the rebound and races back down the court and your best shooter hits a 2 point shot to bring you within 3 point with 7 seconds on the clock.
The Visiting Coach calls a Time Out.
During the Time Out the Referee who called the Foul tells the Coach that since most Coaches DO want a Foul Call in that situation he called a Foul even tho it was minor contact that he could have ignored.
Ironically the Ref was thinking Coach would have screamed at him if he had NOT called the Foul.
You tell the Ref, "I didn't want a foul called and I never told my players to foul!"
Well, after the Time Out, the situation repeats with a quick Foul called against your team on a significant contact foul that possibly could have been called an Intentional Foul (which would give the opponent 2 Free Throws AND the ball. Game Over for your team!) But it was just called a regular Foul. (Maybe during this Time Out you DID tell your players to foul?)
The opponent again misses the 1st shot of a 2 point Shot Bonus and with 5.7 seconds on the clock, your player gets the rebound and races up the court to try for a 3 point shot and tie the game.
Most coaches would say this was an answer to a prayer, right?
Remember, you already used your last Time Out and CANNOT call another Time Out without costing your team a Technical Foul.
Your player, NOT your 3 point shooting expert, heaves up a shot with 2.5 seconds on the clock from about 30 feet away. Not many players are successful at hitting 30' shots, so this might not have been the best choice decision of the night......(And, YES, at least one of the Referees, the one away from the ball and play, IS keeping track of time on the clock.)
The shot falls short and an opposing player grabs the ball with 1.8 seconds on the clock and throws the ball to the other end of the court and time runs out.
As the Referee that made the Foul call runs past you to the locker room you holler out, "Dave, YOU cost us this game!!"
Was it really the Referee's fault your team lost the game?
Oh, did I mention 2 Starters from the other team had Fouled out in the 4th Quarter and that with 4 minutes in the 4th Quarter your team had a 6 point LEAD? The other team, with 2 starters out, managed to outscore your team by 11 point in the final 4 minutes of the game.
Yeah, you really should blame the Ref for your team's loss, shouldn't you?
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