If you want to make a sports fan happy, give them a deep dive into a goofy pool. To wit: Ben Dowsett going nearly 5,000 words on the jump ball, that contested toss that has started every game of basketball since 1891. Micro-analyzing the tradecraft used by both referees and players, Dowsett crams the piece with GIFs and videos aplenty to illustrate why it takes more than height to win the tip.
Every ref develops their own nuanced style. Crawford had a method of moving his head side to side, ostensibly checking all 10 players, before suddenly tossing the ball up with two hands. Rush would talk to the jumpers, then toss mid-sentence to surprise them; Javie and current NBA ref czar Monty McCutchen would also bounce the ball while talking, randomizing their bounce height and the number of bounces to keep players guessing.
Vaden would wait until both jumpers were set, then rock forward on his feet as if to throw the ball—typically fooling both players and getting them on their toes. “As soon as they both rocked back and got low, I would throw it,” Vaden says. Zach Zarba, one of today’s elite NBA officials, who has called several consecutive Finals, uses a similar extra pause.
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