Anyone who’s ever jacked up a fadeaway 3 in a pickup basketball game knows there are two sure ways to start a fight on the playground.
In the debut of 3-on-3 halfcourt hoops at the Olympics on Saturday, Arvin Slagter of The Netherlands set a vicious pick on Dejan Majstorovic of Serbia that sent Majstorovic crumpling to the ground.
A whistle blew. A referee wearing a slate-gray T-shirt and black shorts balled his hand into a fist, thrust out his arm and made the call that would get fists flying in a totally different way in a real street game.