At 5'9, Isaiah Thomas isn't going to win many jump ball situations, especially when he's going up against 6'7 Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. So what do you do when you have a ten inch disadvantage? Make the other guy do all the jumping and collect the fruit of his labor:
Isaiah Thomas tried to win a jump ball without jumping for the ball
Unfortunately for Thomas and the Celtics, that's a jump ball violation. According to the NBA rulebook, "Neither jumper may catch the tossed or tapped ball until it touches one of the eight non-jumpers, the floor, the basket or the backboard." Since Thomas was the first person to touch the ball, possession went back to the Nets. Still, we tip our hats to Thomas' creativity and hustle to almost make this work.
