Posted on 04/27/2025 8:13:45 PM PDT by nickcarraway
In a highly physical Game 4 between the New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons, in which seemingly so many contact-filled plays weren't resulting in fouls, officials acknowledged after the fact that one huge one was missed on the final play.
With the Knicks leading by one, Detroit's Tim Hardaway Jr. drew contact from New York's Josh Hart as Hardaway went up for the potential winning shot with 0.3 seconds remaining. The 3-point attempt misfired, and the sold-out crowd awaited a foul call.
It never came, incensing the Pistons bench and fans. The Knicks, meanwhile, escaped with a 94-93 victory and a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series.
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Eastern Conference playoffs: Knicks and Celtics take 3-1 lead 23mNBA insiders After the contest, crew chief David Guthrie told pool reporters that officials should have called a foul on Hart.
"During live play, it was judged that Josh Hart made a legal defensive play," Guthrie said. "After postgame review, we observed that Hart makes body contact that is more than marginal to Hardaway Jr., and a foul should have been called."
Had the foul been called, Hardaway would have gone to the foul line for three free throws that could have given Detroit the lead. Instead, the Knicks held on to win after rallying from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter and can close out the series at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday evening.
Guthrie's admission affirmed what Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff and the rest of the Pistons said after the game.
"There was contact on Tim Hardaway's jump shot. [Hart] left his feet," said Bickerstaff, who chased down officials on the court to plead his case as the Knicks celebrated the no-call.
Said Hardaway: "You all saw it. It was blatant."
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.com ...
Boo freakin hoo.
The fix was in.
and michael jordan pushed off on his final shot
nothing new
Detroit fans are used to it.
Just remember when they took away the winning two-point conversion against the Cowboys the previous NFL season.
And I’m sure when the Tigers make the playoffs, they’ll figure out how to screw them, as well.
Exactly.
Former NBA ref Tim Donaghy said the NBA wanted major market teams to move on and vie for the NBA Championship.
Many years ago when Colin Cowherd was still in Portland, he asked David Stern if the NBA wanted the Lakers to make it to the Finals. Stern said it would be good for the league if the Lakers were in the Finals. In two separate seasons the Lakers were down 3-1 to the Blazers and the Kings. During the next the games, far more fouls were called on the Blazers and Kings.
If the NBA was honest, the refs in this game will not be moving on to the next round. The ref 5 feet away from the shooter wasn’t even looking at the two players; he was following the ball.
And the Lakers are now down 3-1 to the Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves are so screwed.
That’s sports - even the best will make an occasional mistake - deal with it.
I would say to the Pistons and their fans, don't put yourself in the position of needing a last-second three or a foul call to win the game.
There’s cheating at the officiating level at NFL games. No reason for the NBA not to do it, too.
If the finals turn out to be Cleveland - Oklahoma City, woe to the TV ratings.
Boston - LA would be ideal, but it’s looking bad for the Lakers.
lol yes we are.
...and the Calvin Johnson rule.
...and the St. Brown TD called back due to bad on-field call, requiring a 10s runoff ‘penalty’, ending the game.
...and the (thumb grazed) QB ‘facemask’ giving Green Bay another Hail Mary chance, to win.
...there’s whole videos on rules being changed because of Detroit games.
When Matthew Stafford left for LA, we all KNEW he’d win a SB - because that would be the biggest kick in the teeth as a Lions fan. It had to happen!
I’ve learned to sit back and laugh.
And college level.
I don’t think NBA refs have been considered “the best” in my lifetime. I think they have always been considered the worst.
In fairness, the NBA was doing it longer and worse. The NFL had the best refs until Goodell took over. Go back to the 80’s, it’s not like they were perfect, but they were very good.
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