The refs in the Knicks-Pistons series have been getting as much attention as the players.
Maybe it started after Game 2, when head coach Tom Thibodeau said Cade Cunningham was getting some calls that Jalen Brunson wasn’t.
“And look, I don’t give a crap how they call a game, as long as it’s consistent on both sides,” Thibodeau said that night.
There were two controversial calls at the end of Game 3: a non-call on a potential backcourt violation and a possession ruling after a clock malfunction. (Both calls were deemed correct and followed the current NBA rulebook (see Rule 4, section XIV for the dead-ball determination.)
You know how Game 4 ended: a non-call on contact from Josh Hart on Tim Hardaway Jr.’s three-point attempt that referees later admitted they missed.
If you’re a Pistons fan, you’re obviously upset about the non-call on the final possession. But if you look at the entirety of Game 4, the non-call at the end of the game was consistent with the previous 47-plus minutes.
The refs set the tone early by letting a lot of contact go, and they stuck with that approach throughout the game.
In Game 4, Cunningham shot four free throws on 23 field goal attempts. Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns each shot two free throws on a combined 49 attempts.
Total free-throw attempts were roughly even, with New York getting an 18-17 edge.
Maybe you don’t agree with some individual calls. But if you’re looking for consistency, you got it from the Game 4 crew.
If the refs started calling the game tighter in the final minute, they might have whistled Tobias Harris for a foul with about six seconds to play. Harris clearly hit Hart while trying to rebound Cunningham’s miss on his potential go-ahead basket. It’s also worth noting that the refs missed a potential game-changing call in Game 2 when Hart was fouled on a layup late in the fourth quarter. If Hart had made a free throw, it would have given the Knicks a one-point lead with 1:15 to play.
Cunning defense
Cunningham went 10-for-25 in the Knicks' Game 3 win, and he didn’t fare much better in Game 4. He went 11-for-23 and scored 25 points. Cunningham had 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but he also turned it over seven times. He missed five of his seven attempts in the fourth quarter.
After the game, players and Thibodeau lauded Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby.
“They’ve been great. They’ve been great all year. Regardless of what people say,” Brunson said. “It’s tough to guard people in this league. This league is clearly offensively driven. It’s tough to stop players one-on-one, but when you have two guys like that who just go out there, just play hard every possession, I like their chances.
"They’ve been doing that since I’ve known them, since I’ve been seeing them play, and I’m just glad they’re on my team.”
Building Bridges
Bridges was 1-for-10 from the field entering the fourth quarter. He’d missed all four of his three-point attempts. But he kept shooting. And Bridges hit two threes to start the fourth quarter, which spearheaded the Knicks.
Cam Payne gets an unofficial assist on the play. He was in Bridges’ ear throughout the game.
“He’s big on voicing, helping me out. Sometimes, him calling me some not good names helps, as well,” Bridges said with a laugh. “It just feeds off that. But it’s everybody, man. Like, Ty, I swear it’s everybody. Even Josh, JB, when we’re on the court, they just tell me to stick with it.
"I know I’m ready. I know I’m ready. It’s not fun missing, and you wait for that next opportunity to shoot again and I appreciate those guys, always.”
Raphielle Johnson
