The Detroit Pistons lost a heartbreaker to the Knicks in game four to send the series back to New York with Detroit trailing 3-1.
A lot will be made of the no-call on Tim Hardaway’s shot at the end of the game (more on that in a second) but the refs aren’t to blame for this loss.
The refs didn’t cause the Pistons to commit egregious turnovers in the first half.
The refs didn’t cause all of those missed shots. They didn’t force JB Bickerstaff to waste a challenge in a 10-8 game in the first quarter on a meaningless out of bounds play.
The refs didn’t cause Cade Cunningham to miss the final shot, even after he got to the exact spot he wanted to. I guarantee you that one will haunt Cade this summer if the Pistons can’t come back.
You also have to tip your cap to the Knicks, who hit some unbelievably tough shots in crunch time, including a fadeaway from Karl-Anthony Towns where he was falling out of bounds and had to shoot over the backboard.
The Knicks have hit more big shots than the Pistons, and that has nothing to do with the refs. There were several times the Pistons could have blown the roof off of LCA but failed to make the shot, only to have the Knicks connect on the other end.
That being said...
Tim Hardaway Jr. was fouled on the final play
It wasn’t the worst foul in the game, but Josh Hart fouled Tim Hardaway Jr. on the final play of the game.
The most frustrating part is that THJ didn’t flop or bait for a foul but went straight up and got bumped, something defender Josh Hart admitted after the game:
“Did I make contact with him? Yeah, I made contact with him. Was it legal? I don’t know. We’ll see in the last two-minute report.”
We will indeed. In fact, the refs already admitted their blunder
Officials rule a foul should’ve been called on Josh Hart pic.twitter.com/RH8nsuLSu0
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) April 27, 2025
He would have gone to the line with a chance to take the lead, which wouldn’t have guaranteed victory, especially with some of the ridiculous shots the Knicks were making.
But the Pistons didn’t get the call and have to live with it. It’s not the only reason they lost the game, and I am certain they’ll be thinking more about missed shots and turnovers.
This series still isn’t over, but the Pistons will be kicking themselves for dropping a game they probably should have won.