On Tuesday night, the Detroit Pistons hosted the Miami Heat in a hotly-contested matchup that had heavy implications on both team’s postseason chances. It was the Heat that came out victorious after Hassan Whiteside’s buzzer-beating tip-in with a final score of 97-96.
If a last-second one-point defeat that dealt a big blow to their playoff hopes was already terrible for the team from the Motor City, the NBA’s recent admission about a couple of missed calls on the controversial final play just makes the loss downright dreadful.
FWIW (very little) NBA says two fouls should have been called on that final Pistons-Bulls rebound sequence last night. pic.twitter.com/aUuij6tik6
— David Mayo (@David_Mayo) March 29, 2017
The NBA identified two separate incidents on the last play, just moments before Whiteside’s successful put-back, in which the game officials should have called for a foul, but failed to do so.
First was Rodney McGruder’s push on Ish Smith that sent the latter crashing to the floor as the two were battling for the rebound after James Johnson’s jump shot attempt.
Almost simultaneously, Whiteside also shoved Andre Drummond on the rebound play which was also deemed as a foul in retrospect.
Had the whistle been blown on either fouls, the Pistons would have been given free throws with just five seconds remaining. With a one-point lead at that point, it would have placed them in a great position to close out the ballgame and secure the victory.
Unfortunately for Detroit, this admission won’t be able to change the outcome of the ballgame. It will still reflect as a loss on their record that has brought them all the way to tenth place in the East with a 34-41 record.
For the Heat, the win was a big one and after another victory last night against the New York Knicks they now sit at the seventh seed with just seven games remaining on their schedule.
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