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The Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks played one of the best games of the playoffs in Game 4 on Sunday, but in the end it was the Knicks who came out on top with a 94-93 win to take a 3-1 lead in the series.
Some people — most people actually — will argue that Detroit should have had another chance to win it at the end. After the Pistons rebounded a Cade Cunningham miss and got the ball to Tim Hardaway Jr. in the corner, the sharpshooter appeared to be fouled on his final attempt at the buzzer. However, no call was made, and the Knicks walked away with the win.
You be the judge:
Here’s a closer look at the potential foul by Josh Hart on Tim Hardaway Jr….
Thoughts? 😬pic.twitter.com/3nRICEWQIy
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 27, 2025
It certainly appears as if Hardaway was fouled and that Josh Hart jumped into him on the shot. The son of the NBA legend would have had three shots to make two and send the Pistons back to Madison Square Garden in a tied series.
After the game, Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff couldn't believe the call wasn't made, via Eric Vincent of ClutchPoints.
“There was contact on Tim Hardaway’s jump shot. I don’t know any way around it,” Bickerstaff said. “There was contact on his jump shot.”
Fans will be keeping a close eye on the league's last two minute report on Monday morning for confirmation on the final call. Regardless, that is a play that is called a foul almost every time. Take it all the way back to the 2019 Final Four, when Virginia knocked off Auburn in part thanks to the same call in the final second.
No matter how they got over the finish line, the Knicks showed plenty of toughness and resilience to get back in the game and take the lead. First, point guard Jalen Brunson returned to the game after re-injuring his right ankle and dominated, getting bucket after bucket in the fourth quarter to help his team stay attached.
Then, when the game slowed down and possessions got tight, Karl-Anthony Towns got going. The big man knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and an incredibly difficult fallaway jumper in the final few minutes. The final triple gave the Knicks the lead just before controversy struck and overshadowed the end of the game.
The Knicks won't be looking to do anyone any favors despite benefitting from the missed call. Now, they are just one win away from moving on to the next round and will have a chance to do so in Game 5 back at home.
