‘No-foul call’ controversy as Knicks escape Pistons’ last-second shot for 3–1 lead

DUBAI: For the second straight game, the New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons went down to the wire. The Knicks had secured a 118–116 win in Game 3, and Game 4 was just as dramatic on Sunday.

With the Pistons down by one point, the ball was batted around in the final seconds and ended up in Tim Hardaway Jr.’s hands. He shot a three-pointer just before the buzzer and drew some contact from New York’s Josh Hart that was not called a foul.

Had the shot gone in, or had a foul been called, it could have won the game for Detroit, but instead, the Knicks sealed a 3–1 series lead.

NBA referee David Guthrie commented to a pool reporter after the game: “During live play, it was judged that Josh Hart made a legal defensive play.

“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.”

The Knicks and Pistons have delivered a highly competitive and nail-biting series so far.

As former New York Knicks player Joakim Noah described it: “They’re in for a real fight against the Detroit Pistons.”

Speaking in Abu Dhabi at the BRED Festival on Thursday, Noah predicted a tense first-round series. “The playoffs are the pinnacle of our sport, and the intensity is very high.

“The Knicks are a good team, they’re very well-coached. But the playoffs are about matchups,” he said

Describing the Pistons, Noah said: “This is a young team that lost a lot last year, and when you lose that much, it brings a different kind of pain. The Pistons carried that pain this year, and they’ve had a great season.

“Now they get to play on the big stage. I think the New York Knicks are a very good team, but they’re up against a real battle right now against the