On Monday, April 21, the Detroit Pistons thrashed the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series with a 100-94 win at Madison Square Garden. It was a close game and both teams went all in to pile more points, but in the end, the Pistons got the upper hand.
While the loss was stinging for the Knicks, head coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t happy for a different reason: officiating. New York’s head coach took aim at the refs, specifically about missed foul calls on Jalen Brunson. Thibodeau felt the officiating played a big part in the Knicks’ tough loss.
Tom Thibodeau Blasts Refs for Missed Calls
Thibodeau’s main issue came with one stat, which was free throws. The Knicks only shot 19, while the Pistons had 34.
“Obviously, a huge discrepancy in free throws. Huge,” Thibodeau said. He added that he needed to take a closer look at it because it didn’t make sense to him.
Thibodeau was frustrated that while Detroit’s Cade Cunningham was getting fouled on his drives, Brunson wasn’t getting the same calls. He explained, “I don’t understand how on one side, you talk about the direct line drives, the guys getting fouled, and it’s not getting called.”
Then, Thibodeau made it clear.
“I don’t care how they call the game as long as it’s consistent on both sides. If Cunningham’s driving and getting to the line for marginal contact, then Jalen deserves to be getting to the line too.”
For Thibodeau, it was about fairness and consistency from the refs.
Numbers Offer Little Backing for Thibodeau’s Officiating Concerns
When you look at the foul count, though, it’s pretty even. The Pistons had 24, and the Knicks had 22. So, it wasn’t a huge difference there. As for free throws, Cunningham shot 10-of-12, and Brunson went 9-of-11 — very close numbers.
But Thibodeau’s point was that even though the Knicks shot fewer free throws, they fought back hard in the second half. They almost pulled off another big comeback, but the Pistons held on to win 100-94.
Cunningham had a huge game, finishing with 33 points and 12 rebounds, including 20 in the first half. The Pistons didn’t shoot well from 3 (6-of-27), but they got the win anyway.
Brunson, meanwhile, led the Knicks with 37 points and seven assists. All five Knicks starters scored in double figures, but Karl-Anthony Towns struggled in the second half and didn’t score.
With the series tied 1-1, Game 3 will be on Thursday, April 24, in Detroit. Thibodeau’s going to be paying close attention to the officiating again, that’s for sure.