“Where is the New York media now?” That was how Monty Williams chose to start his minute-long tirade over the officiating during a hard-fought battle between the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks. The Pistons coach was visibly upset during the team’s postgame conference and made his feelings clear before storming off the stage.
The Pistons were leading by one point at Madison Square Garden when the controversial incident took place. Knicks guard DiVincenzo turned the ball over and in an overzealous attempt to win it back dove into Ausar Thompson’s legs. The referees deemed the play to be fair leading to an easy layup and foul to secure a slender 113-111 win for the home team.
“The absolute worst call of the season,” said Williams. “Enough is enough. We are sick of hearing the same stuff over and over again.”
"The absolute worst call of the season. Enough is enough!"
Monty Williams goes off on refs and then walks out of press conference after the Pistons 2-point loss to the Knicks.pic.twitter.com/unUyXbkr8b
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 27, 2024
Williams went on to call the no call an “abomination” and said the Pistons have reached out to the league and forward footage of the incident.
The game’s crew chief James Williams admitted afterwards that a review of the footage showed Thompson had reached the ball first and a loose ball foul should have been called.
The New York Knicks were on the receiving end of a similar call on February 13 when Jalen Brunson was called for a contentious foul in the finals seconds of a game against Houston Rockets. The Knicks would go on to lose that game 105-103.
The Pistons drop to 8-49 on the season and remain at the bottom of the NBA standings as we approach the final quarter of the season.
