NBA Backs Late Calls From Bizarre Knicks Ending

By far the most controversial happening in the final stanzas was a New York inbounds play with just over five seconds remaining: standing on the sideline of the Knicks' attacking end with a 116-113 lead, Mikal Bridges passed the ball to Jalen Brunson, who caught the ball after fleeing beyond the centercourt line, where he was fouled by Ausar Thompson in an attempt to extend the game.

Detroit argued that Brunson should've been called for a backcourt violation, which would've granted it a possession for a potential equalizer. Zarba, however, ruled that Brunson had not yet obtained possession of the ball and avoided such a charge by rule. His analysis was backed up in the NBA's report.

"Brunson's momentum carries him into the backcourt when he first touches the ball, so he is not considered to be in a positive frontcourt position," the report declares. "During a throw-in in the last two minutes of the fourth period, a player does not attain frontcourt (or backcourt) status until they have established a positive position in that half of the court."

While that call went in the Knicks favor, a metropolitan grievance emerged shortly after.

With the Knicks in the bonus, Brunson hit one of two awarded free throw attempts to create a two-possession lead. But a Tobias Harris triple in the penultimate second forced the Knicks to tighten their belts one last time. With the gap narrowed to one, Brunson was once again fouled, with a Malik Beasley attack sending him to the charity stripe this time around. At the time of the foul, less than one second (0.5) remained on the clock.

Brunson sank the first shot to create a 118-116 lead. He then intentionally missed his second try, hoping to run out the clock in the ensuing scrum for the rebound.

While that appeared to work, officials ruled that the clock had started early, namely when Brunson's successfully failed attempt hit the rim rather than any participant's hand. During a subsequent huddle and visit to the video monitor to confirm the "clock malfunction," both teams got to go to the sidelines. The Pistons, out of timeouts, not only got a chance to draw up a play but were awarded the coveted possession on the sideline away from the basketball they were attacking.