NBA referee David Guthrie admits he made a major error in the New York Knicks’ clash with the Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons lost Game Four of the series 94-93 to fall to a 3-1 deficit against the Knicks.
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They came agonisingly close to stealing the victory in the final moments of the fourth quarter as Tim Hardaway Jr’s three-point attempt nearly missed the mark.
Hardaway was clearly fouled in the chaotic finish, but referee David Guthrie didn’t deem the contact from Josh Hart worthy of a foul.
Replays showed that Hart’s contact was indeed foul-worthy, much to the frustration of Knicks head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
And after the game, Guthrie, surprisingly, admitted he should’ve made a foul call against Hart.
He said: “During live play, it was judged that Josh Hart made a legal defensive play.
“After [a] post-game review, we observed that Hart makes body contact that is more than marginal to Hardaway Jr.
“And a foul should have been called.”
NBA fans were quick to comment on Guthrie’s admission, which spread like wildfire on social media.
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One said: “There were a ton of non-calls against the Knicks too.”
And another said: “Did he acknowledge the missed foul calls against the Knicks.
“KAT hits a 3 from half court that is the winning shot, acknowledge that.”
Another said: A lot of good that does now, garbage refs continue.”
One remarked: “More than marginal.”
Another chimed in: “Oh well.”
Bickerstaff couldn’t help but vent his fury in the post-game press conference, saying: “You go back and look at the film, the guy leaves his feet.
“There’s contact on Tim Hardaway, his jump shot. I don’t know any other way around it.
“There’s contact on his jump shot.
“The guy leaves his feet, he’s at Timmy’s mercy, and I repeat, there’s contact on his jump shot.”