Refs Not Calling Jalen Brunson’s Backcourt Violation Has JB Bickerstaff Fuming, Knicks HC Tom Thibodeau Puzzled Too

The New York Knicks took a lead tonight in Game 3 of their series against the Detroit Pistons. All three games so far have been close, but it’s Jalen Brunson and Co. that are leading the series 2-1. Although they registered an important 118-116 win over the home team, it was marred with controversy in the end.

In the closing seconds of the game, Brunson was involved in a controversial play that sparked debate among fans and analysts. With 5.8 seconds to go, Brunson caught an inbound pass from Mikal Bridges near the midcourt line.

The Knicks guard retreated into the backcourt with possession. Shockingly, no backcourt violation was called by the officials. The initial explanation by the broadcasters suggested that Brunson’s momentum took him into the backcourt, and he didn’t have possession in time to control his movement.

However, when JB Bickerstaff was asked for his thoughts on the sequence at the post-game presser, he was fuming. He said, “There are some procedural things that we’ve got questions on. In the game situation, we foul, the foul happens, you go back and look at it with one second, or 0.9 seconds. The question I have is, how come we don’t go make sure that we’re positive about the time on the clock?”

The Pistons’ head coach provided his perspective on the play and stated that he’d be interested to hear explanations from the officials. He said, “The Brunson play where he catches the ball in the frontcourt, recognizes that he’s getting ready to go in the backcourt, and then drops the ball. And we had a timeout with five-point seconds on the clock.”

“There are some things procedurally that I have questions about, and I’d be interested to hear some answers.”

When he was informed that some people were saying that Brunson’s “momentum” took him to the other side, Bickerstaff said that he caught the ball in the frontcourt. “The ball has to be thrown into the backcourt. If you catch it in the frontcourt, the ball is not in the backcourt. Again, maybe I’m wrong, but we’ll see,” he added.

The Pistons coach wasn’t the only one who had an issue with the officiating. Despite his team’s win, Tom Thibodeau called it “unfortunate.” He said, “They did say that’s what’s in the rules. It doesn’t seem right to me…That should never happen ever in a playoff game.”

The Knicks and Pistons will play Game 4 on Sunday at the Little Caesars Arena.