QUINIX Sport News: NBA Playoffs 2025: Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau blasts officiating after Game 2 loss to Pistons

Tom Thibodeau was not happy with the officiating from the New York Knicks’ loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.

The Knicks head coach, shortly after their comeback bid against the Pistons fell short at Madison Square Garden in Game 2 of their opening-round playoff series, lit up the officials for how they called the game.

Thibodeau pointed directly to the box score in doing so. The Knicks shot just 19 free throws as a team, compared to 34 by the Pistons.

“Obviously, a huge discrepancy in free throws. Huge,” Thibodeau said. “I’ve gotta take a look at that. 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.

“Look, I really don’t give a crap how they call the game as long as it’s consistent on both sides. If Cunningham’s driving and there’s marginal contact and he’s getting to the line, then Jalen deserves to be getting to the line. It’s really that simple.”

To be fair, the officials largely allowed a pretty physical game across the board in the Pistons’ 100-94 win on Monday night. The Pistons had 24 fouls called on them as a team, too, compared to the 22 that the Knicks were called for. That’s about as even as it can get.

And, in the example between Pistons star Cade Cunningham and Knicks star Jalen Brunson that Thibodeau referenced, there wasn’t much of a discrepancy, either. Cunningham went 10-of-12 from the free throw line, and Brunson went 9-of-11. Those are nearly identical.

But outside of Brunson, the Knicks managed just eight other free throw attempts all night. There can be any number of reasons for that, ranging from the officiating to how the Knicks’ offense was operating against a Pistons defense that repeatedly shut them down for significant stretches. 

The Knicks, despite falling down by double digits in the second half, rallied back and nearly came up with a second straight comeback win on Monday night. But the Pistons held on down the stretch to escape with the six-point victory — which marked the franchise’s first playoff win since 2008. It was the longest active postseason win drought in the league. Cunningham led the way with 33 points, 20 of which came in the first half, and 12 rebounds. The Pistons shot just 6-of-27 from the 3-point line as a group, too.

Brunson led all scorers with 37 points and seven rebounds. All five of the Knicks starters hit double figures, but Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t score at all in the second half and was limited to just 10 points. They were out-rebounded by 14, too. With the series now tied 1-1, the two teams will return to the court on Thursday night for Game 3 in Detroit.

While the free throw discrepancy from Monday’s game is a real thing on the box score and is a fair thing to question, blaming the loss on the officiating isn’t a valid move — especially when comparing the two stars side-by-side.

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Tom Thibodeau was not happy with the officiating from the New York Knicks’ loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.

The Knicks head coach, shortly after their comeback bid against the Pistons fell short at Madison Square Garden in Game 2 of their opening-round playoff series, lit up the officials for how they called the game.

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Thibodeau pointed directly to the box score in doing so. The Knicks shot just 19 free throws as a team, compared to 34 by the Pistons.

“Obviously, a huge discrepancy in free throws. Huge,” Thibodeau said. “I’ve gotta take a look at that. 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.

“Look, I really don’t give a crap how they call the game as long as it’s consistent on both sides. If Cunningham’s driving and there’s marginal contact and he’s getting to the line, then Jalen deserves to be getting to the line. It’s really that simple.”