“The current NBA players are soft.” “They go down to the floor too easily, looking for fouls.” These are some of the comments usually made by ex-players and legends about how the game is played in the current era. Well, the Detroit Pistons – New York Knicks series has been anything BUT soft. Fans and ex-players looking for the physicality of the 90s and the 2000s have gotten their wishes granted. The Detroit Pistons have taken their physical game up a notch this series, and the New York Knicks have matched the energy with their aggressiveness. And one Knicks star is loving this old-school style of play.
Talking about old-school, Detroit legends Isaiah Thomas, Ben Wallace, and Chauncey Billups were sitting courtside in Game 4. As if the Knicks needed a better reminder of how the game was going to go down. Jalen Brunson went down to the floor, holding his right ankle. Tobias Harris and Karl-Anthony Towns were bumping into each other and talking smack aggressively before being pulled away by their teammates. Towns is especially enjoying the physical nature of the series.
Talking to reporters during his press conference after the game, he said, “It’s the NBA playoffs. You expect nothing but the greatest competition right now in the NBA basketball this season. And you go out there, you wanna match their physicality. You understand you’re in Detroit, you’re playing Detroit, who hasn’t been in the playoffs, and they’ve got a lot of pride. They wanna fight for their city. As much as they are fighting for their city, we are trying to fight for our city. So, I think this is a great series for the NBA.”
Old school fans would surely love what Towns said next, “I think it kinda gives a little bit of old-school vibes. I think that this is great for kids watching who hasn’t been able to watch old-school basketball to see this kind of reminiscent game of old-school physicality. And I’m just honored to be part of it.”
Karl-Anthony Towns on the physicality of the Knicks-Pistons series
“This is great for kids watching who haven’t been able to see old-school basketball to see this kind of reminiscent game of old school physicality. I’m just honored to be part of it” pic.twitter.com/3llx2vlCjh
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 27, 2025
The current Detroit team has brought back the energy of the Bad Boy Pistons of the late 80s and early 90s. Having won their first playoff game in 17 years in Game 2, the Pistons were looking for their first home playoff win since 2008. But the Knicks weren’t backing down from the fight.
Tobias Harris was guarding Towns as the Knicks forward tried to drive past him. They both made contact with each other and the referee called a foul on Harris. Immediately, Tobias started bumping against Towns and started chirping in his ear. Towns turned around and talked back aggressively at Tobias Harris. They almost bumped heads as the pair started trash-talking like a UFC face-off. Dennis Schroder was seen laughing and pointing his finger at Towns from the Pistons bench. This just encapsulates the tense Game 4 atmosphere at the Little Caesars Arena.
In another instance, Ron Holland of the Pistons stole the ball from Karl-Anthony Towns. In reaction, Towns tried to reach for the ball again and tripped Holland. Both players fell down on the ground. Holland was agitated. Just as he got up and was about to say something to Towns, who was still lying on the floor, Cade Cunnigham came in between the two and pushed Holland away, trying to defuse the situation. The atmosphere was so tense and the game was so physical that players had to push away their own teammates to keep everyone somewhat level-headed.
With the physical tone of the game set right from the beginning and the home crowd behind them, the Pistons were enjoying a great Game 4. They had a 10-point lead at the start of the 4th quarter, but the Knicks showed great aggression to rally back. And Karl-Anthony Towns hit the game-winning three-pointer to show everyone that the Knicks will not be bullied into submission. The Pistons have done a good job using their physicality to make this a pretty competitive series. In fact, the series has been so tight and competitive that the Knicks have only won by a combined 3 points in Games 3 and 4 to take a 3-1 series lead. But the series could’ve been tied at 2-2 if the last play of the game had gone down differently.
Were the Pistons Robbed at the End of Game 4?
With 10 seconds left on the game clock, the Knicks were leading 94-93. Cade Cunningham missed his pull-up jumper from the free throw line, and Tobias Harris and Josh Hart jumped to grab the rebound. The ball got loose and made its way to Tim Hardaway Jr. at the corner. Josh Hart rushed towards him. Hardaway Jr. took a three-point shot and missed. But he made contact with Hart, which threw him off his shooting rhythm. But the referee said no foul, and the Knicks won by a single point.
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff was fuming as he ran onto the court after the game, making his point furiously at the officials for not calling a foul on Hart. The Knicks players were ecstatic, while the Pistons players’ faces were in disbelief about the ending of the game. However, in the Pool Report interview after the game, the referees’ crew chief for the game, David Guthrie, said, “During live play, it was judged that Josh Hart made a legal defensive play. After 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.”
Hearing this, the Pistons players and fans must be thinking that they were robbed of their first home playoff win in 17 years. Nobody would blame them for thinking that they were denied the chance to level the series at 2-2. If the foul had been called in the game, Tim Hardaway Jr. would need to make just 2 out of the three free throws, and the Pistons would’ve won the game. But this is live sports.
The outcome of the game will only be decided by what happens on the court. Mistakes are made. Calls are missed. The Detroit Pistons will need to internalize their emotions, move on to Game 5, and shift all of their focus towards starting their comeback in their series on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
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