Pool Report on the Final Seconds of Tonight’s Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks Game

The Pool Report interview was conducted by Brian Mahoney (Associated Press) with Crew Chief James Williams following tonight’s Pistons at Knicks Game.     

QUESTION:  On the sequence that ended in the Josh Hart layup to give the Knicks the lead, why was a foul not called when the ball was knocked away from Simone Fontecchio?

WILLIAMS: On that play, the defender’s left hand hits the left hand of Fontecchio while his hand is on the ball. Per rule, that is a legal defensive play.  The hand is considered part of the ball.

QUESTION: Why was a foul not called when Donte DiVincenzo made contact with Ausar Thompson near halfcourt with approximately eight seconds to go in the game?

WILLIAMS: Upon postgame review, we determined that Thompson gets to the ball first, and then was deprived of the opportunity to gain possession of the ball.  Therefore, a loose ball foul should have been whistled on New York’s Donte DiVincenzo.

QUESTION: So, if he hadn’t had possession of the ball, could a collision happen there? Would that have been a no foul then? If you had ruled that Thompson didn’t have control of the ball, would that have been a no foul?

WILLIAMS: If the ball is loose, players on both teams have equal opportunity to it.  It becomes a matter of who gets there first.

QUESTION: And then postgame, you reviewed it and determined that Thompson gets there first.

WILLIAMS: We determined that his left hand gets to the ball prior to DiVincenzo’s hand getting to it.