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Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams reacts during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
CHICAGO — Detroit Pistons coach Monty Williams wasn’t exactly backing down a day after ripping the NBA officials for missing a critical call near the end of a loss to the New York Knicks.
Williams seemed to take little solace Tuesday in the crew chief acknowledging that referees missed a foul by New York’s Donte DiVincenzo. He also said he hadn’t heard from the NBA about a potential fine.
“I think I said enough last night,” Williams said before Detroit’s game against the Chicago Bulls. “I’m not of the mindset of creating or building up an argument against the NBA or the officials. I was talking about an isolated incident last night, and I’ll stand on what I said and what I saw after the game. As I told our guys today, we have to move past it but learn from it.”
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Williams was furious after DiVincenzo crashed into Pistons rookie Ausur Thompson’s legs on the chaotic final possession that gave the Knicks a 113-111 victory on Monday night. Thompson lost the ball in the collision along the sideline, and the Knicks came up with it, leading to a layup by Josh Hart with 2.8 seconds left.
Crew chief James Williams acknowledged DiVincenzo should have been called for a loose-ball foul. By then, Williams had already gone off, describing it as “the absolute worst call of the season” and “an abomination.”
Asked Tuesday if he had heard from the league about his comments, Williams said, “I have not.”
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As for the crew chief acknowledging the mistake?
“I saw the report,” Williams said. “It is what it is. It’s not gonna change anything. It’s not gonna get us the win or the probability of having a chance to win. Again, our team has to learn and grow and stop using youth as an excuse. We’ve been in enough close games to know how to close well. In that situation, we have to secure the ball for us. It was just a tough way to lose a game.”
The Pistons were an NBA-worst 8-49 entering Tuesday’s game.