Cade Cunningham Vents Anger on Referee Drama in Wild Knicks Battle With 1 Word

Despite a stellar performance from Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, who racked up 32 points, five rebounds, and eight assists, the Pistons still fell short against the New York Knicks, losing 113-111 in today’s game. The Pistons have been playing back-to-back games, having also lost their last game in a close battle with the Orlando Magic. When asked about his feelings after coming off such games, Cade offered a single, powerful word: “Livid.”

The 22-year-old point guard, who was the first overall pick for the Detroit Pistons in the 2021 NBA draft, seems to be feeling frustrated, as is evident by his one-word response in his post-game interview. Amongst other things, this frustration stems from what’s been labeled as the “absolute worst call of the season” by Pistons’ head coach Monty Williams.

The game hinged on a controversial call in the final seconds. The chaos began with roughly 20 seconds left on the clock when Jalen Brunson attempted a 3-pointer. Ex-Knick Quentin Grimes secured the rebound and passed to Simone Fontecchio, who committed a turnover to Isaiah Hartenstein. Hartenstein then found Donte DiVincenzo, who lost the ball to RJ Thompson. However, Thompson appeared to be fouled by DiVincenzo, allowing Brunson to recapture the ball and pass to Hart. No foul was called.

The Controversy Continues

Interestingly, in a post-game admission, referee James Williams acknowledged a missed call on the final play, stating, “Upon post-game 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.”

Following their Saturday loss to the Orlando Magic, Pistons head coach Monty Williams had already expressed his frustration about the lack of calls for Cunningham and other players, believing it’s been a recurring issue throughout the season.

Williams revisited the final play, where Orlando’s star Paolo Banchero drew a foul after a pump-fake to use that as an example to defend Cunningham, stating, “How does a guy, even on the last bucket, how do you get to the basket like that and not draw contact?” He further added, “There were a number of times that I thought [Cade] wasn’t trying to manipulate the contact, there was just contact. It’s frustrating because when I look at their free throw numbers, Paolo has nine. Cade is a guy who attacks the basket.”

Read More: “Kiss Someone’s A**”: Cade Cunningham Spews Profanities at Referee’s Alleged Blunder vs Magic

The Detroit Pistons are staring at the bottom of the barrel with the worst record of 8 wins over 49 losses in the whole league. Even though Cade has been putting up stellar performances, his team is still struggling. Coach Williams blames “bad calls” for their struggles. The Pistons are set for their showdown with the Chicago Bulls tomorrow, and one would hope for fair officiating, especially considering the recent admission by the referee post-game.