Knicks Announce Tragic News After Pistons’ Game 4 Win

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Apr 27, 2025 9:44 PM ET

The New York Knicks defeated the Detroit Pistons 94-93 on Sunday to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

After a back-and-forth battle all game long, things ended in controversy. Trailing by one with 11 seconds left, Cade Cunningham pulled up for a jumper near the free-throw line but missed.

In the scramble for the loose ball, it bounced out to the corner, where Tim Hardaway Jr. grabbed it and got a shot off just before the buzzer. As he released it, Knicks guard Josh Hart appeared to bump him, but no foul was called. The shot came up well short, sealing the win for New York.

New York fans were hit with sobering news after the game, however.

The Knicks took to social media to share the sad news of the passing of team legend Dick Barnett.

Barnett, who was 88, passed away peacefully in his sleep over the weekend at a senior living center in Largo, Fla., according to the New York Post.

pic.twitter.com/PZnymwVlmZ
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 27, 2025

Barnett played 14 seasons in the NBA, spending nine of those years with the Knicks from 1965 to 1974. He helped lead New York to two NBA championships (1970 and 1973) and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.

Over the course of his career, the 6-foot-4 guard tallied 15,358 points, 2,812 rebounds and 2,729 assists.

Barnett’s No. 12 jersey has hung in the rafters since 1990, proudly retired by the Knicks organization.

The team will take the court for the first time since his passing on Tuesday, when they host Game 5 of the series. Tip-off between New York and Detroit is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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