DETROIT — The game was already just under 11 hours long, or so it seemed. The Knicks were up a point. There were 0.5 seconds left. Jalen Brunson was fouled. As he approached the free-throw line, he looked at the Knicks’ bench for guidance, but a player with the instincts of Brunson knows the right play here without being told:
1. Make the first shot.
2. Miss the second on purpose.
It’s especially the right play because the Pistons were out of timeouts at the end of Game 2, so once a Piston rebounded the ball, there would be a half-second for that player to grab it, twist in midair and in the same motion heave a discus toss toward the other end. There isn’t a human alive who could pull that off. It’s why it’s smart and savvy to miss.
