Meyers Leonard Apologizes to Jimmer Fredette on Twitter After Late Hard Foul
Tuesday night's game between the Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks was decided well before the final buzzer sounded at Madison Square Garden, but that didn't keep some action from happening at the end of the contest.
With Portland holding a 21-point lead in the final seconds, New York guard Jimmer Fredette—who was on a 10-day contract—decided to keep playing rather than just run out the clock.
Well, Trail Blazers forward Meyers Leonard took exception to that.
Rather than let Fredette take a meaningless shot as time expired, Leonard stepped in and hacked the shooter. The Knicks guard made two of the three ensuing free throws to make the final score 104-85.
In the moment, Leonard may have felt like fouling was the right move. However, he was apologetic after the game:
Fredette responded moments later, letting the Blazers big man know there were no hard feelings:
Some will argue Leonard should have just let the insignificant shot go uncontested. Others will say Fredette should not be shooting when the opposing defenders (and his teammates) were ready to call it a game.
Regardless of who was to blame, the two players are putting this behind them.
