I don't doubt contact was made, but I think it was accidental, like an extra adrenaline rush changed Bob's trajectory at the last moment, along with additional momentum. Of course, the media saw it no other way as the piling on got deeper.
Legend has it that when Knight hurled the chair heard 'round the world, he narrowly missing a little old lady in a wheel chair. I was there for that game. When it happened, I turned to my Purdue guest and yelled, "It's over!". It was just an ugly game from start to finish. They essentially kicked our asses, like they did for the General's recent visit.
I'll never forget the sight of Mike Davis running out to the middle of the court to attack a referee near the end of the Kentucky game. After Bob Knight's firing for bad behavior, Mike Davis' jaunt happened in slow motion for IU fans who couldn't believe their eyes. Fortunately, Davis was not dumb enough to physically unload on the guy, but we didn't know that at the time. It was a scary moment...deja vu, if you do.