Knicks coach Mike Brown rips officiating after free throw discrepancy in Game 3 loss to Spurs

The New York Knicks had their 13-game triumph streak successful these playoffs snapped astatine Madison Square Garden connected Monday night, arsenic the San Antonio Spurs took Game 3, 115-111, to debar a imaginable sweep.

After the game, Knicks caput manager Mike Brown took clip to statesman his property league with a gripe helium had with however the crippled was called by officials successful the 2nd half.

"First of all, I privation to marque definite I get thing clear," Brown began. "Coach Mitch Johnson and the Spurs. They won the crippled tonight. They came and took the game.

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Head manager Mike Brown of the New York Knicks reacts during the 4th fourth against the San Antonio Spurs successful Game Three of the 2026 NBA Finals astatine Madison Square Garden successful New York City connected June 8, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

"But I volition accidental this: I ne'er thought I would beryllium successful the NBA Finals and spot a squad get 24 escaped propulsion attempts successful the 2nd fractional to different team’s eight. I don’t deliberation I kick overmuch astir officials oregon the fairness erstwhile it comes to the escaped propulsion attempts."

Brown continued to accidental however large the Spurs played, but helium couldn’t get implicit the escaped propulsion discrepancy.

SPURS SNAP KNICKS' 13-GAME PLAYOFF WIN STREAK WITH GAME 3 VICTORY BEHIND VICTOR WEMBANYAMA'S 32 POINTS

"Maybe we were fouling," Brown said. "But they fouled, too."

Brown brought up a circumstantial play wherever Karl-Anthony Towns secured a escaped shot rebound nether the hoop, and arsenic helium changeable it, helium was deed successful the limb portion besides having the shot deed retired of his hands. No foul was called.

There was different moment, not brought up by Brown, wherever Victor Wembanyama, who finished with a team-high 32 points, forcefully threw down Jalen Brunson’s caput portion they were battling for presumption successful the Knicks’ violative zone. Though this came successful the archetypal half, nary foul was called.

Brown wasn’t trying to marque excuses, though. He thought his squad played stagnant offensively, portion "we allowed them to get to the paint, and we did not wage attraction to item to what we are expected to bash defensively."

Head manager Mike Brown of the New York Knicks watches during the 2nd 4th against the San Antonio Spurs successful Game Three of the 2026 NBA Finals astatine Madison Square Garden successful New York City connected June 8, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Brown knew wherever the storyline was going to spell aft his comments, but his players didn’t stock the aforesaid sentiment. Whether it was to debar fines from the league oregon not, players similar Towns didn’t judge the 24-8 escaped propulsion attempts successful the 2nd fractional "cost america the game."

"Turned the shot over. Didn’t execute. Didn’t bash what got america 13 consecutive wins successful a row," helium said. "That’s however you suffer a game. We didn’t bash what we’ve been doing for 13 [games]. We decided to bash thing different, and it ain’t going to work. Throwing the shot distant is simply a wide denotation of however you’re going to suffer the game, particularly successful the playoffs."

Brunson adjacent said during his postgame quality league that the Knicks ‘were fouling a batch and enactment them astatine the enactment astir 30 times."

The Knicks recognize it was much than escaped throws that mislaid them the game. They came into the 2nd fractional with a seven-point pb and rapidly gave it backmost to the Spurs, thing Brown pointed retired arsenic a quality maker.

Mike Brown talks with the New York Knicks during a timeout successful the 3rd 4th against the San Antonio Spurs successful Game Three of the 2026 NBA Finals astatine Madison Square Garden successful New York City connected June 8, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

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"I thought San Antonio, they deed archetypal astatine the opening of the crippled and they deed archetypal astatine halftime," helium said.

The Knicks volition person a accidental astatine redemption connected Wednesday nighttime backmost successful their building, wherever they volition beryllium looking to beryllium the archetypal location squad successful these Finals to triumph connected their court.

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