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Shortly after the New York Knicks' loss in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Mike Brown turned his attention to officiating.
“I spoke with [the officials]. They outshot us 14-3 in the third quarter from the free throw line. I talked to them and they said, well, this is a foul, this is a foul,” Brown told reporters after the San Antonio Spurs cut the Knicks' series lead to 2-1. “That's the question I had with them: You're right. Maybe we made a mistake. But they also committed fouls.”
Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the catalysts behind New York's postseason success, took a different tone before Game 4.
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New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown watches the game during the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
“No, that didn't cost us the game,” Towns told reporters when asked about Brown's comments. “I turned the ball over. I didn't execute. I didn't do what gave us 13 straight wins. That's how you lose a game. We didn't do what we've been doing for 13. We decided to do something different… And throwing the ball away is a clear indication of how you're going to lose the game, especially in the playoffs.”
The score seemed to underscore Brown's main complaint, as the Spurs attempted three times as many free throws as the Knicks in the second half of Monday's 115-111 victory.
EXCEPT THE GARBAGE OFFERING, THE KNICKS GET REVENGE ON THE SPURS IN GAME 4 OF THE 2026 NBA FINALS
The Knicks were on penalties for most of the fourth quarter. In a cold second half, New York connected on 36% of its field goal attempts.
Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks defends Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter of Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
While it remains to be seen whether officiating will play a role in Wednesday night's game at Madison Square Garden, Brown seemed determined to make it part of the preparation for Game 4.
“It will be that way because I said so. The history will be there,” Brown continued during a news conference. “But there are some controllables that we didn't do a good job of. We allowed them to strike first at the beginning of the game. We allowed them to strike first at the beginning of the second half.”
Mike Brown talks to the New York Knicks during a timeout in the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in game three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
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Towns finished Game 3 with 11 points and eight rebounds, a notable drop from his team-high 21-point performance in New York's Game 2 win over the Spurs. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks in scoring on Monday with 32 points.
EDT, and the series returns to San Antonio for Game 5 on Saturday.
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