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Shortly after the New York Knicks lost Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Mike Brown turned his attention to officiating.
“I spoke to [the officials]. They outscored us 14-3 in the third quarter from the free throw line. I talked to them, and they said, well, it’s a foul, it’s a foul,” Brown told reporters after the San Antonio Spurs cut the Knicks’ lead to 2-1. “That’s the question I was asking with them, you’re right. Maybe we made a mistake. But they also made mistakes.”
Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the catalysts for New York’s postseason success, struck a different tone heading into 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, New York. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
“No, it 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 the thing that got us 13 straight wins. That’s how you lose a game. We haven’t done what we’ve been doing in 13 years. 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 box 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 WASTE, THE KNICKS WILL GET REVENGE ON THE SPURS IN GAME 4 OF THE 2026 NBA FINALS
The Knicks were on penalties for most of the fourth quarter. A cold second half saw New York connect 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 on June 8, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
While it remains to be seen whether officials will play a role in Wednesday night’s game at Madison Square Garden, Brown appears to intend to make it part of the buildup to Game 4.
“It’s going to be it because I said it. The story is going to be there,” Brown continued at a press conference. “But there were some controllables that we didn’t do a good job of. We allowed them to hit first early in the game. We allowed them to hit first early in the second half.”
Mike Brown talks with the New York Knicks during a third quarter timeout against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York 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’s 21-point performance in New York’s Game 2 win over the Spurs. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks in scoring Monday with 32 points.
Game 4 kicks off at 8:30 p.m. EDT, with the series returning to San Antonio for Game 5 on Saturday.
