New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown did not hold back in venting his feelings after their 115-111 defeat against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday. Brown had an almost five-minute rant in front of the reporters about his frustration over the officiating.
He pointed out the massive difference in free-throw attempts in the second half. The Spurs attempted 24 shots from the charity stripe, while the Knicks only had eight. Brown expressed his disappointment over the disparity in attempts at the line and believes the officiating crew was only calling fouls on the other team.
"I never thought I'd be in the NBA Finals and see a team get 24 free throw attempts in the second half to another team's eight," Brown said. "I don't think I complain much about officials or the fairness when it comes to the free throw attempts.
"San Antonio is a great team, they're a great team. It's gonna lower our odds big-time if we play Game 4, and in the second half, they get 24 free throw attempts to our eight. And maybe we were fouling, but they foul, too. … There were opportunities for fouls to be called to at least try to even the free throws out.
Brown credited the Spurs for playing great basketball and said that the Knicks could've played better. However, he couldn't believe the obvious imbalance in free-throw attempts in the second half.
"All the shots we took, we got fouled four times, roughly? For eight free throw attempts."
The Spurs also committed fouls in the second half, according to the Knicks coach, but they weren't noted by the referees or included in the box score. Although Brown believes the officiating was unfair, he also criticized the team's performance on offence.
Mike Brown Called Out the Knicks' "Stagnant" Offense
New York Knicks Head Coach Mike Brown © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
One of the biggest stories about the Knicks' performance in Game 3 was the 13 turnovers they committed. In addition, the club recorded just 18 assists and poor ball movement. It's the first game they played in the Finals where they had fewer than 20 assists.
Brown highlighted the team's struggles in protecting the ball and paying attention to detail against San Antonio.
"Offensively, we were about as stagnant as I've seen us all year, which helped with the 13 turnovers," Brown said.
Brown and the Knicks are expected to make certain adjustments ahead of Game 4 on Wednesday to regain control of the series.
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