The NBA announced that Zach Zarba, James Williams, and Courtney Kirkland will officiate Game 4 of the Finals between the Knicks and Spurs on Wednesday, following Mike Brown's criticism of the officiating in Game 3.
The NBA has officially announced the referee crew for Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
New York Knicks / Schedule
The officiating team will feature crew chief Zach Zarba, who is working his 16th NBA Finals, alongside referee James Williams (8th Finals appearance) and umpire Courtney Kirkland (6th Finals appearance).
Justin Van Duyne will serve as the alternate official, marking his first NBA Finals assignment.
Game 4 tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC, with the Knicks holding a 2-1 series lead.
New York is seeking its first NBA championship in more than 50 years. The franchise last reached the NBA Finals in 1999, when it lost to the Spurs in five games. The Knicks' most recent title came in 1973.
For San Antonio, this is the organization's first Finals appearance since 2014. The Spurs captured the title that year by defeating the Miami Heat in five games.
Game 3 officiating controversy
The Knicks-Spurs series has already generated discussion about officiating following San Antonio's 115-111 victory in Game 3 on Monday.
"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 told reporters. "And I don't think I complain much about officials or the fairness when it comes to the free throw attempts.
"Maybe we were fouling, but they fouled too."
Credit AP-Scanpix
Despite Brown's criticism, Knicks stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson pointed to other factors as the primary reasons for the loss.
"No, that ain't cost us the game," Towns said. "Turned the ball over, didn't execute, didn't do what got us 13 straight wins in a row. 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 it ain't gonna work. And throwing the ball away is a clear indication of how you're gonna lose the game, especially in the playoffs."
Credit AP-Scanpix
Brunson shared a similar view, highlighting the Knicks' mistakes and lack of discipline.
"I think we turned the ball over a lot, first and foremost," he noted. "But then also we were fouling a lot and put them at the line about 30 times. And with our live ball turnovers and I got them on transition. No, they were capitalizing off of those."
While the overall free-throw numbers were relatively close in Game 3 – New York went 18-for-22, and San Antonio finished 25-for-32 – the second-half disparity stood out.
The Spurs attempted 24 free throws after halftime, while the Knicks took just eight.
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