Knicks head coach dissatisfied with officiating: Game 3 free throw margin sparks controversy

June 9th - According to the Associated Press, New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown publicly questioned the refereeing after Game 3 of the NBA Finals. He believes the difference in free throws in the second half significantly impacted the game's outcome.

In this game, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Knicks 115-111 on the road, taking a 2-1 lead in the series and ending the Knicks' 46- day undefeated playoff run. After the game, the focus of controversy centered on the free throw statistics: the Spurs had 24 free throw attempts in the second half , while the Knicks only had 8 .

After the game, Brown stated that the Spurs are a very strong team, but expressed dissatisfaction with the free throw difference: " If we play Game 4 and they get 24 free throw attempts in the second half while we only get 8, our chances of winning will be greatly reduced. Maybe we fouled, but they fouled too. "

He added that the team failed to maintain the execution they displayed in the first two games: " We did better in the first two games, but we couldn't keep it up afterwards. We took a lot of shots but got very few free throws, which is hard to understand. "

During the game, Knicks' star player Mikal Bridges got into foul trouble early on, and Jalen Brunson also accumulated his fourth foul early in the third quarter, forcing him to leave the game prematurely. The Spurs earned 14 free throws in the third quarter, while the Knicks only managed 3 .

However, Knicks player Karl-Anthony Towns disagreed after the game, believing that refereeing factors were not the key to the loss. "Turkey turnovers, poor execution of tactics, and failing to continue our 13-game winning streak are the reasons for the loss."

Image source: Internet