The Spurs stormed into Madison Square Garden and took Game 3 of the NBA Finals from the Knicks 115–111 to cut New York’s lead in the series to 2–1. The Knicks went cold in the fourth quarter, which led to their first loss in 13 games, snapping a historic playoff winning streak.
New York hadn’t lost since April 23, Game 3 of its first-round series against the Hawks. A four-point loss in the first Finals home game at MSG in 27 years was hard to swallow, and Knicks coach Mike Brown took an issue with the officiating at his postgame presser.
In the second half of the Knicks’ Game 3 loss, the Spurs got 24 free-throw attempts compared to just eight for the Knicks. Brown was quick to point out that San Antonio won the game, but he thought such a severe free-throw discrepancy in a huge game was unacceptable.
“First of all, I want to make sure I get something clear,” Brown said Monday night. “Coach Mitch Johnson and the Spurs won the game tonight, they came and took the game. But I will say this, 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.
“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, but it’s going to lower our odds big time if we play Game 4 and they get 24 free-throw attempts to our eight. And maybe we were fouling, but they fouled too.”
Mike Brown is not happy with the officiating after Game 3:
— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) June 9, 2026
"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." pic.twitter.com/yk3PDJ8HQh
For the full game, the Spurs took 32 free throws compared to 22 for the Knicks. Brown’s issue was specifically with the officiating in the second half, where he thought his team was fouled by San Antonio on numerous occasions to no whistle. The Spurs were in the bonus early in the fourth quarter, which led to plenty of free-throw attempts down the stretch for San Antonio.
That’s not the issue for Brown, as he said he just wants the refs to give his team a fair shake opposed to a discrepancy that he never thought he’d see in an NBA Finals game. He continued to credit the Spurs for winning the game, which included pointing out strong performances and big moments from Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox.
Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby were the only Knicks who got to the free-throw line in the second half. They each took four foul shots and the Spurs collectively outscored New York by 14 points from the stripe in the final 24 minutes. Every single Spur who played in the second half got to the line, compared to just two of 10 players for the Knicks.
We’ll see whether Brown’s words carry to the officials for Game 4. He said he had a conversation with the crew directly as he felt numerous fouls against his team weren’t called. The Spurs have gotten to the line more than the Knicks over the series, which is mostly due to the pressure Wembanyama puts on the rim. Now that the discrepancy played a part in a Knicks loss, though, Brown has made it an issue to keep an eye on the rest of the way.
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