Knicks coach cites free throw disparity after Game 3 loss
New York Knicks coach Mike Brown said the San Antonio Spurs attempted three times as many free throws as the Knicks in the second half of Monday's 115-111 win. The Spurs cut New York's series lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven NBA Finals.
nypost.comKnicks coach Mike Brown said the San Antonio Spurs took 24 free throws in the second half compared with eight for New York during Monday's 115-111 loss at Madison Square Garden. Brown stated that the Knicks were in the penalty for the final 9:18 of the fourth quarter.
He added that the Spurs outshot the Knicks 14-3 from the free throw line in the third quarter. "There are some things that we can control that I didn't think that we controlled tonight. And then like I said, maybe we fouled 24 times, but I'm baffled that they only fouled eight in the second half," Brown said.
team reactions Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said the team did not execute and did not repeat the actions that produced 13 straight playoff wins. The center added that the Knicks decided to do something different and that approach would not work.
The Knicks committed multiple turnovers and allowed the Spurs to reach the paint, Brown said. He noted that the team was stagnant offensively and did not pay attention to defensive detail.
It marked the first time since the 1993 NBA Finals that the road team won each of the first three games of a series. Game 4 is scheduled for Wednesday in New York.
