Mike Brown Explains Timeout Usage, Blames FT Shooting for Knicks' Shocking Loss to Hawks

The New York Knicks squandered a 14-point lead and lost Game 2 of their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks.

Knicks coach Mike Brown faced plenty of criticism after not using a timeout late in the game, though Clutch Points' Brett Siegel noted that New York did not have a timeout remaining ahead of the final possession despite the NBC scorebug saying it did.

Brown used a timeout at the 2:43-mark after not taking his "use it or lose it" timeout before the three-minute mark.

"A couple of possessions weren't fluid so I wanted to make sure we had something we wanted to get to," Brown said of using the timeout at the 2:43 mark.

Brown also addressed the Knicks' free-throw struggles in the loss.

"We just gotta lock in a little bit better in a playoff game. It's tough to win against a good team when you shoot 60% from the free-throw line," he said.

The Knicks certainly could've used a timeout late in the game during what was a chaotic stretch.

CJ McCollum gave the Hawks a one-point lead with just over two minutes to go and made it a three-point game with a minute-and-a-half left. Jalen Brunson answered with a game-tying three, but McCollum's jump shot gave the lead back to the Hawks with just 30 seconds to go.

Brunson then had the ball stolen by Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and a dunk from Jalen Johnson extended the lead to four points. Brown used his final timeout after Johnson's bucket.

Brunson delivered a clutch three out of the timeout, and McCollum missed a pair of free throws on the other end, but the Knicks, unable to call a timeout, lost as Mikal Bridges' jump shot missed.

Had the Knicks had a timeout remaining, Brown said he is unsure if he even would've called it, saying it would have been by "gut feel."

"I thought it was a good shot. I don't think the shot was under a ton of duress," he said.

The lack of a timeout was far from the reason New York lost. The Knicks collapsed in the fourth quarter as Atlanta outscored them 28-15, and a lackluster 63 percent from the free-throw line is unacceptable in a playoff game.

Hawks-Knicks Highlights

01:29

The Knicks will look to avoid going down 2-1 in the series on Thursday when they travel to Atlanta for Game 3.

"They took one from us at home. In my opinion, you gotta be able to win on the road if you expect to get where you want to go to," Brown told reporters. "For us, we've gotta go win on the road."