Brunson, KAT Take Blame After Mike Brown Calls Out NBA Refs from Knicks' Loss to Spurs in Game 3

New York Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns both cited unforced errors as a big factor in Monday's 115-111 NBA Finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

In the second half, the Spurs attempted 24 free throws to just eight for the Knicks, which was a sore point for their fans. Rather than call out the officiating, Brunson and Towns said New York simply committed too many turnovers and failed to execute:

Head coach Mike Brown didn't share that restraint.

"I never thought I would be in the NBA Finals and see a team get 24 free-throw attempts in the second half to another team's eight," he told reporters. "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. They are a great team, OK.

"It's going to lower our odds big time, big time, if we play Game 4 and in the second half, they get 24 free-throw attempts to our eight. Maybe we were fouling. Maybe we were fouling. But they fouled, too."

By the same token, Brown echoed Brunson and Towns by pointing to the Knicks' 13 turnovers and calling the team "stagnant offensively" for stretches.

When it comes to the refs, one particular flash point came in the first quarter. Spurs star Victor Wembanyama shoved Brunson in the back of the head and managed to avoid a whistle:

Brown might genuinely believe the referees played an outsized role in impacting the outcome of Monday's game. The bigger aim behind his remarks is influencing how the rest of the series unfolds.

The officiating crew for Game 4 knows it's going to be under an even bigger microscope, and the free-throw disparity is bound to be one of the subplots in the contest.