In two games, the New York Knicks demonstrated that they could defeat the San Antonio Spurs by performing at their highest level. What happens when they stop doing that was demonstrated in Game 3, and Charles Barkley didn't take long to explain where it broke down.

On TNT's Inside the NBA following the Game 3 defeat, Barkley said, "I think the Knicks are reverting back to the way they played too much Brunson eccentric. When they were blowing out teams, they were getting KAT involved more. They didn't use KAT at all tonight."

The numbers support that observation. In the third game of the series, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with just 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting, 8 rebounds, and one assist.

In the meantime, the Knicks finished minus-9 when Jalen Brunson was on the court and plus-5 when he was not. Brunson dominated the ball, made 25 shots, and committed five turnovers.

Later, KAT's reaction to the quiet night was even more distressing. In his postgame interview with reporters, Towns took direct responsibility instead of blaming others.

Towns told reporters after the game, "That ain't cost us the game. We turned the ball over. Didn't execute, didn't do what got us 13 straight wins in a row."

San Antonio made eight turnovers while New York made thirteen, and the Spurs turned those turnovers into twenty-one points.

While Towns continued to concentrate on himself, head coach Mike Brown had a very different message for the press.

Mike Brown Calls Out Free Throw Disparity After Game 3 Loss

Brown didn’t show up at the post-game news conference to talk basketball. He was angry when he entered, and he made sure to voice his complaints before doing anything else. The Spurs were 24 free throws to 8 for the Knicks in the second half, and that was a gap Brown couldn't ignore.

Brown opened his postgame press conference by stating, "First of all, I want to make sure I get something clear. Coach Mitch Johnson and the Spurs. They won the game tonight. They came and took the game."

He then added, "But I will say this: 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. I don't think I complain much about officials or the fairness when it comes to the free throw attempts."

The officiating frustration had substance behind it. The Knicks were already dealing with Brunson getting his fourth foul before the fourth quarter even began, and San Antonio finished with 32 free throw attempts compared to New York's 17 throughout the game.

These decisions influenced the game's flow in ways that went beyond Brown's concerns.

Game 4 of the series is scheduled for Wednesday night, and the Knicks still lead 2-1.

Are the Spurs truly back in this series, or can the Knicks turn things around in Game 4? Comment below.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta