Charles Barkley Isn’t Buying Mike Brown’s Ref Complaints After Knicks Lose Game 3

The Knicks did not play well in Game 3, and Charles Barkley wants Mike Brown’s comments to start and stop there.

After the Knicks’ 115-111 home defeat Monday, the Knicks’ coach called out the referees, saying “I never thought I’d be in the NBA Finals and see a team get 24 free-throw attempts to another team’s eight.”

The Knicks were outshot 32 to 22 at the free-throw line, including 24 to eight in the second half, but the “Inside the NBA” crew apparently didn’t want to hear all of that.

“Well, he should’ve stopped at, ‘We didn’t play well,'” Barkley said postgame after the Spurs cut their series deficit to 2-1. “They did not play well enough to win the game. The Spurs outplayed them tonight. Referees are going to miss some calls, that happens. Officiating did not lose this game tonight.”

Barkley’s co-host Shaquille O’Neal offered similar sentiments regarding Brown’s postgame comments.

“When I was good enough to lead my team to the Finals, one time I had a bad game and Phil Jackson said, ‘What’s wrong?’ and I said, ‘We didn’t get no calls.’ He put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘World champions don’t complain.’ And he walked off. Mike Brown knows better,” Shaq said.

“He’s won with the Warriors, he knows what it takes to win a championship. I agree with Chuck. You didn’t play well. You should have played better at home.”

Draymond Green added that the referees usually side with the more aggressive team, and Victor Wembanyama controlled the physicality of the game by getting multiple alley-oops to start the game.

“I blame the Knicks for that,” Green said. “If you’re aggressive. If you’re not letting him roll to the rim, then they’re not penetrating and getting to the basket, then they’re not getting more foul calls.”

Jalen Brunson was hit in the back of the head by Wembanyama in the first quarter, which even the ABC/ESPN broadcast said should have resulted in a flagrant foul.

The Spurs have received more free-throw attempts in each of the three Finals contests, though Game 3 was the widest margin to date.

San Antonio is 64-for-84 at the line in the NBA Finals after hitting 25-for-32 attempts Monday, while the Knicks are 50-for-61.