NEW YORK — New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown has joined the growing number of voices criticizing the officiating of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Brown received his inaugural technical foul as the Knicks’ coach late in the first quarter on Wednesday night, following his protest that officials overlooked what should have been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s third personal foul when he collided with Jalen Brunson. Brunson fell as Gilgeous-Alexander steadied himself for a layup with 1:57 remaining in the period.
A third foul on Gilgeous-Alexander potentially could have altered the outcome of the closely contested game, which the Thunder ultimately won 103-100 after the Knicks failed to convert two possible game-tying 3-pointers in the final six seconds.
Brown remained agitated by the play during his postgame press conference.
“Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he’s a challenging matchup, and he performs exceptionally well at persuading the referees — arguably better than anyone else in the league — that he’s being contacted,” Brown remarked.
Gilgeous-Alexander attempted a game-high seven free throws, contributing 26 points and eight assists in 35 minutes of play. His three-pointer with 1:18 left gave the Thunder a 103-96 advantage.
The current league MVP ranks second only to Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers in free throw attempts per game at 9.2 and has led the NBA in free throws made per game for a third consecutive season.
Regarding the incident in question, Brown stated: “Jalen was positioned there, and he just ran over him. It was similar to the foul call they made on OG [Anunoby]. I don’t know, I simply don’t understand why that was not called.”
“That should have been his third [foul], the basket should not have been counted, and we should have gained possession of the basketball,” Brown continued. “Jalen is standing firm, putting his body on the line, and our players are exerting immense effort to win this game, and that situation just truly didn’t sit right with me.”
Brown, however, did not attribute the Knicks’ failure to secure their fourth straight victory solely to the uncalled foul.
Brunson, who drew three offensive fouls against the Thunder, expressed his pleasure at witnessing Brown’s intensity on the sidelines.
“I’m going to support him every single night. He supports us,” Brunson affirmed. “Regardless of his actions or any technical fouls he incurs, I will stand by him.”
Brunson was seen with a contusion beneath his right eye. When questioned about it, he smiled slyly and quipped, “That was probably an uncalled foul.”
