As the New York Knicks took on the Dallas Mavericks tonight, something they might not have expected were boos, not for their opponents, but for them. Yet, by the time halftime rolled around in Madison Square Garden, patience had snapped, and sharp and unfiltered booing filled the arena with a clear message from the crowd: this was unacceptable. Afterward, head coach Mike Brown didn’t try to soften the blow.

“Bottom line is we got to lock in,” Brown told reporters after the 114-97 loss. “At halftime, we usually do the clips and talk about technical X’s and O’s and all that crap that coaches do, and teams do. There was nothing to be said at halftime except for lock in and do your f—ing, excuse me on that, do your job.”

It was a kind of blunt honesty, and something the league doesn’t always look away from. Earlier this season, Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green had earned himself a $25,000 fine for interrupting teammate Collin Gillespie’s interview, during which he told Gillespie, “They can’t f— with you!”

Brown realized that he said something he shouldn’t have, and time will tell if he ends up getting fined. However, his criticism of the the team still stands. New York gave up 75 points in just the first half, while only managing to answer with a meager 47 of their own. He even seemingly agreed with the crowd.

“I’m okay with the boos,” he continued. “Better word than the F word that I used earlier, but if we’re playing crappy, boo. If I was in the stands, I’d probably boo too… This is a form of entertainment for the fans. They know good basketball, they know bad basketball.”

The crowd’s reaction made sense. All throughout the pivotal first half, the Knicks kept piling on defensive breakdowns, late closeouts, and faced muddled on-the-floor rotations. New York fans are passionate, and clearly unafraid to express their dissatisfaction with what they see as poor effort, which they did on four separate occasions in just the first two quarters.

A Slump That’s Been Building, Not Breaking for Mike Brown’s Knicks

Tonight’s booing wasn’t an isolated night for the New York Knicks, but one that’s been building up for weeks at this point. The team has dropped an alarming nine of their last eleven games, and have even dropped the #2 seed they held for much of the season so far to the Boston Celtics.

Team captain Jalen Brunson didn’t hold back on his team after tonight’s loss, joining Mike Brown in his criticisms with a simple statement:

“I’d be booing us, too. Straight up.”

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To make things worse, this isn’t even the first time the Knicks have been booed at home this season. Last Monday, during a celebration of over 50 former Knicks, including Carmelo Anthony, Patrick Ewing, and others, fans filled the arenas with boos after a 106-99 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

The Knicks hold the worst first-half defensive rating across the league over their last 11 games at a horrid 124.8, and they often go into the half looking to come back from behind. Things need to change if they wish to contend for the championship, and Brown and his crew need to figure it out fast.