Mike Brown gambled and got burned during Game 2 on Monday.
The New York Knicks let homecourt advantage slip away with a narrow 107-106 loss to the Atlanta Hawks during Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. In the closing seconds of the contest at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., the Knicks head coach Brown made a controversial decision that may have cost his team the game.
With 5.6 seconds left, Hawks guard CJ McCollum missed two consecutive free throws to leave the door open for the Knicks to win the game. But off McCollum’s second miss, Brown elected not to call the timeout that he still had left in his back pocket. Instead, Brown decided to let his team play out the remainder of the clock.
The Knicks were unable to get a good look however as forward Mikal Bridges had to shoot a contested stepback over Hawks All-Star Jalen Johnson. Bridges’ shot was off the mark, and the Hawks held on for the win to even the series at one game apiece.
MIKAL BRIDGES MISSES THE GAME WINNER
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 21, 2026
HAWKS STEAL GAME 2 IN MSG pic.twitter.com/OqFNI5dCRL
Many fans on social media were left wondering the same thing — why did Brown not call a timeout there?
MIKE BROWN YOU HAD A TIMEOUT!!!!!
— The Strickland (@TheStrickland) April 21, 2026
Mike Brown chose not to call a timeout for a Mikal Bridges step back fadeaway jumper pic.twitter.com/uGU1kFO15C
— um Tj (@tjsdiscretion) April 21, 2026
The good news is Mike Brown can take this extra timeout into Game 3!
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 21, 2026
pic.twitter.com/XXoGMSqlqr
Mike Brown wanted to take his Timeout home with him… pic.twitter.com/FSDUolfLLd
— Barstool New York (@BarstoolNYC) April 21, 2026
Some NBA coaches do indeed prefer not to use a timeout in that situation so that the opposing defense cannot get set. But with Bridges as the Knicks’ No. 3 option at best to take the shot there (behind Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns), Brown failed on the ultimate goal of getting the best look possible for his team.
The former NBA Coach of the Year Brown, who also could have called a timeout during the live ball when he saw things going haywire, is in his first season at the helm of the Knicks. He was booed by New York fans at one point during the year and is now sure to face backlash for what might have been a season-altering decision not to call a timeout there.
