As the New York Knicks took on the Dallas Mavericks tonight, something they wouldn’t have expected was 19,812 fans booing, not their opponents, but them. As halftime rolled around in Madison Square Garden, patience had snapped, and the jeering crowd’s roar echoed through the arena with a clear message: this was unacceptable. After the game, head coach Mike Brown didn’t even 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——, 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 earned himself a $25,000 fine for interrupting teammate Collin Gillespie’s interview, during which he told Gillespie, “They can’t f— with you!”

Today, Brown realized he said something he shouldn’t have, and time will tell whether he gets fined. However, his criticism of the team still stands. The Knicks gave up 75 points in just the first half, while only scoring a meager 47 points. The coach, surprisingly or rather humbly, even agreed with the crowd.

“I’m okay with the boos if we’re playing crappy,” Brown 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.”

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The crowd’s reaction made sense. Throughout the pivotal first half, the Knicks kept piling on defensive breakdowns, late closeouts, and muddled on-the-floor rotations. New York fans are passionate and 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 sadly been building, not breaking for Mike Brown’s Knicks

Tonight’s booing wasn’t an isolated incident, but one that’s been building for weeks. The team has dropped an alarming 9 of its last 11 games and even lost the #2 seed it held for much of the season to the Boston Celtics. They’ve gone from a 23-9 start to a 25-18 record.

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,” Brunson admitted. “Straight up.”

Karl Anthony Towns, who had a joint team-high 22 points and 18 rebounds, also admitted that he’d “be disappointed” too.

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 players, including Carmelo Anthony, Patrick Ewing, and others, fans filled the arena with boos after a 106-99 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

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.