Hold on to your butts, basketball fans: Scott Foster is about to make your Friday night a lot more interesting, for better or worse.
The NBA on Friday morning announced the officiating crew for Game 7 between the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors. Among those wielding the whistles for the winner-take-all showdown is Foster, one of the NBA’s most controversial refs.
Joining Foster on the crew are Zach Zarba and David Guthrie with Tre Maddox serving as the alternate.
Officiating was a big topic coming out of Wednesday’s Game 6, and the conversation continued into Thursday when the league acknowledged the crew missed a crucial would-be foul committed against Celtics star Kemba Walker late in the game. Boston ultimately lost in double-overtime to set up Game 7.
The problem with Foster isn’t that he’s bad toward one team or the other. It’s that, when officiating figures to be a main focal point in the most important game of the year for both teams, Foster probably will find a way to create controversy.
This segment, highlighted by Paul Pierce’s beef with Foster, lays it out pretty well.
“I don’t feel like Scott has the relationship among the superstars in the league,” Pierce said. “It was hard for me to say something because I know Scott was gonna have a quick trigger with the technicals. If you’re gonna say something, you’ve gotta keep it short and keep it moving. If you sit there and elaborate on a call, you’re gonna get a technical and he’ll throw you out like we’ve seen. The players know this. They can’t let their emotions get the best of them, especially when Scott’s out there.”
Ex-NBA player Matt Barnes also ripped Foster last year while making an appearance on FOX Sports 1.
“Terrible. Terrible. It’s a known thing,” Barnes said of Foster. ” … It’s a known situation. It’s his arrogance. It’s the way he carries himself. It’s the way he looks down upon people like he’s better, and he acts like these people pay a bunch of money to come see him. It’s not about him. A sign of a good ref is to know he’s not there. Scott Foster is someone who takes everything personal, and you can’t talk to him.”
Barnes added: “He’s always had a quick trigger with the (technical), and the way he carries himself just disgusts me.”
Should be fun!
Thumbnail Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
