Chris Paul’s nemesis, Scott Foster, to officiate Game 6 of NBA Finals
Scott Foster #ScottFoster
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Chris Paul teams are 1-12 in the last 13 playoff games refereed by official Scott Foster, who will be the chief for the refereeing crew in Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.
Foster will be joined by referee Eric Lewis and umpire Tony Brothers with Pat Fraher on deck as an alternate.
The Suns have already won a game this postseason that was officiated by Foster.
In Game 2 against the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference Finals, the Suns pulled off a one-point win thanks to the now famous “Valley-Oop” in the final seconds.
Paul missed that game due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Nonetheless, the win snapped an 11-game losing streak that he referenced postgame in a first-round loss against the Los Angeles Lakers, another game Foster officiated.
“If I was a betting man, 11 games in a row,” Paul said. “Eleven games in a row.”
Foster was the referee in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Bucks, the first game the Suns lost in the series. Phoenix held a 2-0 series lead before that 120-100 Milwaukee victory on July 11 that stands as the biggest win in any of the five games thus far in the Finals.
After the game, Suns coach Monty Williams was quick to point out how the officials impacted the game.
“The free throw disparity is what it is,” Williams said. “They had one player with 17 free throws; we had 16. That’s not complaining. That’s stating facts.”
Phoenix takes to the court for Game 6 in a must-win situation, trailing the Bucks 3-2 in the series.
Tip off is Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Catch all the Finals action on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.