Referee Scott Foster has been called upon, again, to officiate the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals Game 6 between the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks on July 21.
Chris Paul’s team is 1-12 in the last 13 playoffs games refereed by Foster. He also has an ugly history with Suns’ Chris Paul as Foster is considered Paul’s nemesis.
Foster will be joined by referee Eric Lewis and umpire Tony Brother. Path Fraher will act as an alternate.
Coming into Game 6, the Suns have already come out victorious on a game this postseason that was officiated by Foster.
In Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, the Suns won against the Los Angeles Clippers. Albeit Paul did not participate in the game due to ill-health.
Whatever be the reason, it broke Suns’ 11-game losing streak with Foster refereeing the game.
Foster refereed Game 3 of the NBA Finals, as well. That saw Suns lose the first game in the seven-game series. Before this, the Suns held a 2-0 series lead.
After the game, Suns coach Monty Williams said: “The free throw disparity is what it is. They had one player with 17 free throws; we had 16. That’s not complaining. That’s stating facts.”
Phoenix will face the Bucks in Game 6 in a must-win game. They are trailing Bucks 3-2 in the series.
According to reports, Foster has officiated 1,477 regular-season games, spanning 25 seasons. He also has 187 playoff games, including 19 Finals games to his name.
He was a member of the team that officiated the 1996 Europe Tour in Germany and Spain. He has even worked in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas.
Foster considers Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals between Lakers and the Boston Celtics as his most memorable assignment. In that, he worked with his mentors – Dan Crawford and Joey Crawford.