The NBA has announced the crew that will officiate Game 2 between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets.
One of the refs is someone Houston is dreading to see … Scott Foster:
Here are the officials for Game 2 in Houston/Golden St.:
Scott Foster/Ed Malloy/Eric Lewis
Total of 43 years in playoff experience
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) April 30, 2019
The Rockets infamously have some beef with Mr. Foster. The last time Foster was assigned to a Rockets game was in February. This was also when James Harden and Chris Paul criticized the veteran official after fouling out in a loss against the Los Angeles Lakers:
Veteran official Scott Foster has been assigned to Warriors-Rockets tonight.
Chris Paul, James Harden & Rockets have a long-running feud with Foster. He hasn’t worked a Rockets game since February, when Harden was fined for criticizing him after fouling out of a game in LA.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) April 30, 2019
Wow. James Harden has played 265 games in the past three seasons (including postseason)
He has fouled out in 4 games over that time.
3 of them were officiated by Scott Foster.
Story coming on this whole GS-HOU referee war https://t.co/qltsfotLGG
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) April 30, 2019
Houston, we have a problem.
While many people are fanning the conspiracy flames, referee game assignments are reportedly made before a series starts:
For the referee conspiracy theorists: Referee game assignments are made before a series starts. So, no, Scott Foster was not assigned in the aftermath of the Game 1 drama.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) April 30, 2019
But with the way officiating has clouded this series already, the timing of this Scott Foster assignment in Game 2 certainly adds another layer to the ongoing drama. The Warriors have had their issues with Foster as well, but not like the Rockets have of late.
The Rockets were very vocal about the calls in Game 1. They criticized the referees for missing blatant fouls on a number of their 3-point attempts, specifically by Klay Thompson.
James Harden went on a postgame rant saying he just wants a fair chance to win. Chris Paul, who was ejected late on Sunday, has already been fined by the NBA for making physical contact with an official while complaining about a non-call at the end of Game 1.
The Rockets have also taken extreme measures to get their point across. They have reportedly compiled a data-driven report and analysis of the calls that officials missed and went the Warriors' way in Game 7 of last year's Western Conference Finals.
This has become way too much of an issue for these Western Conference rivals. This series has the potential to be an absolute classic between two heavyweight teams, but it could also be stained by all the talk about the referees.
Hopefully, officiating does not become the theme of the series when everything is said and done.