If the Phoenix Suns want to stay alive in the NBA Finals, Chris Paul is going to need to do something he hasn’t done since 2013: Win with Scott Foster holding a whistle.
The NBA announced its officials for Game 6 on Tuesday, tabbing Foster, Eric Lewis and Tony Brothers to call a potential elimination game for the Suns against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks are currently 4.5-point favorites to win the game and their second NBA championship at BetMGM.
Chris Paul’s history with Scott Foster
Most NBA fans need little introduction to Paul’s history with Foster. To put it simply, Foster has been a bad, bad omen for Paul in the playoffs, as this accounting of playoff games featuring the two shows:
As SB Nation notes, Paul’s history with Foster goes all the way back to his first playoff run in 2008 when his New Orleans Hornets lost a Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs. Apparently, Foster went as far as reminding Paul of that fact last year.
Paul’s frustration with Foster boiled over during his time with the Houston Rockets. Paul called out Foster by name after one loss — his Rockets went 0-6 with Foster during his time in Houston — and James Harden went as far as calling Foster “rude and arrogant” and suggesting he shouldn’t be allowed to officiate Rockets games anymore.
Paul continued to complain when he lost his 11th straight Foster playoff game, telling reporters “If I was a betting man, 11 games in a row. Eleven games in a row.”
That streak continued earlier this series, with Foster presiding over a Game 3 that marked a turning point for the Bucks, who have erased a 2-0 deficit to move one win away from the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
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