Scott Foster to serve as crew chief for Rockets vs. Thunder Game 7

The Rockets are 0-7 in their last seven playoff games officiated by Foster, while Chris Paul is 0-of-9 in his most recent Foster games.

Both Oklahoma City star Chris Paul and the Houston Rockets as an organization have had a complicated past when it comes to NBA referee Scott Foster. That history will be revisited in Wednesday’s Game 7 of the first-round playoff series, since Foster has been assigned by the NBA as the crew chief. Other game officials are Pat Fraher and Tony Brown.

The Rockets are 0-7 in their last seven postseason games officiated by the veteran referee, while Paul is 0-9 in his last nine such games.

If Rockets fans are looking for a positive omen, it’s worth noting that their last win in the NBA playoffs with Foster as an official came against Paul — in Game 6 of the 2015 West semifinals versus Paul’s Clippers.

The tensions came to a head during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, especially after Foster was on the crew for the controversial Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals versus Golden State. Months later, the Rockets released an audit of the NBA’s internal officiating review of Game 7 judgments along with expected point values from each missed call, with the team saying it suggests they should have won.

As for Foster specifically, here’s a selection of previous quotes from Paul and Houston superstar James Harden.

January 2018, after a technical given to Paul:

Yeah, Scott Foster at his finest, You know what I mean? He just never fails.

Some of them, you can [communicate] with. You’ve just gotta figure out who you can and you can’t. I got a tech tonight. I’m over there with [referee Courtney Kirkland] saying, ‘That’s Scott, that’s Scott,’ and I got a tech. That’s history there. He the man. That’s who they pay to see.

February 2019, after a road game against the Los Angeles Lakers in which Paul and Harden each fouled out:

I don’t know what else to do. I’ve met with the league with him. I don’t know what else to do.

Houston did not attempt a free throw in the final 20 minutes of the game, compared to 17 free throws for the Lakers during that span. Foster issued 18 fouls in that game — 12 on the Rockets, and just six for Los Angeles. Seven of those 12 came in the decisive fourth quarter.

Harden, who rarely ever criticizes officials, took it a step further by saying that Foster shouldn’t be allowed to officiate Houston games:

Scott Foster man, I never really talk about officiating but just rude and arrogant. I mean, you aren’t able to talk to him throughout the game. It’s not even that call. It’s who he is on that floor. It’s pretty frustrating. You can’t have a conversation. You get a tech.

Last year in the post-season, in the Western Conference Finals, I think he officiated a couple of our games. It’s lingering. It has to be looked at. For sure, it’s personal. For sure. I don’t think he should be able to officiate our games anymore, honestly.

Those comments earned Harden a $25,000 fine from the NBA.

[lawrence-related id=7976]

More recently, though, there have been signs with regards to both Paul and the Rockets that the long-held tensions could be easing up.

Foster officiated Game 2 of last season’s Western Conference semifinals between the Rockets and Warriors, and that game largely went without controversy. Then, earlier this season during a December 2019 game, Paul convinced Foster to call a delay of game technical in the final second on an opponent with an untucked jersey.

The Thunder trailed by two at the time, and they ended up tying the game at the buzzer and winning in overtime.

“Kinda crazy, huh?” Paul said when asked postgame about Foster making that call. “My agent already texted me that.”

Even so, given the history, it will still be a popular point of discussion on Wednesday night. Game 7 between the Rockets and Thunder tips off at 8:00 p.m. Central, with a national broadcast on ESPN and a regional version (with Houston announcers) on AT&T SportsNet Southwest. The winner advances to the second round of the playoffs to face the Lakers.

[lawrence-related id=27429,2182]