Indiana Pacers fans had an uneasy feeling when they saw the officials assignment for Friday’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Referee Scott Foster was one of the three officials for the game, and he has a reputation — whether real or just perceived — for making some questionable calls that affect outcomes to extend playoffs series. In fact, he’s known as “The Extender.”
And for Pacers fans Friday night, Foster lived up to that nickname in a 111-104 Indiana loss with some calls that went against the home team, especially a few late… including a blatant missed travel by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who also pushed off his defender) before drilling a key jump shot late that gave OKC a 104-103 lead. The Pacers never led again.
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It happened with 2:23 left in the game, so it won’t appear in the NBA’s Last 2-Minute Report as a missed call. Lucky, Scott.
“There were a number of missed travels in this game, no doubt about it,” ESPN’s Tim Legler said postgame.
Now, the Pacers didn’t lose this game because of Foster. Their offense went ice cold and stagnant in the fourth quarter, but The Extender extended this series, to at least six games.
Neither Rick Carlisle or Tyrese Haliburton complained publicly postgame, but here’s some reaction:
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