Usually the unveiling of referees is a bit of a bore, but when it comes down to a Game 7 to determine who will play in the NBA Finals, everything is of importance.
On Monday, the league announced Danny Crawford, Mike Callahan and Jason Phillips will officiate Game 7 between the Warriors and Thunder. There's a noticeable name missing from the crew — Scott Foster. Many people expected Foster to be assigned to this game because the league usually stays true to its rotation. But the NBA made a noticeable switch for the biggest game of the postseason.
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There has been some outcry from Warriors fans about the way Foster has officiated their team. The most notable moment was when he ejected Shaun Livingston in the series against Portland, but it goes a little deeper than that.
The Redditor rayfosse broke down some stat lines regarding Foster and the Golden State games he has officiated and found the Warriors play worse in his games:
Playoff games over the last two seasons: 34
Playoff games with Scott Foster: 8
Record without Scott Foster: 21-5
Record with Scott Foster: 4-4
Point differential without Scott Foster: +9.5
Point differential with Scott Foster: +2
Is it enough to prove anything? Not really. But there is a disdain for Foster among NBA players. In a recent survey conducted by the Los Angeles Times, players and coaches voted Foster as the worst referee in the league. It's also worth mentioning Crawford, who is working Game 7 instead, was voted the best.
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The league likely made the decision to go with Crawford instead of Foster because he is seen as the better official. But that won't stop others from believing there's a conspiracy to make everything seem pro-Warriors.
