2024 NBA Finals referee assignment: Scott Foster & Tony Brothers earn spots on list of officials for Celtics vs Mavericks showdown
The 2024 NBA Finals referee roster has been announced ahead of the start of the Mavericks-Celtics series on Thursday. With just days to go until this season's finals are underway, the league has shared the list of officials who will handle the championship series. The list notably features several familiar names, such as veterans Scott Foster and Tony Brothers.
In addition, the list also features other officials fans have come to know such as Marc Davis and Bill Kennedy. While no list was shared indicating which officials would handle which games, the full list of officials was shared by the NBA PR account on social media.
The full list of officials includes:
- Tony Brothers
- James Capers
- Marc Davis
- Scott Foster
- John Goble
- David Guthrie
- Bill Kennedy
- Courtney Kirkland
- Kevin Scott
- Josh Tiven
- James Williams
- Zach Zarba
The announcement also indicated that Tyler Ford and Ben Taylor will be on hand and ready to step in as alternate NBA Finals referees if needed.
In addition, it's also important to note that no assignments have been listed on a game-by-game basis. Given that, expect a Game 1 announcement early Thursday announcing the officials for the game before action tips off at 5:30 Pacific Time (8:30 Eastern).
Looking at the NBA Finals schedule on the heels of NBA Finals referee roster being announced
With the NBA Finals referee roster now published, let's take a look at the full finals schedule.
Game 1, as previously mentioned, will take place on Thursday, at 5:30 PM Pacific Time (8:30 PM Eastern) from the TD Garden in Boston. While early in the playoffs teams had just one day off to recover between games, teams will enjoy two days off between games one and two of the finals.
Following Game 1 on Thursday, Jun. 6, Game 2 between the Mavs and Celtics will take place on Sunday, Jun. 9 from the TD Garden in Boston. That game will tip off slightly earlier at 5:00 PM Pacific Time (8:00 PM Eastern).
The series will then shift to American Airlines Center in Dallas for Game 3, which is set for Wednesday, Jun. 12 at 5:30 PM Pacific (8:30 PM Eastern). Game 4 will then take place after a one-day hiatus on Friday Jun. 14, with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 PM Pacific (8:30 PM Eastern).
In the event that a Game 5 is needed, the series will then transition back to Boston for a 5:30 PM Pacific (8:30 PM Eastern) Game 5 on Jun. 17. Similarly, in the event a Game 6 is needed, the series will shift back to Dallas for a 5:30 PM Pacific (8:30 PM Eastern) game on Jun 20.
Last, but certainly not least, should the series wind up going all seven games, Boston will host the decider on Jun. 23 at 5:00 PM Pacific (8:00 PM Eastern).
With the finals schedule and the NBA Finals referee roster now published, it's only a matter of time before we get the NBA Finals referee assignment list for Game 1 on Thursday.