What is the history between Scott Foster and Chris Paul? | 2021 NBA Finals
Chris Paul is revered as one of the greatest point guards of all time and commands a huge fan base. Both his fans and neutrals want him to win his first NBA championship this year, but tonight his task will be to avoid defeat at all costs and force a Game 7 in the NBA finals.
However, when Paul takes to the court tonight, he will have a major obstruction facing the path to victory, referee Scott Foster.
2021 NBA Finals: Why does Chris Paul despise veteran referee Scott Foster?
Chris Paul's teams have lost 12 consecutive postseason games when Scott Foster has officiated the game. Paul has a long history with Foster, which dates back to his days with the Houston Rockets. In a series against the LA Lakers in 2019, both Paul and his backcourt partner James Harden fouled out of the game, and even head coach Mike D'Antoni received a technical foul late in the game.
Before the incident, Chris Paul publicly made sarcastic comments about Scott Foster's officiating in 2018. Paul was given a technical foul by Foster in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers, following which he responded with this statement -
“Yeah, Scott Foster at his finest. You know what I mean? He just never fails."
The animosity carried on when Chris Paul joined the OKC Thunder. Paul received a delay of game penalty in Game 7 of the first-round series against the Houston Rockets last year, and his stance on the subject was that he was intentionally penalized.
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There was a recent incident involving Chris Paul pointing out his record in the last eleven playoff games that Scott Foster officiated. Following a 109-95 loss to the LA Lakers in Game 3 of the first-round series, Paul kept mentioning the words “11 in a row” multiple times, which was a dig at Scott Foster.
The NBA finals are no stranger to controversy, but the league deciding to put Scott Foster in charge of tonight's Game 6 has certainly made things more interesting. If the Phoenix Suns end up losing, both media and fans will impatiently wait for Chris Paul's reaction. If they win the clash, then that will be the end of one of the strangest streaks the Phoenix Suns' point guard has ever been involved in.
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