• Tim Bontemps22 Jun, 2025, 10am and

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      Tim Bontemps is a senior NBA author of ESPN.com who covers the league and affects it on and off the court, including the deadline, expansion and its MVP straw contests. You can find Tim next to Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on The hoop collective Podcast.

Oklahoma City -Veteran NBA official Scott Foster was not selected as one of the three referees for Game 7 of the NBA final between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers On Sunday night.

The referees chosen for the first final since 2016 and just the ninth since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976 were, James Capers, Josh Tiven and Sean Wright, with James Williams serving as a substitute.

Foster, who worked more Finals series (18) and games (26) than any of the 12 referees chosen to hold the series by the NBA, would be expected to not only hold the match, but also probably serve as his head of crew – the role he had for his lonely appearance during this final in Game 4 on June 13.

After a lot of online discussion -especially among Pacers fans -about the official in that Thunder victory and specifically about Foster, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle went out of his way to defend defense Before the match 5.

“I think it’s awful of the things I saw about the official and especially Scott Foster,” Carlisle said on June 15. “I have known Scott Foster for 30 years. He is a good official. He has done a good job in these playoffs. We had him many times.

“The ridiculous investigation that is thrown out is awful and unjust and stupid.”

Foster has long been considered one of the top officials of the NBA, but he has also become a lightning stick for attention, as different players, teams and fan bases have incurred his work.

The other three referees who served as crew heads over the first four games of the series – John Goble (Game 1), Zach Zarba (Game 2) and Capers (Game 3) – all got a second game, with GOBE serving as the crew head of Game 5, Zarba for Game 6 and Capers for Game 7.

Along with Capers, who will work his 17th career final match, the two officials who did Game 4 with Foster. Tiven works in his sixth NBA final and will play his 10th final, and Wright is in his second final and works his third game.

Sunday’s replacement Williams served in games 2 and 5 in the teams. He is the only person to serve three times in an referee role. Foster is the only referee to get one game in the series.