Foster out as Capers, Tiven, Wright ref Game 7

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Veteran NBA official Scott Foster was not selected as one of the three referees for Sunday's Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers.

The referees who were selected to officiate the first Finals Game 7 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 an alternate.

Foster, who has worked more Finals series (18) and games (26) than any of the 12 referees selected to officiate the series by the NBA, had been expected to be chosen to not only officiate this game but also likely to serve as its crew chief -- the role he held for his lone appearance during these Finals, Game 4 in Indiana on June 13.

After a lot of online discussion -- particularly among Pacers fans -- about the officiating in that Thunder win and about Foster specifically, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle went out of his way to defend Foster's reputation and work prior to Game 5.

"I think it's awful some of the things I've seen about the officiating and Scott Foster in particular," Carlisle said last Sunday. "I've known Scott Foster for 30 years. He is a great official. He has done a great job in these playoffs. We've had him a lot of times.

"The ridiculous scrutiny that is being thrown out there is terrible and unfair and unjust and stupid."

The irony now is that the scrutiny will be over the fact that Foster wasn't asked to participate at all. Foster has long been considered one of the NBA's top officials, but he has also become a lightning rod for attention because of the distinct nature with which he goes about the job and as various players, teams and fan bases have taken issue with his work.

The other three referees who served as crew chiefs over the first four games of the series -- John Goble (Game 1), Zach Zarba (Game 2) and Capers (Game 3) -- all were given a second game, with Goble serving as the crew chief for Game 5, Zarba for Game 6 and now Capers for Game 7.

Alongside Capers, who will be working his 17th career Finals game, for Game 7 will be the two officials who did Game 4 with Foster. Tiven is working in his sixth NBA Finals and will be officiating his 10th Finals game, and Wright is in his second Finals and doing his third game.

Williams, Sunday's alternate, served on the crews in Games 2 and 5. He is the only person asked to fulfill a refereeing role three times in this series. Foster, on the other hand, is the only referee to get a single game in the series.