The Houston Rockets were openly disgusted with the officiating in their Game 1 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, and they probably are not expecting things to be much better on Tuesday based on one of the referees who has been assigned to work Game 2.
Scott Foster will be part of the officiating crew in Game 2. As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noted, Foster has not worked a Rockets game since February, and the Rockets felt he did a poor job then and contributed to their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Veteran official Scott Foster has been assigned to Warriors-Rockets tonight.
Chris Paul, James Harden & Rockets have a long-running feud with Foster. He hasn’t worked a Rockets game since February, when Harden was fined for criticizing him after fouling out of a game in LA.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) April 30, 2019
Harden was called for two offensive fouls in the final three minutes of the Feb. 21 contest, and it was the only time he fouled out all season. He ripped Foster after the game for being “rude” and “arrogant” and suggested he should not be allowed to work Houston games going forward. The criticism drew a fine from the NBA.
Many players have had problems with Foster, whom players and coaches named the worst referee in the league by a significant margin in a survey conducted by the Los Angeles Times back in 2016. Chris Paul has also been openly critical of Foster, and Harden said in February that he believes Foster’s treatment of the Rockets is “personal.”
Paul was ejected from Game 1 for picking up two technical fouls, and the Rockets believed the officiating crew missed several calls that should have benefitted them. The NBA admitted to missing a foul on at least one key play in the final seconds of the game.
