Officiating crew for Game 6 of NBA Finals comes with surprise
Jun 2, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver talks to media before game one of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Adam Silver just threw a curveball on what appeared to be a sure-fire fastball count.
The NBA announced on Thursday morning the officiating crew for Game 6 of the Finals later in the evening. Zach Zarba was tabbed as the crew chief with David Guthrie and John Goble also making the cut. Courtney Kirkland was named as the alternate with Josh Tiven slated to work the replay center.
GAME 6
TODAY
⏰ 9:00 PM ET
🏀 @warriors at @celtics
🏀 #15 Zarba, #16 Guthrie, #10 Goble
📺 @ABCNetwork
#NBA #NBAReferees #GSWvsBOS #DubNation #BleedGreen pic.twitter.com/AJk4Ca922T— NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) June 16, 2022
The surprise here is the conspicuous absence of veteran referee Scott Foster. With the Boston Celtics trailing the Golden State Warriors 3-2 in the series, Foster, who has been nicknamed “The Extender,” was widely expected by fans to be on the job for Game 6. There were even some hilarious memes after Game 5 about Foster’s anticipated inclusion.
Guthrie previously worked Game 3 of the Finals (which Boston won 116-100), and Goble found himself on the job for Game 1 (which Boston also won 120-108). Meanwhile, Zarba led the officiating crew in Golden State’s 107-88 Game 2 victory, creating a decent balance here.
