Foster is ridiculed as "series extension" Carlisle firmly defends it

Pacers coach Carlisle chose to defend Foster on Sunday after Indiana fans and media slammed Foster over his refereeship issues in Game 4 of the Finals.

"I think there are some remarks about referees too much, especially against Scott Foster," Carlisle said before the Pacers' training. "I have known Foster for 30 years - he is a great referee and has performed well in this playoffs. We have been refereeing many times, and the ridiculous scrutiny he has suffered now is too bad, which is unfair and unjust."

Pacers failed to grasp the 10-point lead at the end of the third quarter and lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-111, and the score was tied 2-2. The Thunder won 38 free throws in this game, but the difference in the number of free throws between the two teams was not big, and the Pacers won 33. After the game, famous basketball commentator Bill Simmons opened fire on Foster while visiting ESPN analyst Loway's podcast. "It's a disaster, the typical Scott Foster style, full of problems everywhere, completely out of control," Simmons said. "The strange timeout, missed judgment, and physical hair foul, but ignored someone's head hit. They didn't control the whole game at all."

58-year-old Foster has been named one of the top referees in the league by the NBA for many years, which is why he is selected for the finals referee rotation every year. Since 2008, he has ruled at least one final every season. As of the 2025 finals, he has ruled 25 championship series.

Foster is known in the league as the "playoff series extension" because it is widely believed that teams behind in the series tend to win in the games he is referring to (but league data refutes this view). In addition, he sometimes has a tough attitude in the game and clashes with players, which makes him unpopular among players. It is worth noting that he had 134 calls with infamous referee Tim Donagy in seven months - when Donagy was betting on the NBA game and providing insider information to the dealer. But when federal authorities sued Donagy, they never accused Foster of misconduct, and the league had not filed any charges against him. The NBA will not announce the finals referee list until 9 a.m. on game day, and the next game will be played in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Foster is unlikely to referee Game 5, but if the series reaches Game 7, he is likely to serve as the referee.