James Harden and Rockets have long-running feud with Game 2 referee Scott Foster
Officiating was at the center of Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, and it already looks like it’ll be a big storyline in Game 2.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on Tuesday morning that veteran referee Scott Foster has been assigned to officiate Game 2 between the Rockets and Warriors.
The Rockets and Foster have a history. The last time Foster refereed a Rockets game, it was against the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2019, and both James Harden and Chris Paul fouled out in what ended up being a late-game loss for the Rockets. After the game, Harden called Foster “rude and arrogant,” and then went even further. Via ESPN:
“For sure, it’s personal. For sure. I don’t think he should be able to even officiate our games anymore, honestly.”
Paul said at the time that he didn’t know what to do to improve the relationship between him, his teammates, and Foster. He told ESPN that he’d met with both Foster and the NBA about the issues, but that it obviously hadn’t helped.
The history between the Rockets (especially Harden and Paul) and Foster goes back even further. Foster was officiating the previous time Harden had fouled out, in December 2017. In January 2018, Paul mocked Foster after a game and was fined an undisclosed amount.
All of those past issues are about to collide with this playoff series. The Rockets focused on officiating after their Game 1 loss, with players questioning the fairness to the media. And then on Monday both ESPN and The Athletic reported that the Rockets had done their own research to show that the Warriors benefit from favorable officiating, and that research had been communicated to the NBA.
Despite the history between the Rockets and Foster, the ruckus the Rockets raised after the officiating in Game 1, and the officiating research they reportedly sent to the NBA, Foster being assigned to ref Game 2 is almost certainly a total coincidence. In fact, referee assignments are made prior to the start of a playoff series.
For the referee conspiracy theorists: Referee game assignments are made before a series starts. So, no, Scott Foster was not assigned in the aftermath of the Game 1 drama.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) April 30, 2019
But it’s hilarious to imagine Adam Silver sitting in front of a computer in his darkened office late at night and saying “Oh, you thought Game 1 was bad? I’ll give you something to complain about,” and then assigning Foster to Game 2 with a single keystroke. That didn’t happen, but it’s a lot more fun to pretend it did.
More from Yahoo Sports:
