The NBA has announced the referees for Sunday night's Finals Game 7 between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder—and one big name is notably missing from the list.
Refs James Capers, Josh Tiven and Sean Wright will be calling the contest on Sunday night, and Scott Foster—a longtime official who is frequently critiqued by fans online but also one of the game's strongest refs—will not.
As recently as last week, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle defended Foster from the criticism, which is described as "awful," "stupid," and "unjust."
"As far as officiating, I think it’s awful, some of the things I’ve seen about the officiating, and Scott Foster, in particular,” Carlisle said after Game 4, a Foster-officiated contest that the Pacers (notably) lost. "I’ve known Scott Foster for 30 years. He’s a great official. He’s done a great job in these playoffs. We’ve had him a lot of times, and the ridiculous scrutiny that’s being thrown out there is terrible, and unfair, and unjust. It’s stupid."
This is Capers's 13th Finals, Tiven's sixth, and Wright's second. All three refs have already officiated another game in this series. James Williams will serve as an alternate.
Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET in Oklahoma City.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Who is Refereeing Game 7 of the NBA Finals? Full List Announced.
