INDIANAPOLIS - NBA official Scott Foster left Indiana Pacers fans fuming over controversial calls early into Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Foster – who has been playfully dubbed 'The Extender' because of his reputation for bringing bad luck to teams with the series lead – was soon met with boos and "Ref You Suck" chants when he appeared to have missed Alex Caruso's foul. Tyrese Haliburton The Oklahoma City Thunder veteran guard It appeared that someone had slapped Haliburton on the ribs while trying to snatch the ball away from his hands, but the whistle remained silent.
But even more controversial was the call Foster did make in the second period, assessing Pacers forward Obi Toppin – who had an adorable moment with his daughter pregame - for a flagrant foul in another play involving Caruso. As the Thunder playmaker charged down the court in transition off a Tyrese Haliburton turnover, Toppin tried to prevent an easy layup by cutting him off while leading with his shoulder.
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The collision caused a brief scuffle with OKC center Isaiah Hartenstein having some words for Toppin for the hard foul afterwards, and the two had to be separated by teammates. The officials then decided to take another look at the play.
After a video review, Toppin was assessed a flagrant foul with Foster explaining there was "wind-up, impact, follow-through, and non-basketball play." He and Hartenstein also received technical fouls for the short altercation.
Boos and angry chants rang out from the stands once again – and many NBA fans and analysts on social media understood their frustration. They argued that while it was a hard foul, it shouldn't have been called during the playoffs when the game becomes more physical.
Some also pointed out that a seemingly more egregious play in Game 3, when Aaron Nesmith wrapped his arms around the Thunder veteran's body mid-air and brought Caruso to the ground, was a no-call, leading to confusion over the consistency of Finals officiating.
The Pacers entered the clash with a 2-1 lead after making a statement a couple of days earlier, claiming a 116-107 win over the favored Thunder in Indiana's first home Finals game in 25 years. Indy has been proving doubters wrong since the start of the postseason, seeing off the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks to become only the fourth No. 4 seed to book a spot in the battle for the Larry O'Brien trophy since 1978.
The Pacers believed they could do something special this year. long before their heroic 'Yes'cers' run started , even though. 'There were a few times throughout the regular season when we felt like we can really do something special,' Thomas Bryant told. Mirror U.S. Sports this week.
We got some wins on the road that we really, at the point in time, we didn't think that we could get. And throughout the playoffs, there were times when inspirational plays by team members and guys stepping up throughout the time occurred.
But we always believed in it from the start. And when this playoff started, we already had just one thing in mind – it's just all about winning.
We all sat down and talked about it with each other, and all of it is about winning, man. And it's the inspiring thing about all of us. Everybody wants to win, and it doesn't matter who has the ball, who scores, who this, who that.
"We just want to get the W at the end of the day."
The Thunder managed to even the series in Game 4, though, taking a 111-104 win after a fourth-quarter turnaround. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander inspired the comeback, scoring 15 of his 35 points in the last 4:38 of the game.
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