PHOENIX SUNS

Scott Foster is not helping the Scott Foster narrative

Apr 18, 2023, 7:56 PM | Updated: Apr 27, 2023, 2:03 pm

NBA referee Scott Foster didn’t help the narrative of him being trouble for the Suns and specifically Chris Paul in Phoenix’s 123-109 Game 2 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

As the head official of Tuesday night’s first-round matchup at Footprint Center, Foster negated a Devin Booker steal and slam with a foul and technical on Torrey Craig for arguing.

You can be the judge if it was the correct call or not:

The history between Foster and Paul goes back a decade, as Paul had a 13-game losing streak and is now 3-17 in the playoffs overall under the referee.

In fact, the Suns point guard hadn’t won a playoff game with Foster officiating since 2013 when Paul was still a member of the Clippers until Tuesday night.

“I ain’t notice,” Paul told reporters postgame of breaking the streak.

Foster was also on the floor for Phoenix’s Game 2 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, as well as the Suns’ losses in Games 3 and 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Phoenix did win Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on the Valley-Oop with Foster on the court, but Paul was unable to play that game due to being in health and safety protocols.

As expected, Foster’s call early on in Tuesday night’s contest sparked some responses:

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Scott Foster is not helping the Scott Foster narrative