Chris Paul has had many barriers in his journey to win that elusive NBA title, none bigger than referee Scott Foster
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Chris Paul has had a terrific NBA career, to say the least. He has many records to his name but there is one that he can’t seem to wrap his head around.
It all dates back to the 2007-08 season when Paul was with the New Orleans Hornets. Foster was officiating game 7 of the second round of the playoffs between the Hornets and the San Antonio Spurs.
The Hornets ended up losing the game and Paul would foul out in the closing minutes. A few years later, when Paul was in another Game 7 officiated by Foster, the referee reminded him of that Hornets game.
Most recently, in Game 2 of the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Paul and his Phoenix Suns lost a close game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Once again, a game where Foster was the referee.
THE STREAK CONTINUES! 14-0!
Chris Paul has now lost 14 straight playoff games when Scott Foster is officiating 🤯 pic.twitter.com/T153s0Oy0b
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 20, 2022
So basically Chris Paul is 0-14 in the last 14 playoff games Foster has officiated. In all those games, ‘the point God’ has gone 0-4 with the Suns, 0-1 with the Thunder, 0-4 with the Rockets, and 0-5 with the Clippers.
Not only, Chris Paul, but Sixers guard James Harden has also had his troubles with Foster
When it comes to James Harden, he is 0-8 with Foster officiating in the playoffs.
James Harden and Chris Paul are combined 1-27 in the playoffs when Scott Foster is the referee.
That 1 win is from when they had to play each other. Disgusting.
— Dani (@Danizeh) April 23, 2022
Foster was at the centre of things once again when the Philadelphia 76ers played against the Toronto Raptors in game 4 of their first round playoff series. The Sixers would lose the game and Harden was visibly upset and Joel Embiid even applauded the officials while walking off the court.
Scott Foster after sabotaging Chris Paul and James Harden’s teams in the same week pic.twitter.com/PSQ43atgJD
— Tr3 (@Eagles76ersTalk) April 23, 2022
Back in 2019, the Los Angeles Lakers came back from a 19-point deficit to defeat Harden and the Houston Rockets. Harden would go on to say this about Foster post the game, “Scott Foster, man. I never really talk about officiating or anything like that, but just rude and arrogant.”
“I mean, you aren’t able to talk to him throughout the course of the game, and it’s like, how do you build that relationship with officials? And it’s not even that call. It’s just who he is on that floor”, he added.
Both Harden and Paul would be hoping to break this losing curse to Foster sooner rather than later in their quest for an NBA Championship.