Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks won Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday, ending the franchise’s 50-year championship drought, thanks to an immaculate 50-point, 14-rebound, five-block performance from the “Greek Freak.”
As deserving as Milwaukee’s Finals victory was, some on Twitter wondered aloud whether officiating may have had something to do with the final outcome. While it’s true that there were a few questionable calls — just ask Bobby Portis — they didn’t seem to lean heavily in favor of one team over the other.
But Scott Foster’s longstanding history with Suns point guard Chris Paul removed any benefit of the doubt for several observers. With the Suns’ loss Tuesday, Paul (26 points, five assists, two rebounds) fell to 0-13 in playoff games when Foster was on the officiating crew.
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Foster and Paul were even seen conversing before tipoff of Game 6:
For what it’s worth, Paul and Deandre Ayton each had five fouls in Phoenix’s 105-98 loss; Mikal Bridges and Devin Booker each had four fouls and Jae Crowder had three. Conversely, none of Milwaukee’s starters had more than three fouls; Khris Middleton led the team with three.
Portis, strangely, may have stopped Paul from getting a technical foul with roughly 10 minutes left in the game. Paul looked ready to get in Foster’s face after officials ruled the ball went out of bounds off a Suns player (the call was later reversed following review):
Here’s a sampling of Twitter users who took shots at Foster before, during and after the game:
So now we can see Scott Foster just give every call imaginable to Giannis…who’s already the best player in the series without the sometimes blatant assistance….
— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) July 21, 2021
Scott Foster just got a loud cheer when announced🤣
— Giannis Burner (@TheFreakBurner) July 21, 2021
Suns survive the 3rd quarter. Tied at 77. HERE WE GO. SCOTT FOSTER, I AM WATCHING YOU.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) July 21, 2021
Im taking Scott Foster (+1.5 rigged calls) tonite
— PFTCommenter (@PFTCommenter) July 21, 2021