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Hall of Fame guard Chris Mullin called out the NBA to review Scott Foster‘s ejection of Golden State Warriors‘ Chris Paul in their 123-115 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, November 22.
“The league office, much like they review player’s conduct, should review that and there should be some action taken,” Mullin said on the NBC Sports Bay Area postgame show, referring to Foster’s successive technical fouls on Paul.
The incident occurred with 23.2 seconds left in the first half after Foster called a foul on Paul. A lengthy conversation between the two turned into a heated argument which led to Paul’s ejection and a technical foul on Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Paul later said, his beef with Foster is personal.
“We had a situation some years ago, and it’s personal,” Paul told reporters. “The league knows, everybody knows, and it’s been a meeting and all that. It’s a situation with my son and so, yeah. I’m OK with a ref talking, saying whatever, just don’t use a tech to get your point across. I gotta do a better job making sure I stay on the floor for my teammates. But, yeah, that’s that.”
Scott Foster Labeled as Unprofessional
Mullin slammed Foster for being unprofessional.
“The fact that the general public knows there’s a dispute with Chris Paul and Scott Foster is the first problem,” Mullin explained. “That’s public knowledge, right? So there’s a history there. Oh, yeah, Chris Paul probably deserved the [first] technical foul. Maybe he said something. He didn’t deserve [two technical fouls].”
“Well, [Paul’s] frustrated. Yeah, as a referee, you’re supposed to understand that. Much like when a player understands an opponent might be frustrated, you give the guy a break. So I thought it was unprofessional. His personal agenda got in the way.”
Paul’s ejection, Mullin said, “threw the rhythm and flow off of the game.”
Mullin is a former five-time NBA All-Star guard, who played for the Warriors from 1985-1997 and then returned for his final season in 2000-2001. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice as a member of the “Dream Team” in 2010 and the following year for his career. He now serves as a studio analyst for the Warriors broadcast.
Scott Foster’s Explanation
Foster explained why he ejected Paul in the NBA’s official pool report.
QUESTION: What was Chris Paul upset about that led to the initial discussion?
FOSTER: The foul called against him at 23.5.
QUESTION: Why was Chris Paul assessed the first technical foul?
FOSTER: For unsportsmanlike conduct.
QUESTION: How did Chris Paul escalate the situation to be given a second technical foul, leading to his ejection from the game?
FOSTER: He continued to complain and received a second unsportsmanlike technical foul.
Foster gained notoriety for his long-running feud with Paul. At one point, Paul lost 13 straight playoff games officiated by Foster. He broke the losing spell against Foster in the last playoffs with the Suns.
But his homecoming Wednesday night was cut short by another altercation with Foster. Paul left the game with six points, six assists and two rebounds.
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Warriors’ HOFer Calls out NBA, Scott Foster Over Chris Paul’s Ejection