Ahead of Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle came to the defense of referee Scott Foster. In his June 15 press conference on Sunday, Carlisle pushed back on the criticism of Foster’s officiating in Game 4 two days earlier.
“It’s awful what some of the things I’ve seen about the officiating and Scott Foster in particular,” Carlisle said. “He’s a great official; he’s done a great job in this playoffs.”
Foster, a 30-year officiating veteran with a controversial past, was criticized for a fourth quarter no-call in which Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander appeared to push off from Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith on a jump shot that gave the Thunder a 104-103 lead with 2:23 left in the game.
The Thunder never relinquished the lead and beat Indiana 111-104.
“Tough losses are a part of a playoff series,” Carlisle said. “It’s just if this was easy, they would be pulling people off the street to play in the NBA Finals and coach and do what you guys are doing. You guys are the best in the world.”
Officials Had a Perfect 4th Quarter, Report Says
The NBA’s Last Two Minutes Report stated that officials correctly called all of the 17 fouls in the fourth quarter.
The game featured a total of 53 fouls with 71 free throws, in which the Thunder had a 38-31 advantage. Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game making all 10 of his free-throw attempts, eight of which came in the fourth quarter, and the Thunder outscored Indiana 32-17 in the final period.
“There were a crap ton of fouls. That’s why there were a crap ton of free throws,” Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault said after the game. “I thought the refs did a good job tonight. Both teams shot a lot of free throws. It was physical. That was what the game was. It was a physical game on both ends of the floor for both teams.”
Foster has 262 playoff games and 26 NBA Finals games under his belt. However, he has been under scrutiny previously due to his friendship with disgraced referee Tim Donaghy and his past run-ins with NBA veteran Chris Paul.
“I’ve known Scott Foster for 30 years. He’s a great official. He’s done a great job in these playoffs,” Carlisle added. “We’ve had him a lot of times, and the ridiculous scrutiny that’s being thrown out there is terrible, and unfair, and unjust. It’s stupid.”
Carlisle 2 Wins From NBA History
Along with leading the Pacers to their first championship in franchise history, Carlisle is two wins from etching himself in coaching glory. With a title, he would become only the third coach in modern NBA history to win a Finals series with two different teams.
Previously, Carlisle coached a Dirk Nowitzki-led Dallas Mavericks team to the championship in 2011, which was also their first in franchise history.
The only other coaches to win titles with two different teams in the modern era are Phil Jackson and Pat Riley. Jackson won a total of 11 championships with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, which is the most in NBA history. Riley won three titles with the Lakers in the 1980s and one with the Miami Heat in 2006.
Though prior to the ABA-NBA merger, Alex Hannum is the only other coach in the league to win championships with two different teams. He first did it in 1959 with the St. Louis (now Atlanta) Hawks, and again in 1967 with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Additionally, Carlisle is 11th on the NBA’s list for total regular season wins as a head coach, with 993 victories across his 23 seasons. His 85 postseason wins rank 10th on the all-time list, with Doc Rivers, Steve Kerr, and Eric Spoelstra as the only active coaches with more.
Pacers Coach Issues Strong Statement on Controversial NBA Ref