The Warriors have avoided “The Extender.”
Veteran referee Scott Foster, who has a reputation for favoring teams that are behind in a series, will not officiate Thursday’s Game 6 of the NBA Finals in Boston. The Celtics are 13-0 in games officiated by Foster this season.
Instead, veteran official Zach Zarba will lead the crew. Zarba, a 19-year veteran, was the crew chief for Game 2, a game Golden State won by 19 points. David Guthrie and John Goble will round out the crew. All three officials have worked this NBA Finals, but this is the first time all three will share the court at the same time.
One could make the case that the Warriors would want Foster for Game 6, considering he also has a reputation for favoring teams on the road. As with most officials, you can make the case that they are likely to both favor and have a bias against either team.
One nugget that will make some Warriors fans feel good: Zarba was the lead official for Golden State’s title clinching victory in Game 6 of the 2015 NBA Finals over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If the Warriors don’t clinch on Thursday, it is overwhelmingly likely that Foster will be the lead official for Game 7 in San Francisco.
