NBA Fans Surely Will Feel Some Sort Of Way About Celtics-Heat Officials
Scott Foster has become known as “The Extender” to fans around the NBA, many believing the league inserts the veteran official into postseason situations to help extend a playoff series.
It’s obviously rooted more in speculation than it is in fact-based evidence.
But Green Teamers rooting for the Boston Celtics against the Miami Heat in a win-or-go-home Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals might find a glimmer of hope with Foster on the floor Tuesday night. Foster will be the crew chief at Kaseya Center in South Beach while John Goble and Courtney Kirkland will serve alongside him as the referee and umpire, respectively.
The Celtics trail the Heat 3-0 in the best-of-seven conference finals. No team in NBA history has ever overcome a 3-0 series deficit.
The task undoubtedly is monumental, but it all starts with Game 4, as the Celtics have acknowledged.
The Heat went 0-5 during the regular season when Foster was a referee, as pointed out by CBS Boston. Entering the Eastern Conference finals, the Heat had lost 12 of their last 13 games officiated by Foster after splitting their two games against the New York Knicks when Foster was on the floor.
On the other hand, though, home teams typically fare better with Foster. Statistics show he traditionally calls more fouls on the road team in the postseason.
During the 2022-23 regular season, home teams had a 70.7% win percentage in games Foster officiated. That number is 59.8% in Foster’s regular-season career. Additionally, during the 2023 NBA playoffs, home teams have won 66.7% of Foster’s 12 postseason games while they have won 60.7% of their contests in Foster’s career.
The Heat currently are viewed as the betting favorite ahead of Game 4, the first time they’ve been favored in a contest this series. Miami is a 1.5-point home favorite with the total set at 216.5, according to the consensus data on NESNBets.com.
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