The NBA has assigned two of its most notorious referees to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Heat and Celtics on Monday night.
Scott Foster and Tony Brothers are slated to work the game in Boston, which is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET. Foster will serve as the crew chief, and the duo will be joined by referee John Goble to round out the crew.
Foster and Brothers are arguably the two best-known referees in the NBA, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. In a survey conducted by The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Josh Robbins, Foster was voted the worst referee in the league by players, with over 25% over the vote. Brothers, meanwhile, got votes on both ends of the poll, ending up as the best referee and tied for second-worst simultaneously.
Interestingly, home teams won 70.7% of the games Foster refereed during the 2022-23 regular season. That’s the highest mark of his 28-year NBA career. Home teams outscored visitors by an average of 118.6-113.2 in those 58 games this season. Foster last worked in Game 4 of the series, which was a Celtics win in Miami.
Home teams won 64.1% of games refereed by Brothers during the regular season, and that mark was 56.5% for games worked by Goble.
The way games are officiated will always be something fans notice during games, so Foster and Brothers certainly will be on the minds of many spectators.
