Latest news with #Capers
Mint
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Mint
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Indiana Pacers, NBA finals: James Capers named in list of referees, Scott Foster not included
Oklahoma City Thunder will face Indiana Pacers in a high-stakes NBA Finals Game 7. The roster of referees to officiate the crucial match. Notably, veteran referee Scott Foster has not been included in the list. Before the game begins, let's look at the details. This season, the NBA employed 75 full-time referees including 36 chosen to officiate the initial playoff round. As the playoffs progressed, the referee roster was reduced for each subsequent round, with the league's referee operations management team deciding which officials move forward. The NBA selected James Capers, Josh Tiven, and Sean Wright to officiate the match Finals between the Thunder and Pacers. James Williams, on the other hand, is named as the alternate. Capers who has experience in officiating 17 Finals games, will act as crew chief. Tiven, in his sixth Finals, will officiate his 10th game. Wright, in his second Finals, will be officiating his third game. Interestingly, Williams, who officiated Games 2 and 5, is the only referee involved in three games this series. The exclusion of Scott Foster from the roster has raised eyebrows. He was limited to a single appearance in Game 4 on June 13, where he served as crew chief. The absence of his name from the referees' list for Game 7 is surprising. He has officiated 18 series and 26 games, more than any of the 12 referees chosen for the series. Foster was criticized by Pacers' fans after their team lost the Game 4. He was defended by Indiana coach Rick Carlisle after the match. 'As far as officiating, I think it's awful some of the things I have seen about the officiating, and Scott Foster in particular,' Carlisle had said before Game 5. 'I have known Scott Foster for 30 years. He is a great official. He has done a great job in these playoffs. We've had him a lot of times. The ridiculous scrutiny that is being thrown out there is terrible and unfair and unjust and stupid,' he added. Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers will be geared up for the showdown. The officiating crew of the Finals will also be under the radar. While Capers, Tiven, and Wright face the challenge of managing a high-pressure game, Foster's absence, on the other hand, will remain a talking point.
Fox Sports
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Scott Foster Not Among Referees Picked to Officiate Pacers-Thunder Game 7
James Capers, Josh Tiven and Sean Wright joined a very small club on Sunday. Capers, Tiven and Wright were announced by the NBA as the officiating crew for Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. It's the first Game 7 of a finals for all three, who are now the 22nd, 23rd and 24th referees in NBA history to land such an assignment. "Being selected to work the NBA Finals is the top honor as an NBA official," Byron Spruell, the NBA's president of league operations, said earlier this month when the 12-person list of finals referees was revealed. And Game 7, one would think, is the top of the top honors. Scott Foster, a two-time Game 7 finals referee and generally considered one of the best in the game, was not picked for the crew. Had he been, he would have become the seventh referee picked to work at least three Game 7s in the title series. The referees in NBA history who have worked that many are Mendy Rudolph (six), Earl Strom (five), Sid Borgia (four), Dan Crawford (three), Joe Crawford (three) and Richie Powers (three). Foster — who is frequently criticized online by fans — was defended by Indiana coach Rick Carlisle after Game 4, notable because it was a game that the Pacers lost. "As far as officiating, I think it's awful some of the things I've seen about the officiating, and Scott Foster in particular," Carlisle said before Game 5. "I've known Scott Foster for 30 years. He is a great official. He has done a great job in these playoffs. We've had him a lot of times. The ridiculous scrutiny that is being thrown out there is terrible and unfair and unjust and stupid." The NBA had 75 full-time officials this season and 36 of those were selected to work the first round of the playoffs. The officiating roster is further trimmed going into each playoff round, with the league's referee operations management team determining who should advance. Capers is working his 13th finals, Tiven his sixth and Wright is in the finals for only the second time. It's the second game of these finals for all three referees — Capers worked Indiana's win in Game 3, while Wright and Tiven were both on the crew for Oklahoma City's win in Game 4. James Williams, who worked Games 2 and 5 of the series, was picked as the alternate for Game 7. David Guthrie, who officiated Games 1 and 6, was the referee assigned to the replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey, for Game 7. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault addressed officiating — and how he and his team respect referees — from a general perspective Saturday, when asked how his team has avoided being called for very many technical fouls this season. "The outcome of the game and the context of the game is outside of our control," Daigneault said. "In between the lines is inside our control. The referees (are) in that category, too. We can't control how they call the game and what they put a whistle on and what they don't. We can control a lot of other things in the game, and that's what we need to focus on." Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily. recommended Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
USA Today
8 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
NBA Finals referees: Who are the officials for Game 7 of Pacers-Thunder?
The NBA announced referees for Game 7 of the NBA Finals this morning, and to the pleasure of many fans, those names didn't include Scott Foster (sorry, Rick Carlisle). Instead, this winner-take-all game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers will be officiated by James Capers, Josh Tiven and Sean Wright, with James Williams serving as an alternate. Foster's omission does stand out a bit, as he was part of the crew with Tiven and Wright for Game 4, which also included Capers as the replay center referee. This time, Capers takes the floor and it'll be David Guthrie on replays. NBA Finals Game 7 referees
San Francisco Chronicle
8 hours ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Referees picked by the NBA for Game 7 are James Capers, Josh Tiven, Sean Wright
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — James Capers, Josh Tiven and Sean Wright joined a very small club on Sunday. Capers, Tiven and Wright were announced by the NBA as the officiating crew for Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. It's the first Game 7 of a finals for all three, who are now the 22nd, 23rd and 24th referees in NBA history to land such an assignment. 'Being selected to work the NBA Finals is the top honor as an NBA official," Byron Spruell, the NBA's president of league operations, said earlier this month when the 12-person list of finals referees was revealed. And Game 7, one would think, is the top of the top honors. Scott Foster, a two-time Game 7 finals referee and generally considered one of the best in the game, was not picked for the crew. Had he been, he would have become the seventh referee picked to work at least three Game 7s in the title series. The referees in NBA history who have worked that many are Mendy Rudolph (six), Earl Strom (five), Sid Borgia (four), Dan Crawford (three), Joe Crawford (three) and Richie Powers (three). Foster — who is frequently criticized online by fans — was defended by Indiana coach Rick Carlisle after Game 4, notable because it was a game that the Pacers lost. 'As far as officiating, I think it's awful some of the things I've seen about the officiating, and Scott Foster in particular,' Carlisle said before Game 5. 'I've known Scott Foster for 30 years. He is a great official. He has done a great job in these playoffs. We've had him a lot of times. The ridiculous scrutiny that is being thrown out there is terrible and unfair and unjust and stupid.' The NBA had 75 full-time officials this season and 36 of those were selected to work the first round of the playoffs. The officiating roster is further trimmed going into each playoff round, with the league's referee operations management team determining who should advance. Capers is working his 13th finals, Tiven his sixth and Wright is in the finals for only the second time. It's the second game of these finals for all three referees — Capers worked Indiana's win in Game 3, while Wright and Tiven were both on the crew for Oklahoma City's win in Game 4. James Williams, who worked Games 2 and 5 of the series, was picked as the alternate for Game 7. David Guthrie, who officiated Games 1 and 6, was the referee assigned to the replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey, for Game 7. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault addressed officiating — and how he and his team respect referees — from a general perspective Saturday, when asked how his team has avoided being called for very many technical fouls this season. 'The outcome of the game and the context of the game is outside of our control,' Daigneault said. 'In between the lines is inside our control. The referees (are) in that category, too. We can't control how they call the game and what they put a whistle on and what they don't. We can control a lot of other things in the game, and that's what we need to focus on.' ___
Fox Sports
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Referees picked by the NBA for Game 7 are James Capers, Josh Tiven, Sean Wright
Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — James Capers, Josh Tiven and Sean Wright joined a very small club on Sunday. Capers, Tiven and Wright were announced by the NBA as the officiating crew for Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. It's the first Game 7 of a finals for all three, who are now the 22nd, 23rd and 24th referees in NBA history to land such an assignment. 'Being selected to work the NBA Finals is the top honor as an NBA official," Byron Spruell, the NBA's president of league operations, said earlier this month when the 12-person list of finals referees was revealed. And Game 7, one would think, is the top of the top honors. Scott Foster, a two-time Game 7 finals referee and generally considered one of the best in the game, was not picked for the crew. Had he been, he would have become the seventh referee picked to work at least three Game 7s in the title series. The referees in NBA history who have worked that many are Mendy Rudolph (six), Earl Strom (five), Sid Borgia (four), Dan Crawford (three), Joe Crawford (three) and Richie Powers (three). Foster — who is frequently criticized online by fans — was defended by Indiana coach Rick Carlisle after Game 4, notable because it was a game that the Pacers lost. 'As far as officiating, I think it's awful some of the things I've seen about the officiating, and Scott Foster in particular,' Carlisle said before Game 5. 'I've known Scott Foster for 30 years. He is a great official. He has done a great job in these playoffs. We've had him a lot of times. The ridiculous scrutiny that is being thrown out there is terrible and unfair and unjust and stupid.' The NBA had 75 full-time officials this season and 36 of those were selected to work the first round of the playoffs. The officiating roster is further trimmed going into each playoff round, with the league's referee operations management team determining who should advance. Capers is working his 13th finals, Tiven his sixth and Wright is in the finals for only the second time. It's the second game of these finals for all three referees — Capers worked Indiana's win in Game 3, while Wright and Tiven were both on the crew for Oklahoma City's win in Game 4. James Williams, who worked Games 2 and 5 of the series, was picked as the alternate for Game 7. David Guthrie, who officiated Games 1 and 6, was the referee assigned to the replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey, for Game 7. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault addressed officiating — and how he and his team respect referees — from a general perspective Saturday, when asked how his team has avoided being called for very many technical fouls this season. 'The outcome of the game and the context of the game is outside of our control,' Daigneault said. 'In between the lines is inside our control. The referees (are) in that category, too. We can't control how they call the game and what they put a whistle on and what they don't. We can control a lot of other things in the game, and that's what we need to focus on.' ___ AP NBA: recommended
