The Rockets and Thunder’s Game 7 showdown was decided by a pivotal possession or two, and Chris Paul recently sounded off about one particular sequence involving the officiating that he believes played a part in Wednesday’s loss.
Houston emerged with a 104-102 win, but the outcome really could’ve gone either way. The final minute of the game took nearly 20 minutes to complete, and was filled with flops and crazy moments — just not much offense.
And yet, Paul continues to focus on one particular play that took place in the second quarter. James Harden drove to the basket, and CP3 appeared to draw a charge, yet he was whistled for a blocking foul instead. He stayed down for a bit, trying to figure out if the team should challenge the call, when referee Scott Foster called delay of game. And Paul shared his thoughts on why he took issue with it.
It’s crazy. This has been going on in the bubble – like the replays. They show the replays sometimes so that, obviously, it’s an advantage if you get to see the replay and then you challenge.
“I dropped down to tie my shoe up to hopefully see if we see the replay,” Paul began. “Scott Foster walked over to me and told me, ‘Chris, you ain’t got to do that. I got them sweeping up the floor.’ OK, cool. So, I start tying my shoe back up, and he still calls delay of game. That s— don’t make no sense. But I don’t know. That’s crazy. He just… I don’t know.
We could’ve won the game, but that situation… the league knows. Yeah, they’re going to fine me. I said his name. Yeah…we already know the history.”
Paul does have a history with Foster, but involving calls that have both benefited him, and gone against him. The irony here is that Foster is known for having made a number of big calls that have gone against the Rockets in the past.
