Pacers' Rick Carlisle Defends 'Great Official' Scott Foster Amid 2025 NBA Finals

Veteran NBA referee Scott Foster drew criticism for his officiating in Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Friday, but Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle came to his defense.

"I think it’s awful with some of the things I’ve seen about the officiating, with Scott Foster in particular," Carlisle said before the Pacers’ practice on Sunday, per The Athletic's Joe Vardon. "I’ve known Scott Foster for 30 years — he’s a great official. He’s done a great job in these playoffs. We’ve had him a lot of times, and the ridiculous scrutiny that’s being thrown out there is terrible. It’s unfair and unjust."

Carlisle's passionate defense of Foster came despite the Pacers being on the losing end of Game 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which tied the NBA Finals series 2-2. Indiana blew a 10-point lead late in the third quarter and suffered a 111-104 loss in front of disappointed home fans.

Following the loss, the Indianapolis Star published a story with the headline, "'Just an abomination. It was typical Scott Foster.' Pacers fans lament ref’s calls in NBA Finals Game 4 loss." The first part of the headline is a quote from media personality Bill Simmons, as featured in his appearance on Zach Lowe's podcast. Vardon noted that Carlisle declined to say what he was specifically responding to in his defense of Foster on Sunday.

While there may have been a perception that the Thunder were receiving favorable calls, there wasn't a huge disparity in free throws that would support that assertion. Oklahoma City attempted 38 free throws, while Indiana attempted 33. However, the Thunder only missed four free throws as the Pacers missed eight of their attempts, which proved to be the difference in the final score.

With the series heading back to Oklahoma City, the momentum appears to be on the Thunder's side. Still, the Pacers have already proven to be able to win on the road, so they won't be counted out in Monday's Game 5.