Scott Foster vs Chris Paul: The real reason behind the bad blood is finally revealed...
One of the most infamous matchups/feuds in the NBA in recent years is that between 'Point God' Chris Paul and referee Scott Foster.
The NBA is known for its famous one-on-one matchups, from Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain in the '60s to LeBron James and Steph Curry in recent seasons, but this one is different from the rest.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver knows a situation needs to be addressed with officials in the NBA, with too many stars being ejected from the games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was ejected against the Detroit Pistons for a questionable call, and just days later, Nikola Jokic was ejected in Detroit as well.
However, the most important officiating issue that needs to be cleared up is Scott Foster refereeing Chris Paul's games after the pair got into a heated exchange when Paul returned to play against Phoenix for the Golden State Warriors.
Paul received a technical foul off Foster in the first half of the game against Phoenix and was swiftly sent to the showers when he received his second technical just seconds later.
The second technical was given after Paul and Foster exchanged words about how the game was being officiated, but with the aggressive tone Foster spoke to Paul in, everyone could see it was personal between them.
According to theathletic.com, it appears that in the heated exchange, you can see Paul saying that Foster said something about his son.
In the post-game interview, Paul said: "It's a situation with my son, it's personal." Years ago, Paul, his dad, Foster, his former coach Doc Rivers, and former referee Bob Delaney had a meeting to find some common ground. That didn't work.
According to former NBA player Gilbert Arenas' YouTube channel, 'Gil's Arenas,' the former all-star and his co-hosts shined some light on the situation after they interviewed Paul a couple of years ago.
"I believe after a game, little Chris was playing in the tunnel, and Scott Foster with some other ref yelled, 'Get out of the way.' Chris Paul finds out, and he's not particularly happy."
So, the whole feud broke out between them after Foster shouted curse words at Paul's son, who was a small child at the time. Since it started, Paul's record has looked dismal when Foster has refereed his games.
Veteran NBA reporter Tom Haberstroh broke down the numbers. Paul's teams are 3-17 (.150-win percentage) in the playoffs since 2007, when Foster has officiated, despite being the favorites in 15 of those 20 games.
In those 20 games, Paul's team has lost by an average of 11.2 points. A coincidence? Probably not. Paul's teams have gone 73-56 in the playoffs when he hasn't officiated (.565-win percentage) when he hasn't refereed them. This has to be personal.
According to 'Gil Arenas' on YouTube, Gilbert Arenas said: "They had a playoff game against the Spurs (San Antonio Spurs) when he (Foster) went up to him (Paul) and said, 'You know you haven't won against me on close-out games.' And he lost."
There is real bad blood between Foster and Chris Paul, stemming back over 16 years ago. Do you think Foster should be able to referee Paul's games in the future?