The Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from a late deficit against the Indiana Pacers on Friday and tasted victory in Game 4, 111-104. They avoided what could have been a disastrous 3-1 hole, and while this should have been the talking point, it simply wasn’t. Instead, the referee crew, which was led by Scott Foster, stole the spotlight once again… but not in a good way. Inconsistent calling led to frustration for both teams and their fans. In fact, sportswriter Bill Simmons couldn’t keep calm!

He was on ‘The Zach Lowe Show’ where he went after the referees and said, “It was just an abomination… It was a typical Scott Foster [game] — all over the map, just involved like weird stoppages, missed calls, like calling touch fouls, then not calling somebody getting clubbed in the head. They had no control of this entire game.” For Foster, who is referred to as ‘The Extender’ due to his tendency to artificially extend playoff series, this looks like yet another callout by fans and the basketball community.

Simmons noted how both benches, both coaches, and just about everyone were mad at what was going on. But one particular incident stuck out: An obvious missed travel by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who pushed off his defender before delivering an important jump shot late that gave OKC a 104-103 lead. Post this, the Pacers didn’t lead again. It took place with 2:23 left in the game, so the incident won’t appear in the league’s NBA’s Last 2-Minute Report as a missed call. Speaking about the L2M report:

Foster will find some relief because the last two minutes of the game did not witness any incorrect calls or incorrect non-calls.
CC/Correct Call: 8
IC/Incorrect Call: 0
CNC/Correct Non-Call: 9
INC/Incorrect Non-Call: 0

However, most of the questionable calls happened before the final two minutes. For instance, Indiana forward Obi Toppin charged into OKC’s guard, Alex Caruso, in the first half. The latter fell to the floor, and that started a tense tussle between both sides. While the foul on Toppin was clear, Foster escalated it to a Flagrant 1. He also gave double technicals to Toppin and OKC’s Isaiah Hartenstein for their role in the scuffle.

Scott Foster’s reputation as ‘The Extender’ isn’t just talk, but backed up by notorious high-leverage calls that kept struggling teams alive. He has been linked to ejections like Chris Paul in 2023, upheld a questionable foul on Aaron Gordon during the Nuggets–Heat Finals, slapped a phantom foul on Nikola Jokić in another Finals clash, and even admitted issuing a technical to Rudy Gobert, to which Gobert replied with a ‘money sign’ gesture afterwards. Each incident added another layer to the issue, making every Foster whistle feel like a potential plot twist.

NBA Finals pressure boils over as Thunder shift the game!

Pacers fans felt robbed, shouting about contact on drives, swallowed whistles, and late-game antics. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s step-backs? Legal. The off-arm push-offs? Dubiously clean, depending on your jersey color. And for Thunder fans, it was a fight. Jalen Williams’ fearlessness, Chet Holmgren’s rim protection, and the clutch DNA forming in real time are telling a story that’s larger than calls and corrections. But what this moment also exposed was a bigger issue of how little faith the fanbase has left in officiating consistency. The NBA has tried transparency. It has attempted explanations. It has approved the L2M report. But none of those things restore something as fragile as trust.

What gets lost in the uproar, though, is what this win meant for Oklahoma City: A team many pegged as too young, too raw, too soon… just put themselves in a position to go the distance. Shai continues to look like the calmest man in the fire. Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso, and Chet Holmgren are maturing faster than anyone imagined. They didn’t win, arguably because of the refs. No. They won because they’ve built something real.

For Indiana, though, the heartbreak feels familiar. The Pacers had a chance to steal one and flip the Finals back in their favor. Instead, they’re heading into Game 5 looking rattled and increasingly outmatched. Tyrese Haliburton needs more help. Pascal Siakam needs to be more than steady. And HC Rick Carlisle? He needs to find answers faster than the Thunder finds transition buckets. As for the refs, the microscope isn’t going anywhere. And if Game 5 swings on a controversial whistle, the NBA fans might explode with anger. What do you think?