Indiana Pacers Head Coach Believes Scott Foster Fielding Too Much Heat

The Oklahoma City Thunder are taking on the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals with the series knotted up at two games each ahead of a pivotal Game 5 inside the Paycom Center.

The OKC Thunder absolutely stole Game 4 of these Finals, in similar fashion to how the Pacers grabbed Game 1. Each team was thoroughly outplayed for the majority of the contest until the final frame where things took a dramatic turn and they snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat.

"Well, I mean, tough losses are a part of a playoff series. It's just if this was easy, they would be pulling people off the street to play in the NBA Finals and coach and do what you guys are doing. You guys are the best in the world. Everybody else here is perceived to be the best in the world at this moment. So it's difficult," Carlisle said. "But you look at it, you take it for what it is and it becomes pretty clear the things that you need to do to be better. Our job as a staff is to take those things, simplify them, communicate to them in a simple, concise way so we can do better. And so you know, that's it."

Of course, the closeness of the game and the desperation of the Thunder who played with their hair on fire, staring a 3-1 hole right in the face, gets over looked by the fact that social media has ran with a narrative around this Oklahoma City club that they gain the benefit of the whistle. Carlisle defended that crew, specifically Scott Foster, who caught a lot of heat.

"As far as officiating, I think it's awful some of the things I've seen about the officiating, and Scott Foster in particular. 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 Pacers head coach explained.

Ultimately, the officiating crew did let some plays go that should've been fouls and charged both teams with ticky tack fouls on the ensuing possession. That inconsistency matters, but in the grand scheme of the game, the refs had no baring on the outcome.

The last two minute report from Game 4 returned clean with no blemish for the refs as the league says they got every call –– and no call –– right.

Up next, the OKC Thunder and Indiana Pacers play a pivotal game in the Paycom Center that will go a long way in deciding the 2025 NBA Championship.