Chris Paul and referee Scott Foster have a history.
It’s long enough that the Suns’ Game 3 loss to the Lakers last night was the 11th straight game officiated by Foster that Paul’s team has lost.
Paul noticed. And wanted everyone else to notice.
In his postgame press conference, he kept referencing the streak:
- Asked about his leadership, Paul ended his answer with: “We got to try to limit their free-throw attempts. They’re shooting a lot of free throws – last game, tonight. I mean, if I was a betting man, 11 games in a row. Eleven games in a row.”
- Asked about having two off days before Game 4 Sunday, Paul ended his answer with a more-random: “Eleven in a row.”
- Thanked for his time, Paul ended his press conference with: “Eleven in a row is tough.”
Players rarely get plausible deniability on things like this. Paul will probably get fined.
The fine might even be larger because he invoked gambling – the third rail of complaining about officiating.