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Crew chief Scott Foster signals a call during an NBA game. Foster, who is officiating his 19th NBA Finals and 28th Finals game overall, has been assigned as crew chief for Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night in San Antonio.
The NBA announced Friday that veteran referee Scott Foster will serve as crew chief for Game 5 of the NBA Finals as the San Antonio Spurs attempt to stave off elimination against the New York Knicks.
Foster, officiating his 19th NBA Finals and 28th Finals game overall, will be joined by James Capers and Tyler Ford for Saturday night’s game at Frost Bank Center. Mitchell Ervin was assigned as the alternate official.
Capers will work his 14th NBA Finals, while Ford is making just his second Finals appearance.
The assignments come with the Spurs facing their biggest test of the season after suffering one of the most painful losses in franchise history.
San Antonio trails the series 3-1 after blowing a 29-point lead in Wednesday’s 107-106 loss at Madison Square Garden.
The collapse was the largest blown lead in NBA Finals history and left the Spurs one defeat away from ending their championship hopes.
Despite the devastating loss, San Antonio insists its belief has not wavered.
“We still have that belief that we have a chance to win,” Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox said. “We’re taking this one game at a time. We’re not looking at it as we need to win three games. We need to win tomorrow and then we give ourselves a chance to play another game.”
The Spurs have shown throughout the series that they can compete with New York. Every game has remained within four points in the final minute, the first NBA Finals since 1973 to begin with four such games.
Yet San Antonio has little margin for error.
The Spurs have held double-digit leads in all four contests but have only managed to turn one of those advantages into a victory.
Saturday’s officiating crew is no stranger to this series.
Foster and Capers both worked Game 1, which the Knicks won 108-104. Ford officiated Game 2, a one-point New York victory that came down to Victor Wembanyama’s final shot attempt.
John Goble, who officiated Game 2, has been assigned to the replay center for Game 5.
With each game producing late-game drama, the experienced officiating crew could once again find itself at the center of critical decisions.
San Antonio already has experience responding to elimination.
The Spurs entered Game 7 of the Western Conference finals against Oklahoma City facing a win-or-go-home scenario and delivered one of their most complete performances of the postseason.
They will need another response Saturday.
Victor Wembanyama and the young Spurs core now face the challenge of overcoming the emotional toll of Game 4 while attempting to become only the 14th team in NBA history to rally from a 3-1 deficit in a playoff series.
The atmosphere inside Frost Bank Center is expected to be electric as San Antonio tries to keep its season alive and send the series back to Madison Square Garden for Game 6.
For the Spurs, the assignment is simple: survive one more night and extend the NBA Finals.
Alder Almo is a veteran NBA reporter for Heavy.com, covering the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. He brings over 20 years of experience across local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Originally from the Philippines, he is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo
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