The New York Knicks will look to take a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven series against the reigning NBA Champion Boston Celtics on Monday night. They'll have to go through Scott Foster to do it.
Foster, the league's most experienced official, will officiate Game 4 between the Knicks and Celtics.
Is that a good thing or bad thing for the Knicks? It depends how you look at it.
Scott "The Extender" Foster is officiating Game 4
Throughout the years, Foster picked up the nickname "The Extender" due to the perception that some playoff series tend to get extended whenever he is officiating the game. His calls have fueled the speculation that the league may want certain series to go longer. It's not hard to see why the NBA would want a series between teams in two of the biggest markets to stay close.
Foster has also gained notoriety among league players. San Antonio Spurs point guard Chris Paul has gone 3-17 in games that Foster has officiated throughout his playing career.
Fortunately for the Knicks, Paul doesn't play for them and their record in playoff games reffed by Foster is actually quite good. Last year, they were 3-0 in those games.
Scott Foster referred three @nyknicks playoff games last year.
— John Ewing (@johnewing) May 12, 2025
Knicks went 3-0 SU and 3-0 ATS ✅ https://t.co/BsiFfMP9UJ
Either way, the Knicks would have to block out the noise if they want to pull out the victory for Game 4. The Celtics have managed to gain the upper hand throughout the series, though the Knicks found ways to pull out unlikely victories after trailing bit in Games 1 and 2.
All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson has remained brilliant throughout the series, hitting some big-time shots down the stretch. However, Celtics role players have been able to step up. Payton Pritchard scorched the Knicks in Game 3 for 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting.
With the rocking Madison Square Garden crowd, the Knicks must dig deep if they want take a commanding 3-1 lead.