Chris Paul And James Harden Won't Be Happy: Scott Foster Assigned Rockets-Thunder Game 7

Tonight's Rockets-Thunder game 7 puts the legacy of Chris Paul and James Harden on the line, but to there's a catch neither will like: Scott Foster was assigned to officiate that game. Both players have been moaning and groaning about Foster over the years and now that CP3 and Harden play each other, something has to give.

NBA players have always made a spectacle of the officials even before Tim Donaghy got popped fixing games in the mid-2000's. Not to say Harden or Paul don't have an honest gripe taking a look at this unbelievably coincidental stat:

How is that possible? Part of the frustration from these two comes from the fact the Golden State Warriors wore their asses out since 2015. Hard to point to one factor, but Scott Foster getting the call to officiate in nearly every big game raises an eyebrow.

It's like throwing up after a night of Fireball shots. After one bad experience your taste for cinnamon whisky goes down the drain. The sight of Scott Foster to Harden and CP3 is merely a healthy reminder of their dreams dying in close-out games over the years.

James Harden remembers no-calls that cost him a shot at the NBA finals with LeBron. Losing efforts that changed his legacy forever.

Chris Paul being a member of the Los Angeles Clippers who never thought they fouled anyone in their lives, didn't help. From a fan's perspective, it was hard hard to differentiate an honest gripe from him or a simple whine. The officials likely struggled to understand those complaints the same way.

Playoff basketball resembles more of the "old school" way to officiate the game. James Harden antics don't fly in the playoffs and he shouldn't bother expecting Scott Foster to aid him through big games. The game's best players win big games by finishing through contact instead of relying on the zebras.

To be fair some of those calls are inexplicably bad, but no one's trying to hear about the officials this time of year.

At least we know one of these two will like Scott Foster a whole lot better after tonight's game at 9:00 p.m. ET. Can't fix the game if they don't play for the same team.