One of the biggest narratives after the Indiana Pacers' crushing Game 4 loss was what many considered poor officiating by Scott Foster and his crew that went in the Oklahoma City Thunder's favor. Unfortunately for some Pacers fans, they may see Foster once again if this series goes to Game 7, and head coach Rick Carlisle already tried to lessen the blow.
After Game 4, Carlisle called the criticism of Foster "terrible and unfair and unjust and stupid" (h/t Jamal Collier of ESPN). Regardless of what some fans may think of Foster, he is one of the NBA's most respected officials, and the league would likely call on him again to be the crew chief for a potential Game 7 to get their most trusted guys out there.
Ultimately, whether Foster comes back for Game 7 does not matter just yet as there is no guarantee the series will even go that far. The series is tied 2-2 and will return to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Monday night. From here on out, the Pacers must gain some momentum back and inch closer to their main goal of winning an NBA Championship, regardless of who the officials are.
The Pacers let one slip away in Game 4
A lot has been said about it already, but the Pacers blew a grand opportunity to take a 3-1 series lead on Friday night. The Pacers were in control for most of Game 4, but they were stagnant to end the game, and they let Oklahoma City pull off their own late-game comeback victory. Now, the Pacers have to win a second road game against the Thunder in this series to ensure a championship victory, and no other team had been able to accomplish that feat against them in the playoffs.
Luckily for Indiana, they are great at bouncing back and responding in the face of adversity. Whether they are able to or not will decide their championship fate, but they have proven time and time again that they can play well under pressure and can shock the basketball world.
The momentum is mostly on the Thunder's side at this point, especially following their recent victory. For the Pacers to get things back on track and pull off the upset, they need to bring their A-game and step up on both sides of the ball. They will have an opportunity to do exactly that on Monday night, but if they don't, then a championship victory may no longer be a real possibility.