The New York Knicks are one victory away from ending a 53-year championship drought, and the NBA has assigned one of its most experienced officiating crews for the potentially historic Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
The league announced Friday that Scott Foster will serve as crew chief alongside James Capers and Tyler Ford for Saturday night’s showdown against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mitchell Ervin has been assigned as the alternate official.
The officiating trio brings a combined 35 NBA Finals appearances into a game that could deliver the Knicks’ first championship since defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in 1973.
Veteran Officials Assigned to Potential Title-Clinching Game
Saturday’s contest marks Foster’s 19th NBA Finals assignment and his 28th individual Finals game. One of the league’s most experienced referees, Foster also officiated Game 1 of this series alongside Capers.
Capers is making his 14th NBA Finals appearance and likewise worked Game 1 between New York and San Antonio.
Ford, meanwhile, is officiating his second NBA Finals and previously worked Game 2 of the series.
John Goble, who officiated Game 2, will work in the replay center.
The veteran assignment comes as every possession has carried enormous weight in what has become one of the closest NBA Finals in modern history.
Knicks Stand One Win From Ending 53-Year Championship Drought
The Knicks hold a 3-1 series lead and have their first opportunity to capture an NBA championship since May 1973.
The parallels to that title team have become impossible to ignore.
Each of the first four games of this series has been within four points in the final minute of regulation. The last Finals series to begin that way also occurred in 1973, when New York defeated the Lakers for its second and most recent championship.
The latest chapter came Wednesday night, when OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining completed the largest comeback in NBA Finals history and delivered a dramatic 107-106 victory in Game 4.
Knicks Fans Expected to Invade San Antonio
The possibility of witnessing franchise history has sent Knicks fans scrambling for tickets.
According to ticket marketplace TickPick, 37% of Game 5 ticket purchases originated from New York, more than triple Texas’ 12%. New Jersey accounted for another 8% of ticket sales.
The get-in price also surged by approximately $1,000 following New York’s stunning Game 4 comeback victory.
The numbers suggest the Knicks could enjoy a near-road atmosphere in San Antonio as thousands of fans attempt to witness the franchise’s first championship celebration in more than five decades.
History Favors Knicks in Closeout Opportunities
New York has also thrived whenever given an opportunity to finish a series this postseason.
The Knicks are 3-0 in closeout games during these playoffs and have won those contests by an average of 39.3 points.
They eliminated Atlanta by 51 points in the first round, Philadelphia by 30 points in the conference semifinals and Cleveland by 37 points in the Eastern Conference finals.
All three victories came on the road.
The Spurs, meanwhile, are trying to recover from one of the most painful defeats in franchise history.
San Antonio squandered a 29-point lead in Game 4 despite teams holding such advantages entering Wednesday with a perfect 249-0 record this season.
Now, with one of the NBA’s most experienced officiating crews assigned to the game and a championship hanging in the balance, the Knicks have an opportunity to complete one of the most memorable postseason runs in franchise history and finally bring the Larry O’Brien Trophy back to New York.
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