Michael Malone confounded by ref Scott Foster's decision to eject DeMarcus Cousins
Does NBA referee Scott Foster have it out for Denver Nuggets center DeMarcus Cousins? It’s hard to say for sure, but their history certainly has some fans publicly questioning it.
In fact, even more fuel was added to the fire when Foster was quick to hit Cousins with a technical foul and subsequent ejection early in the fourth quarter.
The hook came immediately after Cousins was slapped with another technical for allegedly yelling at one of the officials. When he protested, Foster sent him to the showers without hesitation.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone questioned the technicals.“It happened right in front of me,” Malone said after the game, via ESPN.
“I did not see or hear DeMarcus do anything from my vantage point that would have required a [first] technical foul to be called
And the ensuing one, I guess Scott Foster said he said a few choice words which warranted the second technical foul.
“Again, I did not see or hear anything for that first tech. That is something that we can look at and maybe speak to the league about, because from my vantage point, just didn’t seem warranted.”
Foster also famously ejected Cousins in 2018 when the big man was inactive and on the Golden State Warriors’ bench.
Cousins has a somewhat negative reputation and that may have factored into Foster’s decision as well. However, there’s no denying their unique history and that raises an eyebrow. Or two.