Currys boil over as calls mount against Warriors

It’s hard to blame her.

Ayesha Curry, wife of Warriors star Stephen Curry, accused the NBA of rigging the NBA Finals after several horribly blown calls and her husband’s ejection in a since-deleted tweet:

https://twitter.com/ayeshacurry/status/743648744860639234?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

Curry’s tweet was retweeted more 30,000 times within 10 minutes.

Ayesha Curry had a frustrating night, beginning even before the game, when arena security delayed a team family bus from entering Quicken Loans Arena:

10 mins til game time and the whole teams families are sitting here on a bus. They won't let us in yet. Interesting tactic though. Again.

— Ayesha Curry (@ayeshacurry) June 17, 2016

The NBA referees that called Game 6 — Scott Foster, Ken Mauer and Jason Phillips — seemed content to allow obvious fouls against Cleveland go uncalled while whistling the Warriors for even the smallest of infractions.

Stephen Curry was ejected late in the game arguing a seemingly innocuous pressuring of LeBron James after a rebound —  after being mauled by multiple Cleveland defenders and repeatedly not receiving a whistle — prompting the MVP to toss his mouthpiece into the stands, hitting not just any fan, but Andrew Forbes, the son of a Cavaliers co-owner.

Ayesha Curry is hardly the only voice speaking out over NBA Finals officiating. Sports figures who were willing to express their sentiments on Twitter agreed.

https://twitter.com/injuryexpert/status/743648720860786688

So I thought COoNCACAF officiating sucked but this takes the cake

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) June 17, 2016

One official in particular called Game 6 that the Warriors seem to have trouble with.

Scott Foster has officiated five Warriors playoff games this season — Golden State is 1-4 in those games. Foster was also the official who sent LeBron James to the free throw stripe 18 times when the Cavaliers downed the Warriors in overtime during Game 2 of the 2015 NBA Finals.

Foster’s record has been plagued with inconsistency and the veteran official has received increasing level of criticism from fans and media alike. One data collection company shows why:

Tonight's officials for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals:https://t.co/hFxMui4DEd pic.twitter.com/UdOvJ9f8rW

— Action Labs (@ActionLabs_HQ) May 17, 2016

Foster is so controversial that the NBA took Foster off the call for Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, perhaps hoping to avert accusations over ill will towards Golden State.

Foster also tossed guard Shaun Livingston during the first round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs, after stopping a play to call the reserve for a technical foul, with milliseconds passing before the official ejection call was made. It was Livingston’s first ejection in an 11-year career.

So whether the league is pulling strings, Scott Foster has a vendetta, or it’s simply dumb misfortune, it’s understandable why the First Lady of the NBA might be so upset.

Jason Leskiw is SFBay’s Golden State Warriors beat writer. Follow @SFBay and @LeskiwSFBay on Twitter and at SFBay.ca for full coverage of Warriors basketball.