Knicks dealt NBA Playoffs blow as infamous ref known as ‘The Extender’ is assigned for Game 6 against Sixers

THE New York Knicks have been dealt a potential blow in their pursuit of the conference semifinals.

Leading their first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers 3-2 ahead of Thursday night's late game, official Scott Foster will serve as the crew chief at the Wells Fargo Center.

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Also known as The Extender, Foster's less-than-complimentary nickname stems from a perceived trend in teams leading playoff series' losing games in which he's been involved.

In 2022, a stat was tweeted claiming that in 21 playoff games, excluding series openers, the training teams had gone 19-2.

The news of Foster's inclusion in Thursday night's crew did not go down well on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Game 7 is a lock now," said one fan.

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"[Jalen] Brunson not gonna get his calls tonight," a second wrote.

"Oh hell no, we have no shot," another replied.

While a fourth fan joked that Foster's inclusion was "bigger than [Joel] Embiid being healthy" for the 76ers.

Foster is currently in his 30th season as an NBA official.

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Some of his more notable assignments include 24 Finals games, the 2010 and 2019 All-Star Games.

Foster has officiated 19 Knicks games in the past three years, with New York going 11-8 over the span, as per the Knicks.

This includes their Game 1 111-104 win over Philly.

The 76ers have gone 8-8 in games worked by Foster during the same time span.

This season, Foster has officiated 68 games, with home teams going 45-23, with 39 games covering against the spread, as per Covers.com.

New York enters this potential series decider off the back of a gut-wrenching overtime 112-106 loss on Tuesday.

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Should Philly come away with the win, the two sides will head back to New York for Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

The series winners will face either the Milwaukee Bucks or the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Semifinals.

Indiana currently leads that series 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Thursday.

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Game 6 between New York and Philly will begin at 9pm ET.

The Pacers vs. Bucks matchup will start at 6:30pm ET.

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