Ask an NBA fan what individual rivalries have defined the 21st century and a few will instantly come to the surface: Kobe Bryant vs. Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant vs. Russell Westbrook, and so on and so forth.
The rivalry between Warriors guard Chris Paul and Scott Foster may fall through the cracks, but it is no less important to the story of modern basketball. Teams with Paul on them lost 13 consecutive playoff games in which the future Hall of Famer played and Foster officiated until the Suns finally downed the Clippers in Game 2 of the two teams’ first round series on April 18 earlier this year.
On Wednesday night, Paul’s frustration with Foster reached a critical point. Paul made his feelings on the veteran official known, and Foster promptly threw him out of Golden State’s game against Phoenix shortly before halftime.
