James Capers, Josh Tiven, and Sean Wright have joined an elite group by being chosen as referees for Game 7 of the NBA Finals between Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers. This marks their first time working a finals game together and for the three officials individually.
The NBA announced its 12-person list of finals referees earlier this month, with Capers, Tiven, and Wright selected from a pool of 22, 23, and 24 in terms of their career refereeing history.
Game 7 is considered the pinnacle honor among officials, but Scott Foster, a two-time Game 7 referee, was not chosen for the crew. The top-tier referees with at least three Game 7s under their belt include Mendy Rudolph, Earl Strom, Sid Borgia, Dan Crawford, Joe Crawford, and Richie Powers.
This season, 75 full-time officials were part of the NBA roster, with 36 selected to work in the first round of playoffs. The crew is reduced further for each playoff round, determined by the league’s referee operations management team.
Capers has worked 13 finals, Tiven his sixth, and Wright only twice. All three will be working their second game together – Capers officiated Game 3’s Indiana win, while Wright and Tiven were on the crew in Game 4’s Oklahoma City victory.
James Williams was selected as the alternate for Game 7, with David Guthrie overseeing the replay center at Secaucus, New Jersey. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault discussed team handling of officiating by saying that the outcome is outside their control but they can manage the game in between.
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Source: https://www.nba.com/news/officiating-crew-for-game-7-2025-nba-finals