Meet the referees for Pacers vs. Thunder Game 1 of the NBA Finals

The highly-anticipated 2025 NBA Finals get underway on Thursday, June 5, with the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center in Game 1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co are seen as strong favorites to win a first championship for the Thunder, although Tyrese Haliburton will be hoping to lead the Pacers to their maiden title.

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As indicated by ticket prices for the start of the Finals, the stakes couldn’t be higher. As a result, and to the surprise of nobody, the league has selected an experienced group of officials for the series.

Of the 12 officials selected, 10 have previously been involved in the NBA Finals, with Tyler Ford and Ben Taylor the only debutants this year. At the other end of the spectrum, Scott Foster will be taking part in his 18th Finals, while Tony Brothers and Marc Davis are participating for the 15th time.

2025 NBA Finals officials

Referees for Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals

Of the names mentioned in the previous paragraph, only Davis, in his 27th NBA season, will be involved in Game 1 in Oklahoma.

The 57-year-old has been assigned as referee and will be accompanied by crew chief John Goble (18 seasons) and umpire David Guthrie (20 seasons).

As crew chief, Goble will be the senior official and have the final say in all decisions. Both the Thunder (45-39) and the Pacers (39-36) have positive records in games officiated by the 46-year-old.

Between them, Goble, Davis and Guthrie have officiated 42 NBA Finals games, so in theory shouldn’t be frzed by the occasion.

Kevin Scott, who is in his 14th NBA season and has officiated in two Finals games, is the alternate for Game 1, while Josh Tiven (15 NBA seasons, eight Finals games) will be in charge of the Replay Center.

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