Nader Campaign: Ralph Was Right About 2002 NBA Playoffs

After the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings in Game 6 of their 2002 NBA playoff series, Ralph Nader wrote to NBA Commissioner David Stern to complain about the officiating. The Lakers beat the Kings, 106-102, thanks largely to 27 foul shots in the fourth quarter that Nader believed were incorrectly awarded by officials.

Now that a former NBA referee Tim Donaghy has said that two referees in that Lakers-Kings game favored the Lakers, Nader’s presidential campaign is touting its candidate’s 2002 letter as evidence of Nader’s judgment.

“We tell our kids that sports teaches lessons about life. The lesson we learned from the 2002 NBA Playoffs – Ralph was right,” the campaign writes on its blog. “The Nader/Gonzalez platform of truth, justice and challenging the abuse of power deserves a hearing in this crucial election year. From the NBA to the Congress to the White House to K Street.”

Josh Patashnik at The Plank, however, isn’t impressed, finding it “totally obvious” that the refereeing of that game was abysmal.