05 JUNE 02: “What was
motivating those officials?”

Ralph Nader urges NBA to review officiating

San
Francisco Chronicle Staff Report

Wednesday, June 5, 2002

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader
and the League of Fans, a sports-industry watchdog, sent a letter to NBA
Commissioner David Stern on Tuesday urging a review of the officiating
in the aftermath of the “notorious” refereeing in Game 6 of the Western
Conference finals between the Kings and the Lakers in L.A.

    “At a
time when the public’s confidence is shaken by headlines reporting the
breach of trust by corporate executives, it is important, during the public’s
relaxation time, for there to be maintained a sense of impartiality and
professionalism in commercial sports performances,” the letter said. “That
sense was severely broken . . . during Game 6.”

    The Lakers
shot 27 free throws in the fourth quarter and scored 16 of their final
18 points at the foul line in a 106-102 victory. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant’s
elbow to Mike Bibby’s nose that was not called a foul with less than 20
seconds left “prompted many fans to start wondering about what was motivating
these officials,” the letter said. “Unless the NBA orders a review of this
game’s officiating, perceptions and suspicions, however presently absent
any evidence, will abound,” the letter continued.

    “Your
problem in addressing the pivotal Game 6 situation is that you have too
much power. Where else can decision-makers (the referees) escape all responsibility
to admit serious and egregious error and have their bosses (you) fine those
wronged (the players and coaches) who dare to speak out critically? . .
. A review that satisfies the fans’ sense of fairness and deters future
recurrences would be a salutary contribution to the public trust that the
NBA badly needs.”