The Lakers Rule

Best of the Web noticed this superstition:

Speaking of courts, Republicans who are superstitious about sports and politics can take comfort in another trend: Every time the Minneapolis or Los Angeles Lakers have gone to the NBA finals in an election year, win or lose--and it's happened seven times before, in 1952, 1968, 1972, 1980, 1984, 1988 and 2000--a Republican has gone to the White House. This year, of course, the Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons in five games. The Pistons (then of Fort Wayne, Ind.) were also in the finals in 1956, the only year a Republican won the presidency without the Lakers making it to the finals.