Unquestionably contact was made on the play. But the officials say it's unclear which player initiated contact. It's also difficult determining whether Jordan actually shoves Russell and, in fact, an argument can be made that Jordan is simply trying to steady himself when he places a hand Russell's lower back/buttocks. It also appears replaying the action that Jordan's hand on Russell may have been partly responsible for Russell's momentum carrying him past Jordan and enabling M.J. to use his superior athleticism to stop, gather himself, and pull up to make the eventual game-winning shot.

There were also other calls that our officials thought were missed. But tracking the action, the officials felt, more of the close calls went Utah's way. If, as conspiracy theorists suggest, Bavetta was trying to hand the game to Jordan and the Bulls, he didn't do a very good job. The panel saw several close calls down the stretch that Bavetta could have whistled in Chicago's favor without taking a lot of heat or risking additional scrutiny. But he didn't.

Not much was called on the stars of either team throughout the game, but the panel agreed that's the way the league works. Also, when it came down to crunch time, the game officials let the players continue doing what they'd done all game long and that included some "touching" that fans might view as fouls.

"In the NBA, it has to be pretty ugly to be called at the end of the game," one official noted.

Something else that became clear watching a replay of the game. It would be difficult, if not impossible, NOT to miss a few calls here and there given the speed and size of NBA players.

"You could pick any game at any level, and we could watch a tape and find things we don't agree with," said one official.

In fact, several vigorous debates broke out between the officials watching the DVD about who a foul should be called on and whether or not the proper call was made.

In the process of debunking this decade-old Jazz myth, an obvious question came up. How does a Donaghy-like official throw a game one way or the other without being obvious?

"The easiest way is to sit someone down," one official said. The panel agreed. "Most likely, sit the second or third (best) guy down with fouls. You're not going to take out the star. And you're certainly not going to foul out the top guy in the NBA."

How NBA games are officiated might lead fans to believe there is bias when, in fact, there is a system that most casual fans don't fully understand.

"It's a show," offered one ref. "It's like going to the movies."