1998 Utah Jazz. Tied for the best record with the Bulls at 62-20, but had home court due to 2 wins over the Bulls in regular season.
5 of the 6 games in the !998 NBA Finals were decided by 1, 2, 3 , 4 , and 5 pts.
Finals definitely should have gone the full 7 games were it not for the officials non-calls in game 6.
Three controversial decisions from referee Dick Bavetta and his crew in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA finals between the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls:
• A 3-pointer in the second quarter by Jazz guard Howard Eisley was not allowed because it supposedly came after the 24-second shot clock had expired, even though TV replays clearly indicate otherwise.
• A jumper by Chicago's Ron Harper in the fourth quarter was allowed to stand, even though NBC broadcast crew members thought it should have been a shot-clock violation.
• Michael Jordan either pushing off or not pushing off Bryon Russell — depending on one's perspective — before his game-winning shot with 5.2 seconds remaining.
As for Game 6 of the Utah-Chicago finals in '98, Bavetta and his crew — Hollins and Dan Crawford were the other refs, but Bavetta was in charge — were involved in at least three calls/non-calls that continue to haunt many Jazz fans now 10-plus years later.
Less than 10 minutes remained in the quarter, and the Jazz were up by four at the time. Time was running down on the 24-second shot clock as Antoine Carr's long pass from down low sailed over the hands of Shandon Anderson, but Eisley chased down the ball and hoisted a 3-pointer that fell. Bavetta disallowed the basket, much to the dismay of the NBC broadcast crew calling the game nationally.
Play-by-play announcer Bob Costas' call at the time: "Are they calling a shot-clock violation? Let's see. Dick Bavetta says, 'yes,' and they wave it off, though it appeared to me as he (Eisley) had beaten it." Costas, after watching a replay moments later: "See if the ball isn't out of his hand. One second ... it's on the way, and they missed the call."
Analyst and ex-Bulls coach Doug Collins: "It's a big break for the Chicago Bulls. ... That should have counted. That's a big turnaround."
Utah is ahead 79-77 when Ron Harper of the Bulls hits a jumper with just under four minutes to go.
Costas' initial call: "He (Harper) beats the shot clock and cans a huge shot."
Though Bavetta himself did not appear responsible for the decision, his crew allowed the shot to stand.
After a break in the action, and with the benefit of replay, however, the NBC crew saw things differently, hindsight allowing for much-clearer focus.
Analyst Isiah Thomas: "You watch Harper as he takes this shot. Does he get it off in time? That's a tough call."
Costas: "They took a Howard Eisley three away, wrongly, in the first half. This one was even closer, but it appeared that Harper may have been a fraction of a second behind the shot clock." More from Thomas: "I think that was a shot-clock violation."
But it counted anyway, helping to set up, the most-debated call of the game.
Jordan's jumper with 5.2 seconds left gave the Bulls their ultimate margin of victory and a second-straight finals series win over the Jazz, 87-86.
Initial calls by the NBC crew suggested nothing about a shove, or push-off, on defender Bryon Russell by Jordan before the shot.
Bavetta, who was on top of the play, called no foul.
And, even after a replay, Collins said, "Bryon Russell slipped."
Thomas, though, saw things differently. "Watch Jordan's left hand here," the ex-Detroit Pistons star said, "as he gives Russell the push. ... The great thing about Jordan is he has all the tricks. That's why it's so difficult to guard him."
5 of the 6 games in the !998 NBA Finals were decided by 1, 2, 3 , 4 , and 5 pts.
Finals definitely should have gone the full 7 games were it not for the officials non-calls in game 6.
Three controversial decisions from referee Dick Bavetta and his crew in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA finals between the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls:
• A 3-pointer in the second quarter by Jazz guard Howard Eisley was not allowed because it supposedly came after the 24-second shot clock had expired, even though TV replays clearly indicate otherwise.
• A jumper by Chicago's Ron Harper in the fourth quarter was allowed to stand, even though NBC broadcast crew members thought it should have been a shot-clock violation.
• Michael Jordan either pushing off or not pushing off Bryon Russell — depending on one's perspective — before his game-winning shot with 5.2 seconds remaining.
As for Game 6 of the Utah-Chicago finals in '98, Bavetta and his crew — Hollins and Dan Crawford were the other refs, but Bavetta was in charge — were involved in at least three calls/non-calls that continue to haunt many Jazz fans now 10-plus years later.
Less than 10 minutes remained in the quarter, and the Jazz were up by four at the time. Time was running down on the 24-second shot clock as Antoine Carr's long pass from down low sailed over the hands of Shandon Anderson, but Eisley chased down the ball and hoisted a 3-pointer that fell. Bavetta disallowed the basket, much to the dismay of the NBC broadcast crew calling the game nationally.
Play-by-play announcer Bob Costas' call at the time: "Are they calling a shot-clock violation? Let's see. Dick Bavetta says, 'yes,' and they wave it off, though it appeared to me as he (Eisley) had beaten it." Costas, after watching a replay moments later: "See if the ball isn't out of his hand. One second ... it's on the way, and they missed the call."
Analyst and ex-Bulls coach Doug Collins: "It's a big break for the Chicago Bulls. ... That should have counted. That's a big turnaround."
Utah is ahead 79-77 when Ron Harper of the Bulls hits a jumper with just under four minutes to go.
Costas' initial call: "He (Harper) beats the shot clock and cans a huge shot."
Though Bavetta himself did not appear responsible for the decision, his crew allowed the shot to stand.
After a break in the action, and with the benefit of replay, however, the NBC crew saw things differently, hindsight allowing for much-clearer focus.
Analyst Isiah Thomas: "You watch Harper as he takes this shot. Does he get it off in time? That's a tough call."
Costas: "They took a Howard Eisley three away, wrongly, in the first half. This one was even closer, but it appeared that Harper may have been a fraction of a second behind the shot clock." More from Thomas: "I think that was a shot-clock violation."
But it counted anyway, helping to set up, the most-debated call of the game.
Jordan's jumper with 5.2 seconds left gave the Bulls their ultimate margin of victory and a second-straight finals series win over the Jazz, 87-86.
Initial calls by the NBC crew suggested nothing about a shove, or push-off, on defender Bryon Russell by Jordan before the shot.
Bavetta, who was on top of the play, called no foul.
And, even after a replay, Collins said, "Bryon Russell slipped."
Thomas, though, saw things differently. "Watch Jordan's left hand here," the ex-Detroit Pistons star said, "as he gives Russell the push. ... The great thing about Jordan is he has all the tricks. That's why it's so difficult to guard him."
