The basketball gods reward the Indiana Pacers for not throwing a game at the end of the season, a move that could have cost them one or two positions in the NBA draft.
The Pacers picked up a somewhat surprising win in the 82nd game of the regular season by beating the Atlanta Hawks. The only possible downside of it was it put Indiana into a three-way tie for 18th place. That meant they would have to let luck decide who got the 18th-20th picks.
But, as it turns out, the Pacers were rewarded for not cravenly throwing the game against the Hawks when they were behind in the final seconds.