NEW YORK -- John Black paused along the buffet line, spooning sliced cucumbers and dressing onto a lonely plate. The Los Angeles Lakers' vice president of public relations then spotted a friend of three-plus decades, Pat Williams, an executive with the Orlando Magic, filling up at the coffee station.
"Boy," Williams told Black, clasping his arm, "there is tension in the room tonight."
Black nodded. He asked aloud if any team had ever faced the Lakers' all-or-nothing odds: They'd preserve their draft pick if it fell among the top three slots, or, if it sunk below that range, they'd lose it altogether to the Philadelphia 76ers.