NEW YORK – The NBA’s Draft Lottery is a fickle foray into both faith and fantasy, one where the bounce of a ping-pong ball means almost as much as a bounding basketball and respected executives – many of whom have dedicated their lives to studying the sport – are reduced to rubbing hokey good-luck charms and casting wishful prayers.
No one understands this maddening, yet meaningful process more than the Orlando Magic, a franchise that has often played a leading role in the made-for-TV event. Much of the Magic’s past success can be directly traced to winning lotteries – starting with that first victory 25 years ago that resulted in Shaquille O’Neal ultimately donning blue and black pinstripes.