With some squads fighting for - and booking - spots in the conference finals, about half of the NBA is gearing up and getting ready for the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery on June 22.
This offseason for the NBA is much closer to the normal schedule we have all been used to in the past, with the lottery and draft each being pushed back by a few weeks; the draft is scheduled for July 29.
But, before we turn our attention to the draft, the order must be determined first. Here are some Wine & Gold-themed numbers about next week's event and from lotteries past.
11.5 … percent chance that the Cavaliers will win the 2021 NBA Lottery
2.8 … chance that the Cavaliers – utilizing the Clippers’ pick – had of winning the NBA Lottery on that date on 2011. They used the top pick on the eventual Rookie of the Year, Kyrie Irving .
19.9 … chance that the Cavaliers – utilizing their own pick – had of winning the NBA Lottery on that date on 2011. They finished fourth and selected Tristan Thompson, one of the team’s anchors for nearly a decade.
18 … different teams that have won the NBA Lottery.
45.1 … percent chance that the Cavaliers will pick within the top 4 in the 2021 NBA Lottery.
1.7 … chance that the Cavaliers would win the 2014 Lottery – doing so and winning the rights to select Andrew Wiggins with the first overall pick. He was eventually packaged with the previous June’s top pick – Anthony Bennett – to acquire five-time All-Star, Kevin Love, from Minnesota.
14 … percent chance that Houston, Detroit or Orlando will win the 2021 NBA Lottery.
15.6 … chance the Cavaliers had of winning 2013 Lottery, earning the top pick for the second time in three years and selecting UNLV’s Anthony Bennett with the pick.
3 … times that the Cavaliers have officially won the NBA Lottery, tied with the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets and second-most to the Clippers. The New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans, Timberwolves, Spurs, Wizards, Nets, Sixers, Bucks and Bulls have won it twice apiece.
5 … occasions that the Clippers have OFFICIALLY won the NBA Lottery. After two of those wins (2011 and 1986) that picks wound up in the hands of the Cavaliers. In 2011, that choice was Kyrie Irving. In 1986, the Lottery’s second season, the Clips came out winners. But a deal with the Sixers back in 1979 – one that sent Joe “Jellybean” Bryant to San Diego – gave Philly the top pick in 1986. The Sixers traded that pick to Cleveland for Roy Hinson and cash considerations. And that pick would eventually become five-time All-Star, Brad Daugherty.