Lottery Day
Today could be a day we never forget
Happy Lottery Day!
After countless losses, the 2018-19 season meets its zenith with the lottery drawing tonight at 8:30 PM EST.
Come join us at Slattery’s Midtown Pub in Manhattan!
Doors open at 7:30 PM.
10% of drink sales go to charity.
Win a signed Kevin Knox jersey (raffle proceeds go to charity).
LEARN MORE: Knicks fans ready for the thrill — or castastrophe — of NBA draft lottery by Marc Berman
The Odds
By now, everyone knows the odds, but let’s break them down one more time.
14% chance at landing the top pick.
40.1% chance of landing a top 3 pick.
47.9% chance of dropping to 5th.
Lottery History
Knicks last won the lottery in 1985.
They have “dropped” five times in the 16 lotteries they have participated.
The odds were flat from 1985-1990, when a weighted system was introduced.
Knicks have obviously traded several of their first round picks.
What else to watch for…
Where Dallas picks…
Dallas owes a Top-5 protected pick to Atlanta. The Knicks will receive two future first round picks from Dallas, beginning two years after the Atlanta pick conveys (if this year, then 2021 and 2023, respectively).
Dallas sits 9th in the pre-lottery standings. There is a 26.2% chance they jump into the top 4, which would protect their pick and delay when the Knicks receive a first round pick from Dallas to at least 2022.
The Lottery
by Jonathan Macri
When one thinks about the most famous lottery ever, the common misconception is that the New York Knicks won it 34 years ago when the team gained the rights to would-be franchise savior Patrick Ewing.
This actually isn't the case.
Yeah, it was a huge deal then and other lotteries have been a huge deal since, but their impact doesn't scratch the surface of the real most famous lottery in history, one which came to light decades before Ewing was even born. It took place in New England, and involved one unlucky resident chosen at random to be stoned to death to karmically ensure that the year's agricultural harvest would be a prosperous one. It was an event the whole town could get behind and enjoy...kids got to run around collecting stones to throw and everything. Wholesome fun for the whole family.
This, of course, didn't actually happen. Nonetheless, Shirley Jackson's short story from a 1948 edition of The New Yorker caused more than a bit of a stir at the time, but is still taught in all levels of education throughout the country. I taught it to a group of sixth graders a few years ago, and experienced firsthand how effective the story is at raising questions about fairness and mob mentality that really get a person thinking.
The reason it works, of course, is that you don't expect a story entitled The Lottery to be about someone dying, let alone dying in arguably the most barbaric fashion imaginable. You go into the story with hope and uncertainty and leave confused and horrified.
So you can see why I thought of this little tale as I'm gearing up for a night that is likely to produce very similar results. It goes without saying that there is a very legitimate prize at stake here, and while I thought about writing a column today about the uncertainty of the draft and Zion not necessary being a cut above, who the hell are we kidding? Nothing in sports is a certainty, but Zion - at least in comparison to those who'll be drafted after him - is as close to one as you'll find.
Because of the somewhat unprecedented hype that's been built up around Williamson for this exact reason, we go into tonight with a simple truth: if the Knicks do not win, it will be painted by many as an abject failure - a waste of a season that contained more than its fair share of unwatchable basketball.
This is the perception of many, but as we learned from Jackson's story and countless other times throughout history, perception is often quite different than reality.
The reality is, obviously, that the Knicks have a 14% chance of winning. The reality is that they gave themselves the very best odds of winning by playing a season where the average age of its starting lineup was often less than that of some mid-major teams in college. The reality is that despite the new lottery odds, no Knick fan has to go into tonight with the worry of falling out of the top five picks, something no other team can say. The reality is that, with all the possible team-building scenarios available to them this summer, this truth is not insignificant.
More than anything, though, the reality is that unlike so many times throughout the Knicks' recent history, the team's hopes and dreams don't all hinge on whether a few balls bounce their way. Sure, there are still skeptics, but most objective observers agree that after nearly two decades of mostly futility, the franchise has finally righted the ship. As David Fizdale said before the season started, this year was all about getting the house in order. Anyone who's ever moved (as I just helped my mom do, from a house she lived in, ironically, for 19 years) knows this is a messy process. And this year was as messy as they come.
But it does feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel, regardless of what happens tonight, or even, to some extent, in July.
So while I'm not going to tell you that you should be thrilled if the last card revealed before the final commercial break, card No. 5, features a blue and orange logo, just remember to keep things in perspective. As Knicks fans know all too well, things could always, easily, be worse.
Remember when…
Take a moment to remember the legend of Dave DeBusschere who passed away of a sudden heart attack 16 years ago today. His spirit will be with us all tonight.
May 14, 2014: Knicks announce that their NBA Development League affiliate will be known as the Westchester Knicks.
May 14, 2000: Charlie Ward scores 20 points, including the Knicks final nine points, to lead the Knicks to a 91-83 victory over the Heat at Madison Square Garden, tying the Eastern Conference Semifinals at 2-2.
May 14, 1970: Willis Reed presented with the 1970 NBA MVP Award by NBA Commissioner Walter Kennedy at the Pan American Building in New York City.
May 14, 1992: Knicks force Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a 100-86 win over Chicago at Madison Square Garden. Patrick Ewing scores 27 points with eight rebounds and three blocks despite suffering a sprained left ankle in the third quarter.
Thanks for reading, hope to see you tonight!