All About Ping-Pong Balls

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">At this point in the Jazz's season, it's all about the ping-pong balls.
It's all about the highest pick in the draft and who gets the best odds for pulling out the right ball from the lottery hopper prior to the draft.
It's all about, ahem ? how do I say this? ? losing.
The Jazz aren't going anywhere anyway, of course. They've lost more than 50 games while using 29 different starting lineups and starting 17 different players, which means they're breaking out the junior varsity.
It's probably safe to say that if the Jazz haven't figured it out after 76 games, it's probably not going to happen.
You know when they go to the "we're-playing-for-pride" line, they're in trouble.
Some people are suggesting the Jazz tank a few games to increase their chances of getting a higher pick, although one of them is not coach Jerry Sloan, who abhors the idea. Far be it from me to get sideways with Sloan. Look what it got Carlos Arroyo. I could wind up at the Detroit Free Press.
I would never suggest losing a few games to get a better draft pick, at least not around Sloan, but, since he's not around, I would like to note that the Jazz had a nine-game losing streak before embarking on what counts as a hot streak these days, winning four of their last 10 games.
Just like that, a perfectly good losing streak is shot to heck.
One of their wins was over Portland, another contender for the Bottom Four. Another win came against New Orleans, the second worst team in the league. That's called losing by winning.</div> Source