<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Tonight's NBA draft lottery will impact lives and could change history. Just ask Rick Pitino and his former team, the Boston Celtics. Or ask Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs. In 1997, Boston was the statistical favorite to win the NBA draft lottery and claim its top prize - Wake Forest center Duncan. The Celtics won only 15 games during the '96-97 season but, with Pitino on board as the head coach and Duncan seemingly headed to Boston, the future seemed promising. Then again . . . On lottery night, the Celtics' dream scenario turned into a nightmare, thanks to an unfriendly bounce of the Ping-Pong balls. San Antonio and Philadelphia moved ahead of Boston and claimed the No. 1 and No. 2 picks. The Celtics ended up selecting third. "Sometimes the lottery does have a big impact," Jazz vice president of basketball operations Kevin O'Connor. "Sometimes it can really set a franchise back." You think? In '97, San Antonio unexpectedly got Duncan and, over the next three years, the Spurs finished with a combined record of 146-68 while winning the world championship during the lockout-shortened 1999 season.</div> <div align="center">Salt Lake Tribune</div>
