For the second time in as many years, the Dallas Mavericks ended the season as one of 14 lottery teams. But the lottery rules can feel opaque to fans of a team that’s not accustomed to losing. Here’s how it all works and what it means for the Mavericks.
How does the selection process work?
If you’ve been following the NBA for a long time, you probably have at least a vague ping-pong ball-filled notion of how the draft lottery works. But let’s break it down in a bit more detail.
The lottery machine is filled with 14 ping-pong balls numbered 1-14.