Alvin Gentry celebrated like hit hit the bad beat in a New Orleans poker room. Seriously, this is exactly what happens: Excitement, joyful statements, hollow apologies to the unfortunate losers of the lotto all while raking in the glorious jackpot. By taking the losses that had to hurt late last season, the Pelicans were able to just barely increase their lottery chances. That lucky card (Lucky tie? Three Lotto Picks?) finally hit in the New Orleans Pelicans’ favor, with the team landing the first overall pick.
Zach Lowe on what happened when the Pelicans combination came up in the NBA Draft Lottery room: “Alvin Gentry may have let out an expletive and just starting running around and high-fiving everyone.