The Warriors feel like the stars are aligning for something magical to happen tonight, when a series of whirling ping-pong balls will determine the order of the first 14 picks in the NBA draft and possibly change the fate of a franchise.
Never mind that they have a 4.3 percent chance of moving from their current slot at No. 7 to the top spot. "You have to think positive," coach Don Nelson said in a phone interview Monday.
That's easy to say from Maui, but Nelson has some experience at the event's annual site in Secaucus, N.J., too. He was the Warriors' representative there in 1993, the last time their pre-lottery position was seventh. They leaped to No. 3, picked Anfernee Hardaway and traded his rights to Orlando for top pick Chris Webber.
General manager Larry Riley will rep the Warriors this year. In their usual playful-competitive friendship, Nelson has a message for Riley:
"The pressure is on Larry now," Nelson said. "I've already jumped up from that spot."
Of course, in lighthearted banter, stats don't matter. Nelson had a 7.6 percent chance of moving into the top three in 1993, and Riley has a 5.8 chance of doing the same.
For the complete lottery chart ... Page D2
Here's a look at the number of ping-pong balls plus the percent chance of each team to get specific picks, rounded to a decimal point:
