clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Cavaliers' Shot At No. 1 Pick Came Down To Final Lottery Ball

The Cleveland Cavaliers narrowly missed out on landing their second consecutive No. 1 overall pick on Wednesday night. Zach Lowe of The Point Forward blog at Sports Illustrated was in the room and has a unique behind-the-scenes look at just how close they came to edging the Hornets for the right to draft Anthony Davis. An excerpt after the jump:

Via Zach Lowe of Sports Illustrated:

After the mandatory 10-second pause for the remaining 12 balls to bounce around inside the machine, a league official drew out the next ball - a "9." Demps was in business.

So was Jeffrey Cohen, vice chairman of the Cavaliers. If the final ball was marked with a "3," the Cavaliers would win the lottery for the second straight season.

Alas, the final ball that surfaced was a "7" although the Hornets' Demps initially misread it as a "1." Read Lowe's entire behind the scenes account for the complete details on how things broke down.

For more news, analysis, and discussion on the Cavaliers Draft, visit Fear The Sword. For more on the NBA Lottery and the 2012 Draft, check out SB Nation's NBA hub.

Photographs by spatulated, Triple Tri, and chrischappelear used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.