NEW YORK (AP) – Phil Jackson remembers watching old teammate Dave DeBuscherre pound his fist in triumph, when the Knicks and NBA were dual winners.
The first draft lottery in 1985 gave New York the No. 1 pick and the NBA all the publicity a league could want, plus a way to deter teams from losing on purpose.
Thirty years later, the lottery still creates hope and headlines – though it’s debatable if tanking has ever gone away.
“It’s unique,” Jackson said. “It’s a fascinating process.”
It returns Tuesday night with the Knicks, now run by Jackson, with the second-best odds of winning, perhaps for the right to choose between big men Karl-Anthony Towns of Kentucky or Jahlil Okafor of national champion Duke.
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