Overview:

Sixers Draft Pick Tracker

Sixers pick (currently 3rd):

• No change here, as all of the top 6 teams in the lottery had the night off.

2015 Top-of-Draft Standings

Lakers pick (top 5 protected, currently 4th)

• No change here, as all of the top 6 teams in the lottery had the night off.

Lottery Odds - Lakers Pick

Heat pick (top 10 protected, currently 16th):

• Nets won (bad) / Pacers lost (bad?): We are back in the “I don’t know whether to categorize these as good or bad” mode. Nets winning is bad, as we don’t need another team in the mix, and keeping them at 9th is the best option. But the Pacers? It seemed like it was virtually a foregone conclusion before that they would pass the Heat, so I was hoping they won. Even with their 5 game losing streak, I still think they pull it together and pass Miami, who is currently 2.5 games up on Indy. Ideal scenario? At least 2 of Charlotte (2.5 back from Miami), Indy (2.5 back), and Boston (2 back) pass Miami to knock them out of the Eastern Conference playoffs. If all 3 of those teams pass Miami, then Utah (1.5 back) can’t. If only 2 of those 3 pass Miami, then Utah passing Miami would bump them from 12th to 11th. In the end, Utah passing Miami is less important than 2 EC teams doing so (even though I think Utah is the most likely).
• Utah lost (bad?): Again, Utah passing Miami is good as long as all of Charlotte, Indy, and Boston don’t. If all 3 do, Utah can’t. If your head hurts, so does mine. I think Utah eventually passes Miami regardless, but keeping them as an option just in case all 3 EC teams pass Miami as well isn’t the worst thing in the world. In the end, Utah passing Miami has less chance to significantly help the Miami pick (only moves one spot), but getting that 2nd EC team to pass could improve the pick by 3. So, I would say hope that Utah stumbles and start rooting for Indy/Charlotte/Boston to go on a run (even if I don’t think that’s how it will play out).
• Note: I am now changing my rooting interest at the top, changing Miami to hoping they lose, Utah to lose, and Boston and Indy to win. With 2-3 games of separation, any more and I start to worry about the Miami pick being 15-16 rather than 11-12. At this point, rooting interest is probably based on how averse you are to risks. If you want to maximize the chances of the Sixers getting the pick, hope Miami wins and Indy and Boston continue to lose as well. I’m also removing Detroit from the list of teams to watch.

Standings - Miami Pick

Lottery Odds - Heat Pick

Oklahoma City Thunder pick (top 18 protected, currently 18th):

• Chicago lost (good): Chicago lost, keeping them only 3 win (2 games overall) up on OKC as a backup plan to OKC catching Washington.

Standings - Thunder Pick

Tonight’s games:

• Sixers @ Lakers: The winner of this will sit in 3rd place in the lottery standings. Go Lakers.
• Cavs @ Bucks: Bucks losses, while mostly irrelevant, help keep them away from OKC.
• Miami @ OKC: I’m glad that Miami went on a little bit of a run because now there’s not much question on who I’m rooting for. An OKC win could get them into that 19th slot, and a Miami loss increases the chance that 2 Eastern Conference teams pass them.
• New Orleans @ Clippers: New Orleans losses help to keep OKC in the playoffs. Go Clippers.
• Knicks @ Raptors: Go Knicks. NYK wins help the Sixers pick, and Toronto losses help give OKC another option to passing Washington.
• Detroit @ Boston: Go Celtics? Yeah, go Celtics. I guess. Need two of Boston, Charlotte, and Indy to pass Miami, and Boston and Indy are the two most likely. Charlotte winning could really throw a wrench into this, though.
• Denver @ Orlando. This is legitimately tough. This, by and large, depends on the outcome of the Sixers vs Lakers game(s). Right now, I’m saying go Orlando, because I’m more worried about the Sixers catching Orlando than I am hopeful that the Lakers can catch Orlando(5 wins between the Sixers/Lakers and Orlando).
• Wizards @ Kings: I’ve given up on the Lakers catching the Kings, so go Kings. A Washington loss and OKC win could put OKC back into that 19th slot, thus conveying their pick to the Sixers.
• Charlotte @ Minnesota: Big game. Big big big big big game. A Minnesota win would be huge here, as a Minnesota win not only helps the Sixers (2 more wins than the Wolves) catch them for the 2nd worst record, but also pushes Charlotte (10th slot) away from Miami. If Charlotte stumbles, it doesn’t matter how many of Boston / Indiana / Utah pass Miami (in fact, the more the merrier). If Charlotte starts winning, this gets very tricky. So go Wolves.