The LA Clippers have been eliminated from playoff contention following Wednesday's loss to the Warriors, which means the OKC Thunder will be granted the unprotected rights to their top-14 pick in June's NBA Draft.
Considering their low-end standing among fellow lottery-bound clubs, the most likely outcome for these draft rights is that they will fall somewhere between 12 and 14 overall on the board. As things currently stand, they only have a 7.1 percent chance of landing a top-four pick and a mere 1.5 percent shot of earning the number one pick.
Nevertheless, hope that Oklahoma City can beat these odds is very much alive, and the Mavericks are a major reason why.
Mavericks winning 2025 NBA Draft Lottery keeps hope alive for Thunder
Throughout the history of the draft lottery, there are plenty of examples one can point to of teams miraculously landing a top-tier selection despite having far-from-favorable odds of doing so.
From the Bulls securing the top pick in 2008, where they'd go on to take the hometown kid Derrick Rose, to the Pelicans usurping the cellar-dwelling New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers in 2019 for their shot at the highly coveted Zion Williamson, there are a number of instances where lottery magic has kicked in for ball clubs despite the cards being stacked against them.
The latest example, and arguably the most outrageous of all time, is last year's earth-shattering surprise seeing Dallas pull away from the lottery with the rights to the number one pick.
Like Los Angeles, the Mavs were a Play-In Tournament participant in the 2024-25 campaign, and even advanced further in the preliminary rounds, while boasting just three fewer wins on the year.
As a result, the franchise went into the lottery with just a 1.8 percent chance of securing the top pick.
Yet, despite all of this, the ping-pong balls ultimately managed to bounce in their favor, which, in turn, led them to take Duke phenom Cooper Flagg at number one on draft night.
Heading into this year's festivities, Thunder fans should by no means expect to see a similar outcome -- after all, the odds are the odds for a reason.
With that said, the shocking turn of events that just transpired a year ago with the Mavericks certainly keeps hope of a happening such as this alive, which is both exciting for the franchise's faithful followers and, at the same time, true nightmare fuel for 29 other teams in the association.
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