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The first lottery draft still rates the best

By David Schoenfield
Page 2

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The first NBA draft lottery took place in 1985, with the seven non-playoff teams participating. The big prize in that year's draft: Georgetown center Patrick Ewing. As we prepare for the 25th draft conducted under the lottery system, consider how much the NBA has grown: from 23 to 30 teams; from seven lottery teams to 14; from rumors of frozen envelopes to a complicated system of ping-pong balls. Consider also: in 1985, Ewing was a polished college senior who had led Georgetown to three NCAA c ...

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