Why not just record the process and post it on nba.com after the espn thing. I'm sure many want to see it just to see how it's done and it would bring in some advertising revenue. Why not? Hmmm. 80% of rockets fans have a brain.
In last night's drawing there were 5 sets of numbers drawn (2 dead numbers). The order was 1. Hornets 2. Charlotte 3. Hornets (dead number) 4. Charlotte (dead number) 5. Washington
HP, The numbers are not assigned randomly they are assigned sequentially starting with the worst record. So Charlotte received the first 250 number, then Washinton and so forth. Here's an excerpt from Zach Lowe's article for SI about last night's lottery. Lowe was one of the media attending the drawing. Each lottery team is assigned a batch of four-number sequences, of which there are 1,001 in total, all involving various combinations of the numbers “1″ through “14.” The league assigns the sequences chronologically, so that the Bobcats, the team with the best odds of winning the lottery, got the first 250 sequences — all containing the number “1.” The Charlotte sequences started with “1-2-3-4″ and went up to “1-7-12-14.” Though the Wizards, the team with the second-best odds, also had some sequences containing a “1,” the odds were very high that if a “1″ came up at all among the four ping-pong balls, the No. 1 pick would belong to the Bobcats http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012/05/30/nba-draft-lottery/
That's what I thought too, that the sequences are not random. So if someone doctored all "1" balls, the odds would have heavily tilted to the Bobcats.
True, but they use the same balls for all three picks so those same balls should have kept coming up for subsequent picks.
odd, yesterday I found two NBA sites that say a computer assigns the combos. I looked it up yesterday, because I heard the telecast of the event mention it as well, and Castor ? in another thread said computers were involved. Here's the link I used yesterday -- 2012 draft. http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/inside-2012-nba-draft-lottery and another explanation from 2004 on NBA.com main site: http://www.nba.com/features/lottery2004_details.html but it looks like the SI guy is correct that the teams are assigned in sequential order...based on a video I just found of the lookup tables for 2009. Computers mentioned in my links probably just print the teams names on pre-made, lookup tables. lol I suppose there is no reason the lookup table can't be sequential yet the teams are still randomly assigned, just waiting for the computer to order the teams. For instance, the computer doesn't need to assign the first sequences with "1 2 3 4" to the top pick each year. It could shuffle them, so that the Rockets got the first 5 starting with "1 2 3 4" However, my first link has a video with actual Lookup Tables for 2009. And sure enough, SAC gets the first set and WAS is next. I can't embed it, but here is the link: http://www.nba.com/warriors/video/2012/05/29/LotteryOneClipmovmov-2113559
The NBA.com links explicitly say a computer is used. The sequences don't have to be random, just the order of which teams are assigned starting in what order. For instance, the Rockets could be assigned to the first sequences ... 1 2 3 4 to 1 2 3 9. And the next team the computer selects gets their sequence, as so on. But the video I link in the above post shows the actual lookup tables of 2009, and SAC get first sequence with WAS second, and so on. So, looks like my sources are wrong and the SI guy is right.
Also, aelliott When I said the ping pong balls are randomly chosen from cases of new balls, that is an assumption that the NBA is using standard State Lotto protocols, which I had heard before. Here's an explanation I just found about the Virginia security, not only do the pick them randomly, the run some test drawings beforehand to check for biases. now I wonder if the NBA does that even...but they do show off the ball vault during the telecast, so you can assume the balls put in that vault were selected in some security fashion.
Yes. Odds are against everyone predicting this to happen. Yet it did. Odds are really against that happening. For two years straight people have gotten those things right. It sounds like people are catching on to what the NBA wants in its best interest and then they go ahead and do it. Thats not very likely to happen unless something is rigged.
