NEW YORK
The Cleveland Cavaliers would prefer to be known for being good, not lucky.
Maybe next year.
For now, disappointment is replaced by disbelief, as even they are amazed by their remarkable run of lottery luck.
“It was incredible,” general manager David Griffin said Tuesday. “When Cleveland didn’t pop up at nine, I knew obviously we had moved up and I had to gather myself for a second. Just a remarkable feeling.”
Familiar one, too.
The Cavaliers won the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft for the second straight year and third time in the last four. They moved up from the ninth spot, when they had just a 1.7 percent chance of winning the top selection.
“It seems surreal,” Cavs vice chairman Jeff Cohen said. “This is three out of four years and we had a 1.7 percent chance of coming up with the first pick and we pulled it off again.”
They drafted Kyrie Irving first in 2011 and will hope to do better with this win than last year, when they took Anthony Bennett, who had a forgettable rookie season.
Nick Gilbert, the son of Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert, was on the podium for the previous two wins, but Griffin was there this time.
He had a pin on his lapel from his late grandmother and was carrying one of Nick Gilbert’s bowties, which was as lucky in his breast pocket as it was with Nick wearing it.
The Cavs can now choose among the likes of Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid of Kansas, Duke’s Jabari Parker, or another player from what’s considered a deep draft.
The Milwaukee Bucks fell one spot to second and the Philadelphia 76ers will draft third.
The Bucks had a 25 percent chance of winning after a leagueworst 15-67 record, but the team with the best odds hasn’t won since 2004.
The expected strength of the class led to speculation that teams were tanking in hopes of getting a high pick.
Orlando dropped a spot to fourth and also will have the No. 12 pick from Denver. Utah is No. 5 and the Lakers and Boston Celtics couldn’t make the most of rare lottery appearances, with Los Angeles at No. 7 and Boston at No. 6.
2014 NBA Draft Order
At New York
First Round
1. Cleveland
2. Milwaukee
3. Philadelphia
4. Orlando
5. Utah
6. Boston
7. L.A. Lakers
8. Sacramento
9. Charlotte (from Detroit)
10. Philadelphia (from New Orleans)
11. Denver
12. Orlando (from New York via Denver)
13. Minnesota
14. Phoenix
15. Atlanta
16. Chicago (from Charlotte)
17. Boston (from Brooklyn)
18. Phoenix (from Washington)
19. Chicago
20. Toronto
21. Oklahoma City (from Dallas via Houston
and L.A. Lakers)
22. Memphis
23. Utah (from Golden State)
24. Charlotte (from Portland)
25. Houston
26. Miami
27. Phoenix (from Indiana)
28. L.A. Clippers
29. Oklahoma City
30. San Antonio
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