During playoffs, NBA players effectively shut down their social media accounts to focus on the games at hand—that is, until the annual NBA Draft rolls around. Despite a diminutive 1.7 per cent chance, the Cleveland Cavaliers drew the draft’s top pick for a staggering fourth time in a row. Fans everywhere let out a collective groan, unsure if the Cavs will effectively take advantage of their sheer, dumb luck. Ballers across the league also took to their Twitter accounts to offer up their two cents, and here’s what they had to say.

Before the balls were even rolled


Players gave themselves over to the randomness of the draw. The teams with the highest probability of drawing a first pick were the Milwaukee Bucks (25 per cent), the Philadelphia 76ers (19.9 per cent), the Orlando Magic (15.6 per cent), the Utah Jazz (11.9 per cent) and the Boston Celtics (8.8 per cent).

Others were purely unrealistic. Peyton Siva’s Detroit Pistons only had a snowball’s chance of drawing the first pick (3.5 per cent). Then again, crazier things have, and did, happen that night.
How the Cavs reacted to their win

Here, rising rookie Matthew Dellavedova acts as if the last three years didn’t give us any clues as to the Cavs’ chances. If he’s still with the team after the off-season, Delly can look forward to potentially playing alongside a top-50 draft prospect such as Andrew Wiggins, Joel Ambiid, Dante Exum, Marcus Smart, or Jabari Parker. But probably Wiggins.

Of course, none of us were prepared for what would happen during the draw—and none more so than Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, apparently. No, it’s not a joke.
Did that really just happen… again?

Many players in the NBA were taken back by the results. The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kendall Marshall seemed to be in a state of shock, tweeting his incredulity several times after the draw.
Many others followed suit.



There were some ballers that could handle it

A few players, including John Henson of the Milwaukee Bucks, understood that it was the luck of the draw. He seemed cool with the bizarre outcome in spite of the fact that the Bucks were favoured to come out on top. Number two ain’t so bad, after all.


The 2014 draft is also notable for the fact that DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings used the opportunity to reveal his identity as the NBA’s first psychic basketball player. Even James Southerland took a moment to strike a congratulatory note.
Ultimately, the whole thing was a game of chance. Here’s how the teams stacked up, according to the league itself:
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Orlando Magic
- Utah Jazz
- Boston Celtics
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Sacramento Kings
- Charlotte Hornets
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Denver Nuggets
- Orlando Magic
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Phoenix Suns
- Atlanta Hawks
- Chicago Bulls
- Boston Celtics
- Phoenix Suns
- Chicago Bulls
- Toronto Raptors
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Utah Jazz
- Charlotte Hornets
- Houston Rockets
- Miami Heat
- Phoenix Suns
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- San Antonio Spurs
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