76ers lose out in lottery as Cavaliers defy odds

The Sixers are still a key player in the Joel Emnbiid sweepstakes, holding the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA draft. Credit: Getty Images The Sixers are still a key player in the Joel Emnbiid sweepstakes, holding the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA draft. Credit: Getty Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers had just a 1.7 percent chance of earning the first overall pick in the NBA Draft in June.

But for some reason the basketball gods awarded the squad, relegating the Sixers to the No. 3 overall pick and the Milwaukee Bucks the second selection.

Philadelphia expected to have at least a top two pick, with nearly a 20 percent chance of landing No. 1, but the ping pong balls went the other way.

Even with their disappointing draw, the Sixers also have the No 10 pick, as well as five picks on the second round.

The Sixers still will be able to grab one of the “Big Three,” by taking whoever is left from Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid.

The Magic will pick fourth and the Jazz fifth.

Sixers bring luck to Lottery

On Tuesday night the Sixers found out their fate at the 2014 NBA draft lottery and the superstitious can rest easy knowing that the team put forth their best efforts at landing the top pick.

The Sixers held a Lucky Charm Contest to find the most interesting piece of fan memorabilia for Julius Erving to bring with him on lottery night. The winning fan supplied “Dr. J” with two pieces of broken backboard from a famous 1979 Daryl Dawkins dunk which rattled the Spectrum and brought fans to their feet.

Lucky charms

The Sixers weren’t the first team to round up something from the history books to accompany them on lottery night. Here’s a look at three of the most obscure lucky charms teams have brought with them.

• 1985: The Knicks had a Lucky Horseshoe and won the 1st pick.

• 2005: The Bucks got No. 1 thanks to a lucky fishing lure.

• 2009: The Clippers won thanks to a custom Clippers-lined suit jacket.