David Stern decided to punish the Grizzlies and Celtics for tanking the end of the season.

The NBA lottery brought resulted in three teams beating their odds, with the Portland Trailblazers winning the #1 draft pick. NBA GMs and front office now look to purchase “clothespin-and-paper-towel butterflies,” much like the one owned by True Hoop writer and avid Trailblazers fan Henry Abbott..
1. Portland Trailblazers
2. Seattle Supersonics
3. Atlanta Hawks
4. Memphis Grizzlies
5. Boston Celtics
6. Milwaukee Bucks
7. Minnesota Timberwolves
8. Charlotte Bobcats
9. New York Knicks
10. Sacramento Kings
11. Indiana (To Atlanta)
12. Philadelphia Sixers
13. New Orleans Hornets
14. LA Clippers

David Stern defended “the bench rule,” and also noted that a change in the lottery could take place so lottery teams wouldn’t play to lose.

“On the end of the season and what teams do competitively, I think we should look at the lottery system and see whether it can be improved.”

Strangely, the top two teams managed to get the worst picks available, but Stern may look for an official strategy in place of freezing and damaging envelopes.