Who finishes Last: CHA vs. ORL

[Snidely FC]

Bobcats or Magic: Who finishes with the NBA's worst record?


Foster: Magic. Orlando has been more successful at being awful, having won seven games in 2013 compared to Charlotte's nine. With four of their last five against playoff teams, the Magic should be able to avoid a costly win. Maybe the league should fix this at some point. How is this fun for anyone?

McNeill: Magic. Orlando is sliding and it has a worse record against its own conference than Charlotte. It's hard to imagine this Magic team holding off the Bobcats, who have a much easier schedule the rest of the way.

Poulard: Bobcats. The Magic might have a poor record, but they make their games competitive until the end, which gives them opportunities for wins late. The Bobcats, on the other hand, are always candidates to lose by double-digits, as evidenced by their minus-9.7 scoring differential.

Wallace: Magic. These teams will finish the regular season with identical 19-63 records, but the Bobcats own the tie-breaker with a 3-1 series victory. Charlotte is a game behind Orlando, but has a chance to win against Detroit and Cleveland. Orlando wraps up against four playoff teams, including three still jockeying for better seeds.

Weidie: Magic. The kittens seem to have more purr in them this spring (Charlotte is 5-9 since mid-March). Orlando will finish with the worst record, which is all according to plan after losing Howard and avoiding the catastrophe that is/was Andrew Bynum.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/5-o ... -13-season

[BlackOutBuzz]

When you look at the remaining games on the schedule, coupled with the fact that we own the tiebreaker, I definitely like our chances (of not finishing last).

Charlotte: at Memphis, at Detroit, vs Bucks, vs Knicks, vs Cavs.
Magic: vs Bucks, vs Celtics, vs Bulls, at Miami.

It is worth noting though that finishing last =/= most ping pong balls. Say both teams reach 20-62 (or any tying result), Orlando would finish last due do us holding the tiebreaker. However, the team with the best lottery odds would be determined by random draw.

So, best care scenario (pre-lottery) for us would be to break through the 20-win barrier while tying Orlando's record (and thus not finishing last again), and then winning the draw for the best odds at the top pick. So it's like the lottery before the lottery, and before the draw we'd technically have about a 22.22% chance of winning the first pick. Of course that would either jump to 25% or fall to 19.9% after the draw.

[Elden Payton]

I like our chances of finishing 'ahead' of Orlando but I don't like it.

[BobsBuddy]

We beat Detroit and /or Cleveland. Orlando loses last 4 games. We lose our balls and get screwed and pick 2nd or 3rd just to try to win 20 games.....

[JGib23]

I don't think tie breakers apply to the lottery. If you have a tied record, a coin flip determines order. That's how we landed Felton instead of Chris Paul.

[HornetJail]

:nonono: We beat Detroit and /or Cleveland. Orlando loses last 4 games. We lose our balls and get screwed and pick 2nd or 3rd just to try to win 20 games.....

I don't care what our pick is. I'd rather it be #1, simply because #1 has more trade value than #2.

I think we'll be able to break out of last place. Let Orlando have their pick.

[BlackOutBuzz]

I don't think tie breakers apply to the lottery. If you have a tied record, a coin flip determines order. That's how we landed Felton instead of Chris Paul.

Pretty much what i was getting at. In this case the draw would determine whether we have a 20% or 25% chance at the top pick.

[TheKingofSting]

History of the lottery has shown you would rather finish with the second to last record but having said that Snidely FC probably just jinxed us.

[Kembastockton]

Number one would be great, because it would be nice to be free to evaluate all the talent. Then we could draft whoever we decide is the best player Noel, McLemore, Bazz, or whoever. But I don't think finishing last or second to last makes that much difference. How often does the team with the worst record actually get the first pick?

[BlackOutBuzz]

Well Cleveland got it when they drafted Kyrie, but the pick that won the lottery was one they acquired from the Clips, not their own.

Since the lottery was established in 1990 only 3 teams with the worst record have won it: the 1990 Nets (Derrick Coleman), the 2003 Cavs (and they were tied for the worst with Denver, and the teams got LeBron and Melo respectively), and the 2004 Magic (Howard).

So you could say its due, or that it's highly unlikely. I'd say "due"simply because regardless of past statistics, having the most ping pong balls give you the best odds (that is...assuming it isn't rigged). Worth noting that the Magic have won it 3 times, resulting in Shaq, Chris Webber (those two in back-to-back years), and Howard.

[BobsBuddy]

PLease, Please Lord not Noel..53% ft% no post game..Why draft him when we already have a young and" lost" center with no offense in BIZ. I don't even think Mclenmore will help us because of his defense and inconsistency as proven in the NCAA Tournament.. Either trade down or pick Oladipo whereever we pick 1,2,3.
PS Charlotte wins 2 games and finishs ahead of O Orlando.

[TheKingofSting]

Orlando beat the Bucks to get a two game lead in the win column on us now, all Bucks had to do was make FT's and screwed around and lost. Now we are destined for the worst record and 3rd or 4th pick.