NBA fans slam 'rigged' Draft Lottery after Mavericks' big win... despite having just a 1.8% chance!

It conscionable truthful happens that aft being connected the losing extremity of 1 of the astir earth-shattering trades successful the past of the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks recovered their mode to the archetypal wide pick.

At least, that's the starring mentation among fans of the league aft Dallas overcame near-impossible likelihood to triumph the NBA Draft Lottery connected Monday night.

It's been a chaotic twelvemonth for the Mavericks. General manager Nico Harrison came nether occurrence for an perfectly disastrous woody that sent franchise prima Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers successful speech for a commercialized bundle headlined by Anthony Davis.

Now, it's apt acknowledgment to that unspeakable commercialized that Harrison has the accidental to draught a caller face-of-the-franchise successful Duke freshman Cooper Flagg. 

But successful bid to bash that, they had to flooded likelihood of conscionable 1.8 percent to triumph the lottery. So erstwhile lawman commissioner Mark Tatum flipped the last paper revealing that Dallas won the apical choice, fans rushed to societal media.

The taxable 'Rigged' rapidly changeable up to the apical of the trending topics leafage connected X, formerly Twitter, with conspiracy theories abounding for a process that has not been immune to accusations of fixing successful the past.

A fig of NBA stars reacted to the lottery successful existent clip with implicit shock.

LeBron James tweeted retired a fig of laughing emojis. Meanwhile, James' erstwhile Cavaliers teammate Kevin Love posted, 'I mean travel connected man' with akin laughs.

An incredulous Bill Simmons posted, 'Oh get the f*** retired of here. Come on.'

Podcaster and Emmy winning manager Jason Gallagher posted an representation of histrion Brian Cox smirking with the caption, 'The shade of David Stern watching Adam Silver blatantly rig the lottery.'

'It's not hard to halt rigged lottery conspiracy theories. The NHL conscionable did it. Bring backmost the ping pong balls,' wrote The Athletic's Chris Vannini.

The relationship for the Barstool Sports amusement Pardon My Take tweeted a representation of Harrison giving the camera a side-eye with the caption, 'The Dallas Mavericks are picking archetypal overall. NBA Rigged?' 

Another Barstool personality, Jeff Lowe, posted, 'Hahaha cipher successful the satellite is going to ever judge the NBA Draft Lottery wasn’t rigged this year.'

'NBA 100% rigged this draught lottery to reward Dallas for agreeing to the league-administered Luka trade. You cant marque this up,' 1 idiosyncratic suggested.

Another station read, 'Ratings were down, truthful the NBA gave Luka to the Lakers, and past gave the #1 prime successful the NBA Draft to Dallas arsenic compensation. Disgusting corruption. And you can’t adjacent reason it. The likelihood are excessively debased of each of this lining up the mode it has. Completely rigged.' 

'[NBA commissioner] Adam Silver made Nico Harrison commercialized Luka to LA to get the NBA ratings arsenic they were tanking, and successful speech for that they rigged the lottery truthful Dallas gets Cooper Flagg Nothing tin person maine different astatine this point,' said different user.

The NBA Draft Lottery has been deed with rigging accusations ever since it was archetypal implemented successful the 1985 season.

That year, the New York Knicks won the lottery and selected aboriginal Hall-of-Famer Patrick Ewing archetypal overall. 

Since then, a fig of NBA Draft Lotteries person been taxable to rumors of fixing.

James and Love tweeting retired astir the results is peculiarly notable, considering they some were astatine the halfway of allegedly rigged draught processes.

The Cavaliers won the lottery successful 2003 allowing James to beryllium selected by his hometown team. 

Then, successful 2014, the Cavaliers won the lottery again contempt holding lone a 1.7 percent accidental of winning to springiness Cleveland a 4th No. 1 prime successful an 11 twelvemonth span. 

After drafting Andrew Wiggins archetypal overall, Cleveland traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves successful speech for Love - conscionable a period aft LeBron returned to the Cavaliers from the Miami Heat.

The Mavericks won the lottery with the fourth-lowest accidental to bash so. The 3 teams that won the lottery with little likelihood were each astatine the halfway of lotteries wherever alleged rigging took place. The aforementioned 2014 draught lottery had the third-lowest odds.

In 2nd spot was the Chicago Bulls successful 2008, erstwhile they won the lottery with a 1.7 percent chance. That year, they picked hometown kid Derrick Rose archetypal overall.

But the winning squad with the lowest likelihood to triumph the lottery successful NBA past was the Orlando Magic, who lone had a 1.5 percent accidental of getting the apical prime successful the 1993 draft.

That summer, the NBA modified the strategy successful an effort to springiness little performing teams a amended changeable astatine winning the lottery.

Instead, the Magic won the apical prime conscionable 1 twelvemonth aft winning the 1992 draught and selecting Shaquille O'Neal archetypal overall. In 1993, the Magic drafted Chris Webber archetypal overall, but past traded him to the Golden State Warriors for third-overall prime Penny Hardaway positive 3 aboriginal first-round picks.