I haven't bought a mega-bucks lottery ticket lately, but when I have in the past, there's nothing like that walk from the cash register to the car. It's just enough time to let your mind wander to a place where you beat the staggering odds and hit the jackpot. 

How would your future change? What would you buy first? Who would you tell? The brief moment of euphoria is what entices you to buy a ticket and why some people buy them all the time. The reality of the odds always gets in the way of a happy ending though.

The Indiana Pacers have had their lottery ticket for over a month now, but tonight the numbers will be drawn. Take a moment and enjoy the thought of the Pacers drawing the number one pick despite just a .8% chance. Go ahead, visualize Derrick  Rose wearing the blue and gold and leading the team into championship contention a la Chris Paul or Deron Williams.

Ahhhh, this short cut to a great future feels good doesn't it?

Enjoy the feeling while you can because reality is looming.

Naturally, the Pacers aren't planning on the top pick since the odds against them are so great. In fact, Jim O'Brien has been burned before in the lottery when the odds were stacked in his favor as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics with Tim Duncan as the top prize. With the 11th spot, JOB's not even interested in the exercise tonight.

"To me, we're picking 11th. It's just the way it is," O'Brien said. "If somebody tells me we're picking one, two or three, that'd be great. But in my mind, we're picking 11 and I think we can get good players at 11 and 41 (in the second round).

"I don't worry about the fate of the ping-pong balls. It's nothing I can control."

Larry Bird knows the odds and isn't thinking about the dream scenario. In fact, he's more concerned about dropping down.

"You just go there and hope for the best," said Pacers president Larry Bird, who, along with general manager David Morway, will represent the team tonight in Secaucus, N.J. "We know the odds are stacked against us. I don't want to move back, that's for sure."

Bird doesn't plan to carry a rabbit's foot or any other kind of good-luck charm.

"I'd probably carry something in my pocket if we had like a 25 percent chance to get No. 1," he said, laughing. "With one percent, you just hope they don't call your name too early."

This could be an epic day in Indianapolis sports history. The city is expected to be awarded the Super  Bowl. Can you imagine if the night is capped with the Rose-y scenario playing out for the Pacers?

Go ahead, dream while you still can.