Over the years, the Pacers have felt the sting of coin flips and lottery picks when their odds were pretty good. Now, staring at a lottery with very slim odds for "winning" a history-changing top three pick, maybe the basketball gods will shine a little desperately need luck on the Blue and Gold.
Mark Montieth took a look back at a 1983 coin flip that almost didn't happen. The what-if game from there is hard to digest.
Imagine a Pacers roster with Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Michael Jordan. It could have happened, if not for a couple of twists of fate.
The above scenario would've required completing a trade with the Rockets that didn't happen and undoing a trade with the Blazers that did happen. The point remains, though, that a little luck at the right time can change the fortunes of an NBA team in an instant. If the Pacers get lucky and find themselves with a top three pick in the upcoming deep draft, it would make up for many years of bad luck that have altered the course of the franchise.