May 25, 1991 - Just days after the 1991 NBA Draft Lottery revealed that the Charlotte Hornets would hold the No. 1 pick, the NBA on NBC crew-including Pat Riley, who was in-between his Lakers and Knicks coaching gigs-took seven minutes to break down their lottery predictions prior to Game 3 of the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals.
Ultimately, the panel composed of Riley, Bob Costas, Bob Ferry, and Peter Vecsey fared pretty well, particularly at the front end. Their first four selections were on point while No. 5 and No. 6 (Doug Smith and Steve Smith) were flip-flopped on draft day. Things got a little shakier on the back end. Mark Macon, Luc Longley, and Brian Williams (later known as Bison Dele) were all lottery picks but none went to the teams predicted here. Stanley Roberts, meanwhile, did head to Orlando, but only after falling to the 23rd pick of the first round. Come draft day, Stacey Augmon and Terrell Brandon usurped Roberts and Greg Anthony.
Here's the actual 1991 Lottery rundown:
Player College
1. Charlotte - Larry Johnson (UNLV)
2. New Jersey - Kenny Anderson (Georgia Tech)
3. Sacramento - Billy Owens (Syracuse)
4. Denver - Dikembe Mutombo (Georgetown)
5. Miami - Steve Smith (Michigan State)
6. Dallas - Doug Smith (Missouri)
7. Minnesota - Luc Longley (New Mexico)
8. Denver (from Washington)- Mark Macon (Temple)
9. Atlanta (from LA Clippers) - Stacey Augmon (UNLV)
10. Orlando - Brian Williams (Arizona)
11. Cleveland - Terrell Brandon (Oregon)