For the second time in 24 hours, the Boston Celtics claimed a critical victory, winning the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft lottery a night after advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Boston Celtics have won 53 regular season contests and another eight playoff games this season to setup an Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the defending champion Cavaliers.
Only the most impactful win of the season came on an off night at the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery.
For the second time in 24 hours, Boston captured monumental a monumental victory.
One night after knocking off Washington in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Celtics capitalized on a 25 percent chance of securing the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
For the first time since 1950, when the team chose Chuck Share, Boston will be the first team selecting at the NBA Draft.
It's a great time to be a #Celtics fan https://t.co/xAM1eE1id7
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 17, 2017
The Celtics become just the third team in league history to secure the first overall pick while posting the best record in conference play during the regular season.
Portland selected Mychal Thompson with the first overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft and James Worthy was chosen first overall by the Lakers in 1982.
For Boston, the right to choose first stems from a deal the team made to begin the rebuilding process from its last championship core.
The Celtics sent Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry and D.J. White to Brooklyn in exchange for Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Kris Joseph, Gerald Wallace, a 2014 first round pick (used on James Young), a 2016 first round pick (used on Jaylen Brown), a 2018 first round pick and the right to swap picks in in 2017.
By opting to take the first overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft away from the Nets, Boston sent the 27th overall pick back to Brooklyn.
Hardwood Houdini
The Celtics now have an array of options to add even more talent to one of the four teams remaining in contention for the 2017 NBA title.
Along with the first overall draft choice on June 22, Boston may also be in position to free up enough cap room to pursue an elite free agent this summer.
Perhaps the only problem facing the Celtics is an embarrassment of riches.
The player most draft experts have rated as the top overall prospect in the 2017 NBA Draft is Washington guard Markelle Fultz.
According to ESPN reporter Chad Ford, Fultz has a 57 percent chance of being selected with the top pick, per his team sources among lottery picks.
The 6-foot-4 guard possesses all of the tools to become an impact player at the point guard position, as he can connect from beyond the arc (he shot 41.3 percent from three-point range during his freshman year), finish above the rim and distribute at an elite level.
Fultz averaged 23.2 points, 5.9 assists, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game for the Huskies. The 19-year-old averaged 1.02 points per possession, the second highest total among all prospects in the 2017 NBA Draft.
The only problem with the selection of Fultz is he would join an already extremely talented and young backcourt in Boston.
The Celtics already boast an All-Star point guard in Isaiah Thomas, and he just turned 28 last February. Along with Thomas, Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart have thwarted Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, the last two draft picks by the Celtics, from receiving consistent playing time.
Boston has the option of dealing away the first overall pick for a player ready to immediately contribute for a title contender, such as Paul George or Jimmy Butler, two All-Star forwards the team was liked to at the trade deadline three months ago.
Unlike the 13 other teams in the NBA Draft Lottery, the Boston Celtics still have plenty to play for, so their decision on the top overall pick will likely be a surprise when NBA commissioner Adam Silver makes the announcement.
Next: 2017 NBA Draft Lottery results and 1st round order
The 2017 NBA Draft will be on June 22, 2017.