R.I.P » tte was named captain of Canadas womens team. Haley Wickenheis

NEW YORK -- They lost often, 67 times in all for the Milwaukee Bucks. Sometimes they lost always, such as 26 straight times for the Philadelphia 76ers. Now the NBAs biggest losers have a chance for a huge win. Watch all the drama of the NBA Draft Lottery unfold on TSN and TSN GO live NOW. The draft lottery is tonight, a night some teams appeared to be aiming toward for months during a season that featured plenty of talking about tanking. The winner gets the No. 1 pick in next months draft, when an Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker might make this seasons misery worth it. Its a potential make-or-break night for some teams, which is why a program about the results of a random drawing ends up as the prime-time lead-in for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. "To me its part of the mystery and part of the enjoyment in seeing whos right, whos wrong," Commissioner Adam Silver said recently. "Will these perceived great players coming into the draft really be in a position to turn around teams? So its part of the fun." The Bucks and 76ers sure are enjoying it, and trying to get their fans in on the good times. Theres a viewing party in Milwaukee where all fans get a pingpong ball. The 76ers were giving away a trip to New York, where they were to be represented on stage by Hall of Famer Julius "Dr. J." Erving. Silver is aware of the tanking speculation and uneasy that fans might think NBA teams were willing to take their money without caring if they win the games. But he understands that teams sometimes need to rebuild, and that may mean going straight to the bottom if they think thats the quickest route to the top. "The jury is out on the strategy and I think that makes for good copy as well. Im intrigued," Silver said. "I read both sides of it in terms of, is that the right way to build a team, what impact does it have on culture, can you rebuild a team in two years, can you rebuild in three years, whats the track record of teams trying to do that," Silver added, "and I am mindful that in a league of 30 teams that were also selling competition on a nightly basis and I dont want to create a sense that we want to subject fans to subpar performances because dont worry, its going to be great three years from now." The Bucks have a 25 per cent chance to win and give incoming new ownership a great welcoming gift. Philadelphia (19.9 per cent), Orlando (15.6) and Utah (10.4) have the next-best chances, with longtime powerhouses Boston and the Lakers behind them after rare poor seasons. But this was a season where for some teams, a job well done meant doing their jobs poorly. After a forgettable draft in 2013, this one is considered much more promising, good enough that some teams which knew they werent going to win decided they would be better off if they lost. Philadelphia owner Joshua Harris even called his teams season a "huge success" after its 19-63 record included a 26-game skid that matched the longest in NBA history. The Sixers may have topped the list, but they were hardly alone among suspected tankers this season. "I thought it was pretty crazy that teams were doing that. But theyre saying this is going to be one of the toughest draft classes since 2003," Indiana University star Noah Vonleh said. That class produced LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony, so if this draft really is that good, its hard to blame any teams for trying to get to the top of it. The fact that so many did has sparked new calls to change the lottery process so as to not invite tanking. Silver said it will be looked at over the summer, but as the lottery turns 30, there isnt a perfect idea for how to run it. "I think for us, weve got to make sure we understand whether theres an aberration here because of the perception of a particular draft class, whether indeed there is a better way of do it," Silver said, "because of course at the same time you want to properly align incentives, but the very purpose of the draft is to help the worst teams restock." David Nwaba Nets Jersey . The win puts the final playoff berth in Group A in question. If the Czechs beat Slovakia on Tuesday, they will go through. If they lose, Germany will get the last quarter-final berth. Dzanan Musa Nets Jersey . -- Creighton apparently has Villanovas number. https://www.netsrookiesshop.com/Garrett-Temple-City-Edition-Jersey/ . The game got off to a less-than-ideal start for the Jets as Oliver Ekman-Larsson found a wide open net from the slot and opened the scoring for the Coyotes a lead in the first period, but Olli Jokinen answered back just over half a minute later. Kenneth Faried Jersey . Its been two seasons in one for both parties and neither will look back on the first 18 games fondly. "I think I took the fall for a lot of things," said Gay, reflecting on his short time in Toronto ahead of Wednesdays game against his former club. Drazen Petrovic Jersey . On paper, it looks a little like Andre the Giant taking on a midget wrestler. It has all the makings of a rout with the Americans adding an eighth win in nine outings of this biennial event. The Yanks have eight players in the top 15 in the world while the Internationals have just one.Sidney Crosby is the face of the NHL and hockey in Canada, so its only natural that hell be the countrys captain at next months Sochi Olympics. The Pittsburgh Penguins captain, who scored the gold-medal-winning overtime goal against the United States in Vancouver four years ago, got the nod to wear the "C" this time around. Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks and Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators were named alternate captains, Hockey Canada announced Sunday morning. "Sidney, Jonathan and Shea have been leaders on the international stage in the past, as well as with their NHL teams," coach Mike Babcock said in a statement. "These three players will be at the forefront of our efforts in Sochi, but we are confident we have 25 players on our roster that will lead in their own way and allow our team to be successful." There will be no shortage of leadership in Sochi given the presence of six NHL captains, but it starts with Crosby. "Playing for Team Canada, playing in the Olympics is a great opportunity," Crosby told reporters at Penguins practice. "But being able to be named the captain is definitely an honour." Crosby was made the youngest captain in NHL history when he got the "C" for the Pittsburgh Penguins six and a half years ago. In 2009 he raised the Stanley Cup as captain. At the 2010 Olympics, Crosby was an alternate along with defenceman Chris Pronger and winger Jarome Iginla. The 26-year-old Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, native doesnt expect his mind-set to change much. Veteran defenceman Scott Niedermayer captained that team and said before his Hockey Hall of Fame induction in November that he had no doubt Crosby is ready to assume that role. "Hes very mature," Niedermayer said. "He was probably ready when he was 16. He was probably ready in 2010, and the thinking was hes going to have enough pressure on him just from who he is and things like that that he doesnt need one more thing to worry about, give it to some old guy thats just trying to figure things out out there. Im sure he would do very well." Toews seemed like the only other logical option, based on performing in 2010 and leading the Blackhawks to two Stanley Cups. Last week he acknowledged the possibility of being named captain. "Im ready for any role," Toews said in Montreal. "Last time, I played five, six, maybe seven minutes at the start of the tournament in Vancouver. By the end of it, the coaches had more confidence in me. They put me in more defensivve situations.dddddddddddd This time around wont be different. Whether Im captain -- or not -- whatever. Im going to Russia to win a gold medal like everyone else." This will be the second Olympics for most of the core, including the leadership group. "Honestly, it doesnt get old," Crosby said in Vancouver of just making the team. "That feeling doesnt get old. The appreciation and being proud to represent your country, its the same for everybody." Asked if he preferred "Captain Canada" over his current nickname of "Sid the Kid," Crosby said: "Ill let you guys worry about that." Ryan Smyth of the Edmonton Oilers has that moniker, and Crosby expects it to stick with the Hockey Canada mainstay despite this announcement. Russia already named Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings as captain. Its Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins for Slovakia and Tomas Plekanec of the Montreal Canadiens for the Czech Republic. The United States has yet to name its captain, though general manager David Poile singled out Ryan Suter, Zach Parise, Dustin Brown, Ryan Callahan and David Backes as the U.S. leadership group. The mens ice hockey tournament in Sochi begins Feb. 12. Canada opens against Norway on Feb. 13. Caroline Ouellette was named captain of Canadas womens team. Haley Wickenheiser will be a permanent alternate, while Jayna Hefford and Catherine Ward will rotate the second "A." "There is a tremendous amount of experience in our dressing room, and there is no shortage of qualified candidates to wear a letter," womens coach Kevin Dineen said in a statement. "The players we have selected as captain and alternates in Sochi have shown their dedication and commitment to the team and its end goal throughout a long season, and we feel they are the ideal choices to lead our team through the Olympic experience." Canadas womens team opens play Feb. 8 against Switzerland. Greg Westlake was named captain of Canadas sledge hockey team. Brad Bowden and Adam Dixon are the alternates. "This is the leadership team we have had in place since 2011, and we have the utmost confidence in them leading our team into Sochi," sledge team coach Mike Mondin said in a statement. "Greg, Brad and Adam have worn the Team Canada jersey with pride every time they have put it on, and have earned the right to wear a letter on the games biggest stage." -- With files from Kelsey Patterson in Montreal and Joshua Clipperton in Vancouver. ' ' '