We know the Boston Celtics have a history of laying an egg at the NBA draft lottery, but this might be taking it too far.
Co-owner Stephen Pagliuca will bring a lucky Rooster of Barcelos figurine to New York when he represents the team at Tuesday night’s lottery, according to ESPN.com. The rooster, which was a gift from the ambassador of Portugal, is believed to be a symbol of good luck.
Pagliuca’s explanation to ESPN’s Chris Forsberg is a little vague, but a Wikipedia entry claims the rooster is from a fable in which a man is wrongly sentenced to hang for theft. The man declares that, when he is being hanged, the dead rooster from the judge’s dinner platter will crow — which it does. The judge runs to the gallows to save the innocent man, only to discover a knot in the rope gave way, saving the man.
The Celtics have the fifth-best odds in this year’s lottery to land the No. 1 pick, following memorable disappointments in 2007 and 1997. If the rooster is as lucky as the legend says it is, maybe the Celtics finally will have a lottery result worth crowing about.
Photo via Twitter/@pamrusluc
