NBA Draft Lottery 2012: Warriors, Cavaliers Win Tiebreakers Ahead of Lottery

While the Cleveland Cavaliers once again got a little lucky heading into the NBA draft, the Golden State Warriors came this much closer to successfully tanking on Friday.

The Cavaliers won two coin flips for draft positioning, according to WaitingForNextYear.com. They beat out the Sacramento Kings for the No. 3 overall pick in the draft lottery, while they beat out the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 24 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.

The Warriors, on the other hand, now hold the No. 7 overall pick in the lottery after winning a coin clip against the Toronto Raptors, according to Marcus Thompson of Bay Area News Group. If they stay within the top seven in the lottery, they get to keep their pick. If they fall to No. 8 or lower, the Utah Jazz get their pick via a trade in 2008.

If the Warriors got the No. 7 overall pick ahead of the Raptors, there's a good chance they could fill a need at small forward with North Carolina's Harrison Barnes, who many consider to be the best small forward in the draft class.

As for the Cavaliers, they could go a variety of ways with No. 3 overall, including landing a center like Connecticut's Andre Drummond or a shooting guard like Florida's Bradley Beal. They could even add depth with Kansas big man Thomas Robinson, or Kentucky small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist if he lands there.

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WINNERS OF TODAY'S TIEBREAKERS

Cavaliers over Hornets for 3rd

Kings over Nets for 5th

Warriors over Raptors for 7th

Knicks over Mavericks and Jazz for 16th

Mavericks over Jazz for 17th

Clippers over Hawks for 22nd

Lakers over Grizzlies for 24th

Bulls over Spurs for 29th

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The Warriors lost 22 of their last 27 games, but were in jeopardy of losing the No. 7 slot after a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves in their third-to-last game. They also have the San Antonio Spurs' first-round pick via a trade this season.

The Cavaliers were awarded the No. 1 and No. 4 overall selections in last year's draft, which they used on Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson respectively. Irving will likely be named Rookie of the Year this season. 

According to HoopsRumors.com, the Knicks also captured the No. 16 selection over the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz, the Mavericks took the No. 17 slot over the Jazz, the Los Angeles Clippers grabbed No. 22 over the Atlanta Hawks, the Los Angeles Lakers picked up No. 24 over the Memphis Grizzlies and the Chicago Bulls nabbed No. 29 over the San Antonio Spurs (meaning the Warriors will be selecting at No. 30 overall, as well).