Secaucus, N.J. ? While the odds favor the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Draft Lottery on tonight, history hasn’t favored the team with the best chance of getting the No. 1 pick – at least until recently.

Only three times since 1990 has the team with the best chance of winning the pingpong ball lottery gotten the No. 1 pick overall. The last two times that happened were in 2003 and 2004, when the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic won the right to pick first.

The Cavaliers took LeBron James. The Magic selected Dwight Howard. Both were high school superstars.

Under the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, this is the first year high school players won’t be eligible for the June 28 draft in New York City.

Portland earned the best shot (25 percent) at winning the lottery by posting a 21-61 record, the worst mark in the league and the team’s worst since the 1972-73 season. The run included losses in 19 of its final 20 games.

Chicago has the second-best chance of winning the top pick because it owns the Knicks’ first-round draft choice. The Bulls, who gave Miami a great run in the opening round of the playoffs, acquired the choice in the preseason trade that sent center Eddy Curry and Antonio Davis to New York (23-59) for Tim Thomas, Michael Sweetney and Jermaine Jackson.

All the other teams in the lottery missed the playoffs.

Charlotte has the third-best chance of winning. It is followed by Atlanta, Toronto, Minnesota, Boston, Houston, Golden State, Seattle, Orlando, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Utah.

Despite having only a 6.3 percent chance of winning the lottery a year ago, the Milwaukee Bucks won the right to pick first in the 2005 draft. They took Utah center Andrew Bogut, who averaged 9.4 points and 7.0 rebounds as a rookie.

The winner of this year’s lottery will face a tough decision. There isn’t a James or Tim Duncan or Shaquille O’Neal-type player in the group of eligible players either coming out of college or on the international scene.

Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison, Texas center LaMarcus Aldridge, LSU forward Tyrus Thomas, Connecticut forward Rudy Gay and Bradley center Patrick O’Bryant have attracted the most interest among the underclassmen. Brandon Roy of Washington, Randy Foye of Villanova, Rodney Carney of Memphis and J.J. Redick of Duke are the most talked about seniors.