This thread can be used to discuss the basketball events happening tonight. The 2012 NBA Draft Lottery will be held in New York tonight and will be televised on ESPN at 8:00 p.m. ET, before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The 28th edition of the lottery will determine the order of selection for the first 14 picks of the 2012 NBA Draft. The lottery could have implications for the Magic this year, but I will go into that later. For those who don't know much about the lottery, here is some info on it.

According to a NBA.com report - Inside The 2012 NBA Draft Lottery

"Fourteen balls numbered 1 through 14 will be placed in a drum. There are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn out of 14. Prior to the lottery, 1,000 combinations will be assigned to the 14 lottery teams by a computer." "If the one unassigned combination is drawn, the balls are drawn to the top again."

"Four balls [the four that are drawn out of the 14] will be drawn to determine a four-digit combination. The team that has been assigned that combination will receive the first overall pick. The four balls are then put back in the drum and the process is repeated to determine the second and third selections. The order of selection for teams that do not land one of the top three picks will be determined by the inverse order of their regular season record."

The last-place Charlotte Bobcats will have 250 combinations out of 1,000; which is the most of any team. Therefore, the Charlotte Bobcats have the best chance to win the top pick. The players will be selected in the 2012 NBA Draft and it will be held on Thursday, June 28. Kentucky’s Anthony Davis will most likely be selected first, no matter who wins the lottery, but should the Magic hope that the Net's win the lottery? Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel said in one of his crazy articles that "the Magic desperately need the Nets to win the draft lottery Wednesday. If that happens, the Nets get the rights to Kentucky freshman phenom Anthony Davis, whom they could then trade to the Magic for Dwight Howard." I honestly say screw the Nets, but if by some miracle the Net's win the lottery; then it gives the Magic extra options, if Dwight definitely wants out.

NBA DRAFT LOTTERY ODDS

The Nets’ pick goes to the Trail Blazers unless it’s in the top three. The Warriors’ pick goes to the Jazz unless it’s in the top seven. The Hornets have two lottery picks (Minnesota's pick), and thus a 14.8 percent chance to land the top pick.

Game 2 Eastern Conference Finals: Boston Celtics @ Miami Heat

The Miami Heat is looking to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals tonight, while the Boston Celtics are looking to tie the series up 1-1. If you missed the game on Monday, the Miami Heat while on their home court took a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series. The final score was 93-79.

I think the majority of us would prefer the Heat to lose and the Celtics to take them out of the playoffs, but do you think the Celtics can do it? Who do you think will win tonight?

This thread can be used to discuss anything, including tonight's events. Keep in mind, the site rules for a game thread.

The upper right image and info for the chart was also via the NBA.com article, here is the report.