NBA playoff watch: Is Thunder-Celtics a Finals preview? - ESPN

The NBA schedule ramps up with 12 games on Wednesday, including a potential Finals preview in Boston as the past two NBA champions face off.

The West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET), who are currently clinging to second place in the Eastern Conference. ESPN's BPI gives Oklahoma City a 65% chance of reaching the Finals, while Boston has a 14.8% chance, fourth in the Eastern Conference, behind the Detroit Pistons (25.9%), Cleveland Cavaliers (25.3%) and New York Knicks (24.5%). Fresh off their win against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Pistons play host to the red-hot Atlanta Hawks (7 p.m. ET, ESPN), who've won 13 of their past 14 games to move up to sixth in the East.

There are three other games on Wednesday's schedule between two projected postseason teams. The Miami Heat, currently ninth in the East, visit the fourth-place Cleveland Cavaliers (7:30 p.m. ET), with Miami trailing Atlanta by two games for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot. The Houston Rockets visit the Minnesota Timberwolves (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), in a game that could go a long way toward determining seeding in the West. Minnesota is tied with the Denver Nuggets for fourth place, with both teams a half-game ahead of the sixth-place Rockets. In the night's final game, the Toronto Raptors visit the LA Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET), with Toronto holding just a half-game lead on Atlanta for fifth in the East.

For those paying more attention to the opposite end of the standings, there's a key matchup for draft positioning with the Washington Wizards taking on the Utah Jazz (9 p.m. ET). Washington has lost 16 consecutive games and is one loss away from matching the Indiana Pacers for the worst record in the league. The