NBA Playoff Predictions: LA Clippers & 5 Teams That Will Disappoint in Playoffs

Time sure flies, doesn't it?  In this shortened lockout season, it seems the NBA playoffs are right around the corner, even though we are about a third of the way there.  

Some teams have made statements that they are here to stay, while others are  trying to get their feet under them.  After some evaluation of the current playoff picture, here are five teams that may have a difficult time making things happen this May.  

Los Angeles Clippers

The loss of Chauncey Billups for the season to a torn Achilles hurts the Clips on many levels.   They still have Chris Paul and Mo Williams as great options at the point, and Billups saw his points per game and minutes decline this season.  But his best attribute was his leadership and big-game experience, and that will be difficult to replace.  

Now Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will have to grab the reigns and guide this young, talented team into the playoffs.  "Lob City" has been one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The Clippers currently are the No. 2 seed in the West, but they will need to rebound quickly from the loss of Billups.  

The Clippers have enough talent to continue their winning ways. But when the playoffs come around, the most underrated characteristics are experience and leadership,  two traits the Clippers lack.  

New York Knicks

The Knicks have apparently struck gold with newcomers Jeremy Lin and Iman Shumpert, and Tyson Chandler is doing a lot of  what he did for the Mavericks during their championship run.

 The pieces seem to be in place, but there is one issue that is holding them back: poor defense.  

Mike D'Antoni's calling card always has been fast-paced scoring with little work done on the other end of the floor, and that is still the case in New York.  They are giving up 95 points per game and scoring 95 per game, which sounds good on paper, but won't fly against the elite defenses in the Eastern Conference.  

Expect an early playoff exit if D'Antoni can't get his defense tuned up by the time May comes around.  

Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe is having a great season as usual, but something doesn't feel right about the Lakers.  They are playing good defense and Andrew Bynum has emerged as a star, but they too much resemble Mike Brown's Cavalier teams with LeBron James.  

Kobe is taking most of the shots, whether he is hot or cold (much like Cavs' James), and scoring bunches of points because of it.  Aside from him and Bynum, though, there is not much hope.  Pau Gasol is looking older and averaging a career low in points per game with 16.4.  

The rest of the Lakers lineup is somewhat laughable. Unless someone steps up and contributes,  don't expect a deep playoff run from this team.

Dallas Mavericks

I don't think the Mavericks will perform poorly in the playoffs, they just won't live up to the expectations of a defending champion team.  Their core is looking older by the day, and Dirk Nowitzki, Lamar Odom and Jason Kidd are still feeling the effects of a lockout season.  

The key to the Mavericks' successes in the playoffs will be how well their bench performs.  They have one of the best benches in the game, and the offense moves to the rhythm created by Jason Terry, Ian Mahinmi and the other members of the bench brigade.  

With so many offseason moves, it is hard to tell if these are the Mavs of old or the Mavs of new. Come playoff time, we will see.  

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs are leading the Southwest Division as of Wednesday with an 18-9 record.  Sound familiar?  Last season's squad won 61 games and earned the West's top seed, only to be defeated by the Grizzlies in the first round.  

San Antonio still has the main core that gives them great chemistry, but their age is definitely beginning to show.  Tony Parker is playing his best basketball in the last few years, but Tim Duncan is facing career lows in minutes and points.  

Unless Manu Ginobili comes back at full strength and better than ever, expect another early playoff exit for the Spurs.