5 Non-Elite NBA Teams That Could Go Deep in the Playoffs

Miami, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Dallas and San Antonio will not be discussed in this article, other than to mention their past meltdowns or who could surprise them once again.

I want to talk about the teams that will knock some of these teams out of the tournament, leaving them as dazed and confused as Allen and the gang from the "Hangover."

As much as I loved seeing the No. 2 Los Angeles Lakers collapse against the No. 3-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the 2010-2011 playoffs, I don't think anyone saw that as a huge upset.  Although, getting broomed and watching Andrew Bynum melt down along with head coach Phil Jackson losing his mind with Pau Gasol was a surprise as well as priceless.

The Dallas run was a nice story, but you wouldn't be out of your mind if you thought the Mavericks had a chance to win it all in 2011.

Sorry, Lakers fans—I don't mean to pile it on. In fact, the Lakers just might find themselves on this list.

Actually, that's not true. The Lakers won't make it, but I think if they get the Pau Gasol issues out of the way and he stays, they will be in the top three or four in the West, making them a legitimate contender.  Their bench is very weak, but if they can get better play from the point, they will have enough to compete at a high level.

The Memphis Grizzlies at the No. 8 seed beating the No. 1 seed San Antonio Spurs in 2011 was a great story that proves no team is safe come playoff time.

The 1998-99 New York Knicks going all the way to the NBA Finals as the eighth seed is another example.  This is probably the better of the two, as the 98-99 season was a shortened season as well.

There may not be any David-Goliath upsets this year, but make no mistake, some of the big boys will go down.  It's just a matter of to whom, when and where.

Here we go—five teams that will shake things up during the 2012 NBA playoffs.

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New York Knicks

The Knicks have risen from the dead and are now in the playoff mix. 

The Knicks seemed to be a team on the rise after acquiring Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony last season. 

The two new stars were able to get the Knicks to the dance, but they ran into the Boston Celtics and were swept off the dance floor.

Enter Tyson Chandler, and this team will be a formidable opponent for any team in a seven-game series. 

After 23 games, this couldn't have been further from the truth—an 8-15 start, including losing 11 out of 13, had Spike Lee in a real bad mood.

The 24th game is "Lin" things started to change.  Jeremy Lin got the "what the heck, let's give him a try" call, and the Knicks have won nine of their last 11

At 17-17, the Knicks are currently the seventh seed, and once Anthony and Stoudemire get comfortable with Lin, this team will be dangerous.

Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis is currently a seven-seed.

If Zach Randolph can make it back by early March as planned, they could finish better than that. 

With Randolph being cleared to start non-contact drills, it seems very likely that he will.

Realistically, I see the Grizzlies finishing in the bottom four. 

There will be no shame in that, and teams like Oklahoma City and San Antonio should watch their backs if they get paired up with Memphis.

I'm not sure that Memphis would be on this list of spoilers if Randolph doesn't go down.  Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol have kept them afloat. 

The Grizzlies definitely won't sneak up on anyone due to last year's run, but they still may be underdogs in their very first series, which will make them spoilers once again.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics are an eight-seed and have struggled like crazy, winning one game out of their last eight.

The club has been uneven all year. 

Paul Pierce came in out of shape and hurt, they lost Rajon Rondo for multiple games and Kevin Garnett has missed three games during their current swoon.

The future doesn't seem so bright in Beantown, but I don't see any team in the East that will push the C's for at least the eighth spot.

Yeah, they're old, but the "Big Four" all on the floor together are capable of making some noise in the playoffs. 

Doc Rivers will have his work cut out for him as far as knowing when to rest guys and keeping players healthy down the stretch.

The C's still play stifling defense, and the new bench—with guys like Mickael Pietrus, Brandon Bass and Chris Wilcox contributing quality minutes—gives the team hope.

Let's not forget that this team started the season at 5-9 and has clawed its way back into contention.

Houston Rockets

Kevin McHale has done a heck of a job with this team.

The nucleus of the team was already in place with guys like Luis Scola, Kyle Lowry and the very underrated Kevin Martin.

McHale just had to bring them together, and at 20-14 and currently the sixth seed in the West, I don't think anyone in Houston is complaining.

With only 3.5 games separating the Rockets from the red-hot San Antonio Spurs, (No. 2 seed), this team could go from under the radar to legit contender.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are currently a five-seed and have won four in a row.

Like with Houston, I give the Head coach a lot of credit for the Pacers success in 2011-2012.

Again, there was already a core in place with second-year guy Paul George out of Fresno State and third year-man Roy Hibbert from Georgetown (All-Star) along with Veteran Danny Granger.  Frank Vogel has done a nice job with this group.

With Miami, Chicago, and Orlando rounding out the top three spots and this is how I see it playing out, the Pacers could see a highly improved Philadelphia team in the first round.

Teams like Miami and Chicago better not sleep on the Pacers if they make it out of the first round.