2012 NBA Playoffs: Top Contenders on Shaky Ground

Teams want to be playing their best basketball going into the NBA playoffs, but at the same time, it's also important to be healthy going into the postseason.

There are a few top contenders right now that are struggling in certain aspects of the game or have key players battling injuries. These are real causes for concern as the regular season winds down.

Let's look at three top contenders on shaky ground at the moment.

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat have lost two games in a row against quality teams, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, and have been dominated in the paint in recent weeks.

Teams know that the Heat don't have any dominating forces in the paint at either end of the floor, so if you crash the glass, you will win the rebounding battle against Miami. The Pacers out-rebounded the Heat by 15 in Monday's matchup.

Another issue for Miami is free throw shooting, because the Heat are quite inconsistent in this aspect of the game. They were 14-for-14 from the line against the Thunder, but just 24-37 against the Pacers. They must be consistent from the foul line to win in the playoffs.

The Heat also need to improve their play in the halfcourt. Their athleticism is key to their success, but the playoffs are more of a slow-it-down, halfcourt style. Miami needs to improve their offensive sets in the halfcourt prior to the playoffs.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers have lost eight of their last 14 games and are now two games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the Pacific Division lead.

Head coach Vinny Del Negro has been criticized in recent weeks and blamed for the team's struggles, which, to a degree, really isn't fair. 

One of the team's only proven playoff performers was lost for the season when veteran guard Chauncey Billups suffered an Achilles injury earlier in the year. The team also doesn't have a lot of skilled defenders.

The Clippers haven't been shooting well from the three-point line as of late, and for the season they are hitting only about 34 percent of their shots from beyond the arc.

With a young and inexperienced team, the Clippers need to mature over the next few weeks and start giving a better effort on defense.

Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are 7-7 in their last 14 games and have lost two of their last three, with defeats to the Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs.

The Mavericks aren't rebounding well, and some of that is because of the offseason departure of center Tyson Chandler.

Shawn Marion is only a small forward but he leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per game. If the Mavericks cannot improve their poor rebounding of late then they will be in huge trouble during the playoffs.

Dallas needs to get more production from their bench and rebound the ball better if they want to make another deep playoff run.

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