NBA Playoffs 2012: 5 Teams You'll Enjoy Watching This Postseason

With roughly four weeks left in the regular season, the anticipation continues to rise for postseason NBA basketball.

Teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences continue to play musical chairs for seeds in the playoffs. The Philadelphia 76ers lost control of the Atlantic Division and fourth place in the East to the Boston Celtics in a short period of time. Meanwhile in the West, the Dallas Mavericks have taken a fall down to seventh place in the conference and fourth in the Southwest Division. 

As seeds continue to change, and with plenty of games left, it's too soon to predict where each team will land. Anything can happen during this four-week close to the season.

It's not too soon to assume there will be a great finish to the regular season, and another exciting postseason. Here are five teams that you will enjoy watching in the playoffs.

1. Memphis Grizzlies

Is it possible for this year's Memphis team to be more dangerous than last year? Better than the eighth seed team that upset the San Antonio Spurs? Better than the team that pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games? 

The answer is yes.

The Memphis Grizzlies match up well against all the elite Western Conference teams. With Marc Gasol, a healthy Zach Randolph and last season's missing piece, Rudy Gay, the Grizzlies arguably have the best frontcourt in the West. Other teams like the Lakers can match up with their big men, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, but Gay is the ace in the hole that can put Memphis over the top.

Memphis also have some quality role players such as Tony Allen, OJ Mayo, and Marreese Speights.

If it weren't for James Harden, Mayo could be the front runner for Sixth Man of the Year. After all the trade speculation for the past few years, Mayo has become a reliable scoring option off the bench.

The Philadelphia 76ers are definitely scratching their head now after dealing Marreese Speights to Memphis. When Zach Randolph went down with a torn MCL, the Grizzlies acquired Speights to fill the void in the frontcourt. Speights was a great starter in Randolph's absence, and he's been just as effective off the bench.

Memphis can go as deep as they want in the playoffs, and pose a threat to every team in the Western Conference. If you were impressed by their run last year, be sure to watch them when late April comes around.

2. Los Angeles Lakers

The San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder are frequently mentioned as the front runners to come out the West and make it to the NBA Finals. Every now and then, the Los Angeles Lakers are mentioned as a dark horse. 

Those labels should be reversed with the Lakers as the favorites.

Trading away Derek Fisher was a gift and a curse for the Lakers. Fisher's presence and leadership is obviously missed on the floor and in the locker room. With all of Andrew Bynum's shenanigans lately, it could have been cut down or addressed with Fisher sitting Bynum down. The Lakers need all the leaders possible, especially with the issues with head coach Mike Brown.

That being said, dealing Fisher and acquiring Ramon Sessions was a tremendous upgrade for the Lakers backcourt. Sessions is a quick shifty point guard who finally gives LA a pick and roll option on offense.

Despite Bynum's boneheaded moves lately, he's been healthy this season and is playing like the most improved player of the year. He's finally formed the lethal tandem with Pau Gasol that the Lakers have been waiting for for a few years now. 

Not to mention, Kobe Bryant can still play.

The Lakers have a great core of veterans who know what it takes to win a championship. If this team can gel together before the playoffs, and get rid of the costly mental meltdowns, they'll be the favorites to come out the West, as they should be.

3. Denver Nuggets

What's not to like about the Denver Nuggets? An offensive juggernaut with a young core of talent able to score 100+ points on any team always spells excitement. 

Wilson Chandler was sorely missed through the regular season. Chandler signed a contract overseas with China due to fear of the NBA lockout. Missing the first 50 games of the season, Chandler's absence was a problem for Denver.

After trading Carmelo Anthony last season, Denver has really gotten behind their new core of Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Ty Lawson, Aaron Afflalo, and the rest of the Nuggets. Denver is No. 1 in points scored with 103.5 per game. What makes Denver even scarier is their ability to share the wealth. No player on Denver's roster averages more than 15.6 points (Ty Lawson), but they still are a top-ranked offense.

Is it likely that Denver will upset one of the top seeds in the West in the playoffs? No, but they won't go down easily. Look for Denver to wreak tons of havoc in this coming postseason. 

4. Miami Heat

If there is any suggestion that the Miami Heat's current slump will carry over into the playoffs, think again. This is still the best team in basketball, and should be the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference.

The big three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh speaks for itself, but the supporting cast for Miami is as good as it's ever been.

Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem are reliable defenders for the Heat. Not only does Miami play great on-ball defense, but they fly faster on defense than just about any other team in the league. They create turnovers that lead to easy transition baskets and alley oops from Wade to LeBron that send South Beach into a frenzy.

Miami also gets quality scoring off the bench from Battier, Haslem, and rookie Norris Cole. If these three play at the top of their game, Miami will be very tough to beat.

LeBron James is again playing at an MVP level. It's very difficult to argue against 26.8 points, 8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per night.

The excuses are gone for James and Miami. This is arguably the best team LeBron has been on in his career, and they are primed to win a ring. Chicago has been their biggest competition in the East, but with all their injuries it's hard to favor them over Miami.

If Dwyane Wade can stay healthy, and the Heat play at the level they're expected, Miami should coast to the NBA Finals this year.   

5. Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers have started from a Cinderella story to a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. Indiana is sitting at the third seed in the East and have a chance to beat anybody.

Danny Granger is still one of the most underrated players in the league averaging over 18 points per game, and Roy Hibbert is playing at an All-Star level as he earned his first All Star appearance this year. But both of these players have elevated their games due to the addition of power forward David West this offseason.

West has been a physical force all season and a key contributor to the Pacers' success this season. West is averaging 12 points and just over six rebounds per game, but his presence and aggressive nature has been the key ingredient, especially on the defensive end.

Indiana has one of the deepest teams in the league, especially in the backcourt with George Hill, Darren Collison, Dahntay Jones, and Leandro Barbosa. Paul George has also been a vital piece averaging 12 points and five rebounds.

The Pacers can be a dangerous team in the postseason. They'll need to get through one of the East powerhouses like Miami or Chicago, and that won't be an easy series for either of those teams. The Pacers are talented and hungry enough to surprise some teams, and make a deep postseason splash.