Why the LA Clippers Are Destined for Playoff Disappointment

The Los Angeles Clippers will not win the 2012 NBA title. 

Why?

Well, the short answer is because they're the Clippers. They've never won anything in their franchise's history. The team has never even reached the conference finals, let alone played on the biggest stage for the biggest prize in basketball.

While this year's version of the squad has some un-Clipper-like qualities—proven winners like Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, Kenyon Martin—the fact remains that the Clips are facing an uphill battle against history in their efforts to succeed.

Going beyond the anecdotal lore, the biggest obstacle holding the team back is its coach, Vinny Del Negro. Del Negro has yet to win a playoff round despite coaching a team that had the best record in the NBA and the league's MVP the season after he was canned.

Just a few short weeks ago it seemed like things were coming to a head and Del Negro was about to be shown the door in L.A., but miserly owner Donald Sterling's unwillingness to hire a new coach when he already has one on the payroll and a timely five-game homestand—which the Clippers swept—kept Del Negro at the helm.

The postseason is where Del Negro's true colors will show. And while the leadership of MVP candidate Chris Paul envelops the team, it might not be enough to ward off the fallacies of their coach.

Another concern for the Clippers is their potential first-round matchups.

If the Clips stay in their current No. 4 seed, they will likely face the Memphis Grizzlies in Round 1. That's a matchup every team in the West would like to avoid.

The Grizzlies are young and supremely talented and are just rounding into shape getting back some key core pieces that missed games due to injury.

Any team outside of the Lakers would struggle against Memphis' front line of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, and the Clippers are no exception. Plus, Tony Allen may be the only player in the league capable of corralling Chris Paul.

The only meeting this season in which Randolph participated was won handily by Memphis.

If the Clippers are able to jump the Lakers into the third position out West, they would be slated to meet the Denver Nuggets in the opening round.

While the Nuggets are certainly beatable, they have the athleticism to run with the Clippers and the depth to wear L.A. out. Denver's altitude is always a tough venue for road teams to succeed in, and though the Clips would have home-court advantage, the Nuggets beat the Clippers by 21 points in L.A. earlier this season.

The Nuggets have added JaVale McGee and Wilson Chandler to an already talented roster, and Danilo Gallinari is just getting back in shape after a prolonged layoff due to injury.

While the Clippers have won two of the three meetings between the teams this season, the Nuggets have outscored the Clips by nine points overall. Their fourth and final meeting will take place tonight in Denver.