NBA Playoffs 2012: Teams Destined to Play Postseason Spoiler

The NBA playoffs are set to begin in a matter of weeks and there will be some intriguing matchups to get the 2012 postseason underway.

It’s doubtful that all of the top seeds make it throughout the entire playoffs without seeing their backs up against the wall, so there are bound to be an upset or two along the way.

We saw it last season when the No. 8-seeded Memphis Grizzlies shocked the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs and nearly pulled off an upset of the Oklahoma City Thunder in a thrilling seven-game series.

Who will be this year’s Memphis Grizzlies?

There are several candidates that can take the lesser-traveled road from lower-seeded team to lengthy playoff run. Let’s take a look at a few possible Cinderellas.

New York Knicks

The Knicks will face a tough first-round opponent in either the Miami Heat or Chicago Bulls, but are talented enough to pull off a first-round upset and turn it into a lengthy playoff run.

Carmelo Anthony is playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 32.1 PPG in the month of April, and the Knicks are set to get Amar’e Stoudemire back very soon.

If their bench, most notably Steve Novak and J.R. Smith, can continue to knock down shots, this Knicks team is very dangerous. Either the Heat or the Bulls won’t be catching a break by drawing the Knicks in the first round.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies won’t be sneaking up on anyone this season, but they are plenty capable of having similar postseason results to that of a season ago.

Memphis can play the defense necessary to compete with any team in the NBA and this season they have Rudy Gay to lean on in the clutch.

They could draw one of the Los Angeles teams in the first round, which both are beatable, and from that point on, anything can happen.

Boston Celtics

They will open up as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference and aren’t the deepest team in the world, but they play great defense and with Rajon Rondo playing as well as any point guard in the NBA, the Celtics have a chance to beat any team in the NBA in any series.

Boston has the leadership with the Big Three and may just be capable of one lengthier playoff run.

Dallas Mavericks

It’s been an up-and-down, roller-coaster-ride of a season for the Mavericks and while Dallas hasn’t played their best basketball of the season, they still have a superstar like Dirk Nowitzki to lean on and a veteran team that knows what it takes to win.

If I were one of the top seeds in the Western Conference, there are plenty of other teams I would rather see in the first round then the defending champs.

Indiana Pacers

This is looking more towards the later rounds, as the Pacers will be the No. 3 seed in the East, but for some reason Indiana isn’t talked about as a legitimate contender.

They had a nice showing in last season’s playoffs and can give either Chicago or Miami a run for their money in a second-round series or later. During the regular season, the Pacers have gone 1-1 against both the Bulls and the Heat.