NBA Playoffs 2012: 5 Teams Poised for a Postseason Collapse
Anything can happen during the NBA playoffs, including an array of postseason disappointments.
While the playoff bracket is anything but set in stone, there are a few inevitable realities to be aware of heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
Postseason basketball is a time for hope, upsets and Cinderella stories.
But it's also a time for disconcerting collapses.
Atlanta Hawks
1 of 5The Hawks have won seven of their last 10, but only two of those victories came against playoff-bound teams, one of which was a Dwight Howard-less Magic squad.
Though Atlanta's first-round opponent has yet to be determined, the Hawks are a combined 8-13 against the seven other current Eastern Conference playoff seeds and own the season series edge over only Orlando.
With Howard out of the mix, the Hawks are unlikely to see the Magic in the first round. Consequently, they're going to have their work cut out for them.
The Hawks have four games remaining, all against playoff teams. There's a strong possibility they could finish that stretch 0-4 and head into the playoffs riding a wave of negativity.
Atlanta has one of the best defenses in the league, and Joe Johnson and Josh Smith have kept the team relevant all season, but it just won't be enough for any excitement after the regular season.
Dallas Mavericks
2 of 5The Mavericks have proven extremely inconsistent in their quest to defend their NBA title.
Dallas currently has a hold of the Western Conference's sixth seed and trail the fifth-seeded Grizzlies by 2.5 games with just four contests to go.
As it stands, the Mavericks are staring down the barrel of a first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, against whom they have gone winless in four tries.
Dirk Nowitzki and company are 5-5 in their last 10 and have posted a shaky 13-18 record on the road this season. For a team that's unlikely to obtain home-court advantage for even one round, that's an unfortunate reality.
Dallas is older, slower and much shorter on talent than it was last season. The Mavs continue to struggle when shooting the ball and have yet to prove they can beat elite teams on a daily basis, let alone a seven-game series.
The Mavericks can take solace in knowing they will get an opportunity to defend their title, but the brutal reality is that they are poised to fall way short of a repeat.
Orlando Magic
3 of 5The mighty have officially fallen in Orlando.
Dwight Howard is not expected to be healthy in time for the postseason, and in most circles, that spells doom for the Magic.
The Magic are struggling without their man in the middle, slipping to the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race. There's certainly a possibility that they fall even further in the standings.
Should the Magic continue to lose, they could find themselves facing the Heat in the first round of the playoffs, which would be much earlier than originally anticipated.
Though Orlando is 2-2 against Miami this season, both victories came on the back of Howard, who was able to exploit the Heat's lack of an inside presence and open up the floor for his teammates.
This time around, especially if it's right out the gate, there will be no Howard.
However, even if the Magic avoid the Heat, the road to any kind of postseason success is wrought with insurmountable obstacles.
Unless they establish a prolific identity without Howard in its last five games—much like the Lakers have done without Kobe Bryant and the Bulls without Derrick Rose—the Magic are poised for an early-playoff exit.
Again.
Oklahoma City Thunder
4 of 5The Thunder are poised to struggle in the postseason.
No, ignorance is not the driving force behind such a notion. Reality is.
All season long, Oklahoma City has failed to exhibit a killer extinct on a consistent basis. They have dominated the best in the league, but have fallen hard to the best in the league as well.
Even more disconcerting is their inability to put inferior squads away. It has cost them victories against the likes of the Cavaliers, Wizards and Kings, among others.
And after having a strong hold on the Western Conference's top seed for most of the season, the Thunder find themselves a half game back of the Spurs, a team they have failed to emulate.
Oklahoma City has won games, but they lead the league in turnovers and feature an unstable dynamic in Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
The Thunder have played .500 ball over their last 10, and have hardly resembled the powerhouse we have made them out to be.
Oklahoma City is laden with talent, and have the potential to make a championship push. Depending on which version of the team shows up for the playoffs, though, the Thunder also have the potential to suffer a monstrous collapse.
Boston Celtics
5 of 5The Celtics remain one of the hottest teams in the NBA, having posted a 22-9 record since the All-Star break.
That said, don't expect Paul Pierce and company to have another title run in them.
Despite their dominant displays since late February, the Celtics are beginning to show signs of age once again. Not only did they allow the Knicks to nail 19 treys, but they were barely able to hang on against a reeling Magic team.
Factor in an unsettling loss to the Raptors and a near-loss to the struggling Sixers, and you have a team without a clear-cut direction.
Yes, the Celtics have overthrown the Heat twice this month, but there's still much doubt regarding Boston's ability to hang with a Heat, Bulls or even a Knicks-type team for an entire series.
Despite Pierce's perpetual scoring, Kevin Garnett's irrefutable two-way impact and Rajon Rondo's elite facilitating abilities, this team is a house of cards in terms of age, health and consistency.
The first half of the season may be in the rear-view mirror, but it's far from forgotten. And after exerting so much energy to win the Atlantic Division, the stage is set for a Celtics collapse.
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