NBA Playoffs Bracket 2012: Teams That Won't Reach Postseason Expectations

The shortened NBA regular season comes to a close tonight and the playoffs won't be far behind. Even though the Miami Heat still dominate the headlines, there are several teams that are serious contenders for the title. Not every squad will reach expectations, though.

Let's take a look at three teams that will fall short of what their respective fan bases are expecting, making for a long offseason to ponder a missed opportunity.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers have been flying below the radar for most of the season, but have started to garner some attention after clinching the third seed. They were able to reach that point thanks to a combination of youth and depth, both key in a condensed campaign.

Those two factors don't carry as much weight in the playoffs, however. Teams become more reliant on a shorter rotation and that hurts the Pacers. They lack a reliable secondary scorer behind Danny Granger, who shot the lowest percentage from the field in his career.

Indiana has some nice pieces in place, there's no doubt about that. It's just going to take another year or two before the Pacers can be considered a legitimate Eastern Conference threat.

New York Knicks

It's New York, so expectations for the Knicks are always a bit overboard. But to think they have a chance to beat either the Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat in Round 1 is crazy, even for Knicks fans. Those teams have too much firepower.

While Jeremy Lin has been on the road to recovery from a knee injury, there's still no timetable for his return and it's hard to imagine him being anywhere near 100 percent if he does get back on the court. Baron Davis can't replace him, either.

Based on their roster, the Knicks really should have finished higher in the standings, which would have allowed them to avoid a nightmare matchup. Instead, they won't make it to the second round.

Los Angeles Lakers

Based on all the drama and turmoil throughout the season for the Lakers you would figure they were on the playoff fringe. In reality, they coasted into a comfortable seed in a wide-open conference and that has fans in Los Angeles dreaming about another title.

The team's lack of talent behind the big three of Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol will come back to haunt them, though. The Lakers brought in Ramon Sessions to bolster the offense, but he's been streaky and nobody else has stepped up.

Even though a lot of people are skeptical, the San Antonio Spurs are capable of running the table again and the Oklahoma City Thunder are also extremely strong. So the Lakers won't win the West.