NBA Playoffs 2012 Predictions: LeBron James and Stars Who Will Disappoint

LeBron James is one of several star players who will disappoint in the NBA playoffs this season and fail to lead their teams to championship glory.

There are many teams facing massive expectations this postseason, such as the Miami Heat, and if their goals aren't reached, there could be big changes to their rosters in the summer.

Let's look at three star players certain to disappoint in the playoffs.

Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers

Blake Griffin excels in the open court and is nearly unstoppable on the fast break because of his athleticism. But in the playoffs, where the style of play is more half-court based, the Clippers star will struggle.

Griffin's low-post game isn't developed yet, and he won't be able to dominate opposing forwards on his strength alone. His one-on-one defense on the low block also isn't that great.

The pressure of the playoffs may also affect Griffin since he and the Clippers are expected to make a deep run. However, Clippers fans can't expect that their team will automatically make a deep run this postseason because Griffin and several other of their best players have little or no playoff experience.

LeBon James, Miami Heat

LeBron James doesn't have the "clutch gene" that players like Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen have.

He doesn't live up to his talent on the biggest stage of the playoffs which, is the NBA Finals. Don't give me fancy stats from websites such as 82games.com, because the only method needed to determine whether James is clutch or not is the eye test.

Against the Dallas Mavericks last season in the NBA Finals, James was dreadful in the fourth quarters of games and failed to make an impact when the outcome was hanging in the balance.

With Miami up 2-1 in the Finals last year and the chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead, James responded with an eight-point performance.

Champions want to be in the spotlight, and they demand the ball in those pressure-packed moments. But too often, James disappears in these situations, and it's hard to tell he's even on the court.

James is a good player, but he doesn't have the ability to lead the Heat to a championship as the main guy. 

Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks were foolish to give Joe Johnson a max contract in the summer of 2010, because he's been one of the most overrated players of the last decade. 

He's a talented offensive player, but he's not a superstar. His defense is just average, and he won't give you many rebounds or assists either.

Johnson averaged 18.8 points and just under four rebounds and assists per game this season, which is awful for someone making the money that he is.

His career playoff scoring average is just 16.9 points per game, which is below his career regular season average. And since he came to the Hawks for the 2007-08 season, Atlanta has never advanced past the second round of the playoffs, and they might not get out of the first round against the Boston Celtics this year.

Don't expect Johnson to be raise his game in the playoffs and lead the Hawks on a deep run.

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