NBA Playoffs 2012: Ranking Teams with Best Shot at Pulling off an Upset

We're officially one game into the 2012 NBA playoffs, and while there haven't been too many surprises, that doesn't meant that upsets aren't going to happen.

Last year at this time, the No. 1-seeded San Antonio Spurs were sent packing by the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, and those are the kind of upsets that make the NBA playoffs so exciting to watch.

Could this year's first-round upset story be the reigning Dallas Mavericks knocking off the young Oklahoma City Thunder or will it be a team from the Eastern Conference like the Chicago Bulls that feels the agony of being upset early on in the playoffs?

Read on to find out which playoff teams have the best chance of pulling off a first-round upset, and which teams have absolutely no chance of upsetting anyone.  

Teams with a Zero Percent Chance of Pulling off an Upset

Philadelphia 76ers  

After a scorching hot start to the 2011-12 season the 76ers cooled off like it was going out of style, and that's why they find themselves in a first-round matchup with the Chicago Bulls.

While the 76ers showed flashes of greatness over the season, they just don't have the discipline and explosive star power they need to hang with, and ultimately pull off the upset against the Bulls.  Even without Derrick Rose, the 76ers still don't stand a chance of winning this first-round series. 

New York Knicks  

While it's nice to see the Knicks versus Heat rivalry pick up again, that doesn't mean that the Knicks are going to be able to hang with LeBron and the Heat in their first-round matchup.

The Heat won all there regular-season matchups for a reason, and that reason is that they are hands down the better of the two teams.  The Heat have more efficiency on offense and a stronger focus on defense, which ultimately will be too much for the Knicks to overcome.

If a 33-point loss leads us to believe anything, it's that the Knicks are out-matched and out-manned in every aspect of their matchup with the Heat.

Denver Nuggets  

Even before watching the Los Angeles Lakers dominate the Denver Nuggets on Sunday afternoon, it was clear that the Nuggets had absolutely no chance of pulling off an upset against the Lakers.

The main reason why the Nuggets are headed for a quick exit in the playoffs rather than an upset is because they don't understand the importance of playing defense, as they give up the second-most points per game with an average of 101.2 points.

If defense truly wins championships, there's no doubt that an NBA championship isn't in the Nuggets foreseeable future.  

Utah Jazz

Before watching the Spurs absolutely dominate the Jazz Sunday afternoon, to the tune of 106-91, I thought the Jazz were capable of hanging with the Spurs.  I couldn't have been more wrong.

The Spurs are without a doubt the most complete team in the NBA, and that's in large part due to the chemistry between Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, and the brilliant head coaching of Gregg Popovich.

The Jazz stand a zero percent chance of upsetting anyone in the 2012 playoffs, and that shows just how good the Spurs are. 

No. 4 Orlando Magic

With an impressive comeback win against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of their first-round matchup, the Orlando Magic are one step closer to a first-round upset than many thought they'd be.

Without Dwight Howard most NBA analysts thought the Magic would be a team headed for a first-round sweep at the hands of the Pacers, but the Magic apparently have different plans.

The reason why the Magic are poised to upset the Pacers is because without Howard they play like a true team.  Without D12 in the paint, the Magic have to move the ball to create open, high-percentage shots and not having that ability to rely on Howard is just what the Magic needed.

The Magic's biggest strength moving forward against the Pacers is forcing Roy Hibbert to beat them in the paint, as Hibbert is looking less and less like the All-Star he was earlier in the season.

If Glen Davis continues to step up for the Magic in Howard's absence, the Magic have a legitimate shot of pulling off a big upset and sending the Pacers home well before they intended to. 

No. 3 Dallas Mavericks

If you watched the Dallas Mavericks face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, you undoubtedly saw two things.

First you saw Kevin Durant solidify himself as one of the most clutch players in the league with his game-winner from the free-throw line.  Secondly, you saw just how dangerous the Mavericks can be this year, even though they are the seventh seed in the West.

Even though the Mavericks lost the game, there's no doubt that they dominated nearly every aspect of the game for the majority of the matchup.

The fact that the Mavericks only lost by two points in arguably the most hostile environment in the NBA, while Dirk Nowitzki only shot 44.4 percent from the field, is certainly an impressive feat to say the least.

If the way the Mavericks played against the Thunder is any indication of how they intend on playing for the length of their first-round playoff series one thing is for sure, and that is that the Mavericks are ready to make some serious noise in the Western Conference.

The Mavs are no stranger to upsets either, as they knocked off both the OKC Thunder and the Miami Heat last year on their way to the 2011 NBA title. 

No. 2 Atlanta Hawks

The Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks had one of the most competitive regular-season series, with the Celtics winning two games by a combined total of just five points, and the Hawks winning one game by just five points.

There's no doubt that this first-round matchup between the Celtics and Hawks could very well be one of the most competitive of the entire first round, as both teams match up very well with each other.

The biggest advantage the Celtics have is at the point guard position, where Rajon Rondo has the clear advantage over Jeff Teague and Jannero Pargo.  With that being said, the Hawks are going to do everything they can to keep the ball out of Rondo's playmaking hands.

The key to a Hawks upset here is relying on the athleticism of Josh Smith and the pure shooting ability of Joe Johnson, who will have to carry the offensive load night in and night out.

If Smith can manage to exploit Brandon Bass' lack of discipline on the defensive side of the ball, with his freakish athleticism, the Celtics will be forced to focus their help-side defense on Smith, which will open up the court for the rest of the Hawks team.

If Smith can play at the 18.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game level he played at all season long, there's no doubt that the Hawks can send the Celtics home earlier than they planned. 

No. 1 Los Angeles Clippers

What an impressive performance and win by the Clip-show against Memphis, as they bounced back from 27 points down, on a 26-to-1 run in the fourth quarter to get themselves back into their first-round matchup with Memphis. 

Lob City is a dangerous team, with a high level of potential even though they are the fifth-ranked team in the Western Conference.

The Memphis Grizzlies, who the Clippers face in the first round, know how dangerous the Clippers are, as the Clippers dominated the regular-season series between both teams by winning two of their three meetings by an average total of 11.5 points.

If the Clippers want to do something they've only done once since becoming the Los Angeles Clippers back in 1984, by making it out of the first round of the playoffs, they will have to dominate the boards and force the pace of the game against the Grizzlies.

While players like Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will be integral to the Clippers playoff success, making it out of the first round will come down to how well role players like Caron Butler, Randy Foye and Kenyon Martin can produce.

I expect this first-round series to go a full seven games, as both teams will be looking to prove that they are a legitimate contender in the Western Conference.

The Clipper's epic comeback performance against the Grizzlies in the first matchup of this series is exactly why they have the highest possibility of pulling off the first-round upset.