NBA Playoffs 2012: LA Clippers and Contenders Nobody Is Talking About

The second-day NBA playoffs tip off in a few short hours, and fans have already witnessed championship favorites such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls in action.

It feels like beyond those teams, no one is giving much of a shot to some of the other talented and deep teams that made it into the postseason.

Let’s take a look at some of these under-the-radar contenders.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs tied with Chicago for the best record in the league this season, but it seems they are being doubted for being too old to actually have a chance at contending.

It’s just wild considering that these same detractors were knocking this club in the offseason, saying that they would not be able to contend in a compacted schedule and wear-and-tear would catch up with them.

They have the easiest first-round matchup against the Jazz and it will be no problem for them to advance and continue making noise.

Denver Nuggets

Denver started the season as the hottest team and finished with a respectable record while being first in points (104.1) and assists (24.0) per game.

They are playing a fading Lakers team that will struggle to keep up with their run-and-gun style and youthful legs.

Obviously, it won’t be easy to contain Kobe Bryant during the playoffs, but the Nuggets might just pull the upset.

Indiana Pacers

Indiana is one of the deepest teams in the league. They are also one of the biggest – a large reason why they grabbed 43.9 boards per game.

It’s no question that they are going to cruise past a Dwight Howard-less Orlando Magic team and make it into the second round.

They will give the Miami Heat or New York Knicks all they can handle and it wouldn’t be that shocking to see the Pacers in the Conference Finals.

Los Angeles Clippers

Chris Paul almost single-handedly beat the Lakers in the first-round of the playoffs with a terrible supporting cast in New Orleans. Now he has Blake Griffin, Caron Butler, DeAndre Jordan and a host of underrated talent surrounding him in LA.

While they are inexperienced in postseason basketball, the Clips have heart and a burning desire to win.

The excitement of actually being in the postseason for once (with the playoff-starved fans cheering them on) may actually trump veteran savvy from being there on the regular.

If they win the first-round series against a hardened Grizzlies team, they could make a run in the West.