An Early Look at Each NBA Playoff Team's Biggest Flaw

Every team in the NBA has flaws, but the league's elite teams are able overcome their weaknesses through effective game plans that emphasize their strengths.

The lockout-shortened season rewarded organizations that had adequate depth, as the compressed season tested even the most durable players.  

In the Eastern Conference, the same eight teams have qualified for the postseason in each of the last two seasons. That is likely to change this season because the offseason saw a fair amount of player movement. 

Without Dwight Howard, the Orlando Magic will be competing for a lottery spot instead of a playoff spot. 

The Brooklyn Nets have a core that should easily lead them to a playoff berth, as the arrival of Joe Johnson and return of Brook Lopez  make them one of the conference's better offensive teams.

In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz qualified for the postseason in 2012 after missing out during the 2011 season. 

The West will be even more competitive this season, as the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors now have the talent to challenge for playoff berths. 

Chicago Bulls

Flaw: The Chicago Bulls will have a hard time scoring until Derrick Rose returns

Under the watch of Tom Thibodeau, the Chicago Bulls have consistently played the best defense in the league. 

While the Bulls allowed a league low 88.2 points per game during the 2012 season, they finished 18th in points scored, averaging 96.3 points per contest.

Against proficient defenses, like the Miami Heat, the Bulls have had a hard time scoring with consistency. Chicago struggled to score with Derrick Rose at times, so what will they look like without him at the offensive end of the court?

Kirk Hinrich will be the starting point guard until Rose is ready to return, but Hinrich isn't the same offensive player that he was five years ago. 

Loul Deng, Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah are more effective on the defensive end, and are infinitely better offensively when Rose is on the court creating open looks for them.

Chicago will play amazing defense on a nightly basis, but they will have a hard time competing with the better teams in the Eastern Conference without Rose.  

Miami Heat

Flaw: Interior Size

The Miami Heat thrived during the 2012 postseason when playing LeBron James at power forward. With his ball skills and range, James is a matchup nightmare at the position. 

While the Heat will and should continue to play James at power forward, they are taking a risk by moving Chris Bosh to center. 

At 235 pounds, Bosh is a little light to bang inside against centers for an entire season. It will be interesting to see if Bosh can avoid injuries while ensuring that the Heat aren't getting outplayed on the glass. 

Miami will be able to beat the majority of teams while playing small ball, because they will be very difficult to stop on offense and have the athletes to play elite defense, even without excellent interior defense.  

However, if the Heat do make it back to the Finals and find the Los Angeles Lakers waiting for them, then I just don't see how the Heat will be able to handle Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol inside.

LeBron is the best basketball player on the planet, but even he can't make up for the lack of size inside.  

Indiana Pacers

Flaw: They don't have a superstar

Superstars win titles in the NBA; history has shown us that much. 

If you need proof, take a look at the Indiana Pacers' second round matchup against the Miami Heat during the 2012 postseason. 

Even without Chris Bosh, the Heat were able to ride the performances of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade past the Pacers in six games. 

Danny Granger is one of the league's best wing players, but he isn't the guy that you feel comfortable giving the ball to with the game on the line. 

Roy Hibbert has the potential to be a dominant center, but until he is able to play more that 30 minutes per night, he won't be.

David West is technically sound, but he struggles against elite defenses and isn't getting any younger.

Paul George is entering his third season in the NBA, and his development will be the key to the Pacers' chance of becoming a legitimate title threat.

Indiana will finish the season in the Eastern Conference's top tier, but until they get a go-to scorer, they will struggle against good defenses in the playoffs. 

Boston Celtics

Flaw: Offensive Inefficiency and Poor Rebounding 

During the lockout shortened season, the Boston Celtics finished as the league's 24th most efficient offense. This was due to their poor performance on the offensive glass and lack of a dominant interior presence. 

The 2012 Celtics settled for too many isolation looks, as Paul Pierce used to thrive in that situation. Even though they shot a respectable 46 percent from the floor, they failed to give themselves second chances. 

Boston finished dead last in rebounding, as they pulled down an average of 38.8 boards per contest. 

Kevin Garnett will be the starting center, and while his mid-range game makes him a tough matchup, he doesn't have the strength to bang inside for the course of an entire season. 

Under the watch of Doc Rivers, the Celtics will play passionate defense while taking care of the ball.

Boston should be a better overall team this season, but don't be surprised if they struggle on the boards again.

Orlando Magic

Flaw: Just about everything

The Orlando Magic spent the majority of the 2012 season as the Eastern Conference's third best team, but Dwight Howard's herniated disc sent the team into a free fall.

In the trade that sent Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Magic received Al Harrington, Aaron Afflalo, Moe Harkless and a couple other promising players. While Orlando does have a reason to be slightly optimistic about what they acquired, it wasn't the package that they should have received for a consensus top-five player. 

After the trade was completed, the overwhelming verdict was that the Magic had received pennies on the dollar for Howard. 

After Howard was declared out for the remainder of the 2012 season, the Magic were more than ten points worse defensively.

Orlando won't be hosting any playoff games this season, but that shouldn't bother Magic fans at this point.

The worse the Magic are, the better their draft pick will be next June.

Due to the contracts of Hedo Turkoglu, Glen Davis and Jameer Nelson, the team won't have adequate cap room until the summer of 2014. 

Until then, the Magic are better off losing the majority of their games to ensure that they have a chance to draft a potentially franchise-changing talent. 

Atlanta Hawks

Flaw: They lack productive wing players

The duo of Josh Smith and Al Horford gives the Atlanta Hawks one of the league's most talented offensive front courts.

The problem is that the Hawks lack talented wing players, as they will likely start Anthony Morrow and Kyle Korver at shooting guard and small forward, respectively. 

Danny Ferry made the right decisions in trading Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams, but those moves will hurt this season's team. 

Korver has always been a lethal spot-up three-point shooter, but his defense and ability to create his own shot have been virtually nonexistent over the span of his career. 

Similar to Korver, Morrow is a lethal shooter but his performance on the defensive end leaves a lot to be desired. 

The presence of Lou Williams will make the Hawks' bench better, but their poor play on the wings could keep them out of the playoffs for the first time since 2007. 

New York Knicks

Flaw: Shooting and Turnovers

The New York Knicks shot 44.3 percent from the floor and 33.6 percent from behind the arc during the 2012 season. 

If you were take Steve Novak out of the equation, the Knicks would have been horrible from three-point range. Novak shot the second most three pointers on the team, behind trigger-happy J.R. Smith, and shot an incredible 47.2 percent from behind the arc.

If Novak sputters this season from three-point range, then the Knicks will be without an adequate three point shooter, which will compromise their offense. 

The Knicks will feature new point guards this season, as Jeremy Lin is no longer with the team. In his place, the team traded for Raymond Felton and signed Jason Kidd to back up him up. 

Mike Woodson's team will play elite defense with Tyson Chandler in the paint, but they must take care of the ball in order to further limit their opponent's production. 

The Knicks finished 27th in the league in turnovers, as they turned it over 16 times per game. Lin turned it over 3.6 times per game, which was by far the team high. 

With Lin out of the equation, the Knicks should turn the ball over less this season as Felton is less turnover-prone. 

The Knicks will win a lot of games with their defense in combination with scoring from their stars.

If the Knicks take care of the ball and make open shots, they will be a tough out on a nightly basis.  

Philadelphia 76ers

Flaw: The offense will struggle to score at times. 

The Philadelphia 76ers team that will take the court on opening night will look much different than the one that ended the 2012 season .

While the acquisitions of Andrew Bynum, Jason Richardson and Nick Young make the offense better on paper, it remains to be seen if they will be better during game action.

Bynum has struggled with the double team throughout his career, and the 76ers don't have any great shooters from behind the arc to take pressure off of him. 

Richardson and Young are both capable of catching fire, but aren't likely to be lethal from long range on a nightly basis. Sure, there will be nights when Bynum is dominating inside and the outside shots are falling, but there will also be nights in which Philadelphia struggles in the half court offense.  

Without shooters to stretch the floor, opponents will be able to double team Bynum consistently, which will cause the big man to turn it over at a high rate. 

The Atlantic division will feature three great defenses, as the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors could all finish among the top ten, so their offense will have to be efficient in order to compete for the division. 

The 76ers are far from a lock to return to the playoffs, but they have the potential to become a very good team if their young pieces fit together well.

San Antonio Spurs

Flaw: Low Post Scoring and Interior Scoring

The San Antonio Spurs looked unbeatable toward the end of the 2012 season before the more athletic Oklahoma City Thunder overcame them in the Western Conference Finals.

Tim Duncan is still a capable defender and rebounder—even if he only play slightly more than 30 minutes per game—but he isn't much of a threat inside anymore.  

Without a strong presence inside, the Spurs should have a harder time scoring than they did. San Antonio executes their offense perfectly on most nights, which creates open looks for their bevy of capable shooters. 

The Spurs' consistency is enough to get them by the vast majority of teams, but won't be enough when they face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers. 

The Thunder are younger and more athletic than the Spurs, as each team's respective "big threes" represent. 

The Lakers have more top-end talent, which will give them a hearty advantage if they are able to gel. 

The Spurs are an excellent team, but their aging trio of stars won't be able to overcome the more explosive teams in the West.  

Oklahoma City Thunder

Flaw: Turnovers

The Oklahoma City Thunder turned the ball over more often than any other team, as they coughed it up 16.3 times per contest. 

While Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are two of the most explosive offensive players in the NBA, they both turn the ball over too much. 

During the lockout-shortened season, Durant turned it over 3.8 times per game and Westbrook lost it 3.6 times. 

The turnovers are a problem, but the talented duo more than make up for their mistakes. As they continue to mature, their turnover numbers will begin to decline.  

Since the Thunder don't have a strong offensive presence in the post, they are forced to drive the ball more often, which often leads to turnovers. 

If Westbrook or Durant can find a way to take care of the ball a little better without sacrificing production, then the Thunder offense will be virtually unstoppable.

Los Angeles Lakers

Flaw: Age and Lack of Experience as a Team

The Los Angeles Lakers front office reloads better than any other franchise in American sports. Just when it appeared that the Lakers' title window was closed, GM Mitch Kupchak traded for Steve Nash and Dwight Howard while keeping Pau Gasol.

The Lakers' starting lineup will feature five all-stars, with four of them still playing at an extremely high level.

While the Lakers are great on paper, an injury could ruin what appears to be a promising season. 

Dwight Howard is close to returning from back surgery, but there is always a chance that the injury could flare up again in the future. 

Steve Nash is 38 years old, and he could break down during any season from here on out. 

Kobe Bryant is entering his 17th season and has never played with a point guard like Nash before. 

Gasol struggled toward the latter end of the 2012 season because he had a difficult time finding his niche on the court, and was too passive at times. 

For the Lakers to win a title this season, a lot of things would have to go right. Unfortunately for L.A., they won't play more than two or three seasons with this core, as either Bryant or Nash will probably retire by then. 

Denver Nuggets

Flaw: Lack of a go-to guy late in the fourth quarter

The Denver Nuggets roster is stacked with talent, but they lack a closer. 

The Nuggets acquired one of the league's premier wing defenders in Andre Iguodala, but he has never been an offensive force. 

Over the span of his eight season career, Iguodala has only converted on 33.1 percent of his three pointers.

Ty Lawson is top ten point guard and is comfortable pushing the ball up and down the floor. Power forward Kenneth Faried and center JaVale McGee showed a lot of promise during the second half of the 2012 season. Strong performances from the two of them could propel the Nuggets into the conference's top tier.   

Denver has compiled a roster full of number two options, which could come back to haunt them in the postseason. 

Superstars win titles, and at this point, the Nuggets don't have one. 

It would take an excellent team performance for the Nuggets to win a playoff series against the legitimate contenders in the West. 

Los Angeles Clippers

Flaw: Coaching and Free Throw Shooting

The Los Angeles Clippers gave up a lot to bring Chris Paul to L.A., but he has been worth every penny thus far. 

The problem is that at times, Paul appears to be a more capable coach than Vinnie Del Negro.

Del Negro is yet to prove that he is an adequate coach, as he was fired by the Chicago Bulls prior to getting hired by the Clippers. 

The Clips also shot the league's second-lowest percentage from the free throw line during the 2012 season, as both Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are awful from the charity stripe. 

The front court of Griffin and Jordan is among the league's most athletic, but both of their games could use some refinement. 

The Clippers' inability to hit free throws hurt them as they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round. 

Paul is eligible to become a free agent next summer, so this might be the team's last season with the NBA's best point guard. 

If Del Negro is able to get more out of Griffin and Jordan offensively and at the line, then the Clips have the potential to make a lot of noise in the playoffs. 

Memphis Grizzlies

Flaw: The bench is shaky. 

O.J. Mayo was the Memphis Grizzlies most explosive scorer off the bench, but he is now a member of the Dallas Mavericks. 

In Mayo's place, the Grizzlies brought in Jerryd Bayless and drafted Tony Wroten.

Marreese Speights will be the team's sixth man, and his jumpshot and offensive rebounding will provide a spark when he is in the game. Speights has struggled defensively throughout his career, and he could be dominated by the league's better power forwards. 

The Grizzlies bench will prove to be a liability as the season progresses, which will force head coach Lionel Hollins to overplay his starters in order to stay competitive in a deep Western Conference.  

Considering that Zach Rudolph and Rudy Gay have suffered with injuries over the past two seasons, it could be dangerous to overwork either player. 

Memphis has a well-rounded starting lineup, but is it good enough to make up for a subpar bench?

We will know the answer to that question closer to the trading deadline, as Wroten and Josh Selby will get a chance to bolster the bench  

Dallas Mavericks

Flaw: Team Cohesion 

The Dallas Mavericks surprised everyone when they won the 2011 NBA title. They took a major step back in 2012 as they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

The offseason saw the departures of Jason Terry, Jason Kidd and Brendan Haywood, but those players needed to move on to make room for new faces.

In free agency, the Mavs signed Elton Brand, Chris Kaman and O.J. Mayo as they quickly rebuilt for a short term run. 

The new infusion of talent should make the team better in the long term, but there will be growing pains as the team improves. 

Dirk Nowitzki is still a star, but he is starting to flicker, so Dallas cannot afford to go into a rebuilding mode. 

There are too many great teams in the Western Conference for the Mavs to make a deep run, but this season's team has a chance to be better than the 2012 edition. 

The question is, how long will it take the Mavs to become a unified unit that can play with the league's elite? 

Utah Jazz

Flaw: The backcourt

The Utah Jazz employ one of the league's best frontcourts with Al Jefferson and Paul Milsap, but their guards leave a lot to be desired. 

Maurice Williams is going to start at point guard, while Alec Burk will likely start at shooting guard over Randy Foye.

The Jazz need their young backcourt to play above their heads in order to compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.  

While their frontcourt is excellent, it would be even better if the Jazz could shoot better from behind the arc. Until opponents have to respect Utah's long range shooting, the frontcourt will continue to draw double teams inside.

The Jazz will need breakout campaigns from Derrick Favors and Gordon Haywood in order to make the playoffs this season.