Biggest Fails of 2013 NBA Postseason

The 2013 NBA playoffs have already delivered a boatload of exciting plays, inspiring stars and amazing games.

We've also witnessed some less-than-praiseworthy moments.

Some players left their skills in the regular season. Others forgot all about sportsmanship. And others flopped shamelessly.

Coaches and officials didn't escape our all-fail list, either. Their episodes of poor judgement were just as ugly.

Who tops our rankings? Find out as we run down the best of the worst.

16. LeBron's Late Turnovers Cost Miami

If it was an elimination game and the Miami Heat had choked, LeBron James' pair of turnovers would be much higher on this list.

In reality, it was a couple of giveaways in the final minute of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals that hindered Miami's chances to win the game.

Had he not forced those bad passes, the Heat would have had a great opportunity to take a 2-0 series lead and put the Indiana Pacers in a tight spot heading back to Indiana.

If Frank Vogel's club finds a way to win this showdown in seven games, then the turnovers will become magnified, as Miami fans will view Game 2 as a crucial failure.

15. Scott Brooks' Hack-a-Asik Strategy

In Game 5 of the Oklahoma City Thunder's first-round series against the Houston Rockets, Scott Brooks decided to intentionally foul Omer Asik to try to slow down Houston and climb back into the game.

It proved to be a counterproductive decision, as Asik (56 percent free-throw shooter in regular season) shot pretty darn well from the line in Game 5. Dan Feldman of ProBasketballTalk.com notes that Houston was extremely efficient offensively during Brooks' hack-a-Asik experiment:

"

Asik shot better than expected, going 8-of-12 from the line when intentionally fouled.

So, that’s eight points in seven possessions – an offensive rating of 114.3. Reminder: The Heat led the NBA this regulars season with an offensive rating of 110.3 and the Spurs are leading the league this postseason with an offensive rating of 111.0.

"

Brooks' strategy failed to harness the Rockets' scoring, and it failed to give OKC a chance to win that contest.

He's a great coach, but this wasn't a good move.

14. Zach Randolph's West Finals Game 1 Performance

Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph played sensationally through the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Then he whiffed in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, as he couldn't adjust to the San Antonio Spurs' mix of double-teams. Even when he did get decent opportunities, he couldn't get a bucket.

In 28 minutes of play, he scored two points on 1-of-8 shooting.

Memphis couldn't afford to have such a critical player fall so short, and it lost 105-83.

13. Brooklyn Nets Lose to Injury-Ravaged Chicago Bulls

With Derrick Rose already out, and Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng sidelined, the Chicago Bulls were severely undermanned entering Game 7 of their opening-round series with the Brooklyn Nets

Meanwhile, the Nets were at home, and they were about as close to full strength as you can be.

P.J. Carlesimo's club didn't get the job done, despite being the more healthy and talented team. Joe Johnson scored just six points, and Chicago simply outworked Brooklyn and executed better.

Give credit to Joakim Noah (24 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks) and the Bulls for a remarkable effort. However, the game left a sour taste for Nets fans, and P.J. was soon relieved of any future coaching duties.

12. Brandon Jennings Talks the Talk, Doesn't Walk the Walk

After boldly declaring that his Milwaukee Bucks would bounce the Miami Heat from the playoffs in six games, Brandon Jennings didn't exactly back up his words on the court.

He played decently in Game 1, but the rest of the series was a letdown, and the four-game sweep was an embarrassing one for Jennings.

His stat line: 13.3 points per game, 4.0 assists per game, .298 field-goal shooting and .214 three-point shooting.

I'm sure he'll think twice before making any guarantees next time.

11. Blake Griffin Didn't Bring His A-Game...or B, or C

Throughout the regular season, Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin was praised for his development as a power forward.

In the playoffs, he was an inconsistent scorer, a mediocre defender and a poor rebounder (5.5 per game). Zach Randolph owned him, showing him a more effective combination of power and skill.

Griffin's ankle injury served as a depressing exclamation point on his woeful series.

He might be an improved scorer, but Griffin still has much to learn when it comes to pick-and-roll defense, positional rebounding and decision making.

10. Birdman Gives Cheap Shot to Wrong Guy

Miami Heat forward Chris "Birdman" Andersen got into some extra-curricular nonsense in Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers, and his ire was aimed at the wrong player.

If you watch closely at 0:16, Paul George gives Andersen a bump and grabs the rebound. When Andersen turns around, George is already downcourt and the nearest player to him is the notoriously-physical Tyler Hansbrough.

That's when Andersen assumed it was Hansbrough who bumped him, so he sends "Psycho T" floor-bound and then shoves him later for good measure.

Meanwhile, Hansbrough is wondering: "What did I do to deserve this?"

The whole thing was simply an unnecessary display of misdirected aggression.

9. Dwight Howard Gets Tossed in Season-Ending Game

The Los Angeles Lakers' 2012-13 season featured countless setbacks and frustrating moments. Dwight Howard punctuated the campaign with a couple of needless technical fouls resulting in ejection in the third quarter.

Down 0-3 in the series and in the process of losing Game 4, Howard let the physical play get the best of him.

It's one thing to get an early technical, but you absolutely cannot pick up a second when you're essential to the squad's survival.

Howard's ejection was an ugly way to end an ugly season in Tinseltown.

8. Nazr Mohammed Loses His Mind for a Minute

Also in the category of "poor judgement calls" was Nazr Mohammed's hard foul and subsequent shove of LeBron James.

The Chicago Bulls center gave James a hard foul across the arms 40 feet away from the hoop, seemingly trying to prevent an easy basket (even though there were other Bulls defenders in the foreground).

Then, after LeBron shed himself of Mohammed, Mohammed got up and shoved James to the ground, earning an ejection.

Shenanigans after the whistle reigned during this series, so this foul-and-shove sequence was just one of several heated confrontations.

7. Kendrick Perkins' Anemic Production

You could point to Kendrick Perkins' playoff averages of 2.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 26 percent shooting to illustrate how bad he was in the postseason.

But Tom Ley of Deadspin.com puts his play into a more historically accurate and ugly perspective. Perkins' player efficiency rating was unprecedented:

"

Perkins played in all 11 of the Thunder's playoff games, averaging 19 minutes per game. In those 11 games, Perkins actually finished with a negative player efficiency rating. His -0.7 mark is the worst PER to have ever been posted in the playoffs by a player who saw 200 minutes or more of floor time. That level uselessness is astoundingly hard to achieve. Jason Collins, whose primary skill was his ability to foul people, has the second-worst PER on that list with 1.8. Nobody has ever gone into negative territory before Perk.

"

No one expected gigantic offensive production or pristine efficiency from Perkins, but the Oklahoma City Thunder needed a whole lot more from him if they wanted to advance past the Memphis Grizzlies.

6. Vinny Del Negro Squanders 2-0 Lead and Loses Job

After leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a franchise-record 56 wins and the club's first Pacific Division title, Vinny Del Negro found a way to get dismissed.

His squad won the first two games of its first-round matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies, and then the wheels fell off. Lob City lost each of the next four games by double digits, and Del Negro swiftly lost all the credit he built during the successful regular season.

"

Lousy coaching job by VDN. Playoffs are "adjust or die" and he's not adjusting. No hidden wrinkles, no lineup tweaks, no surprises, nothing.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) May 1, 2013"

Vinny might not be an awful coach, but it's clear that he's not a great strategist or championship-caliber manager. He was schooled by Lionel Hollins, and consequently the Clippers didn't renew his contract.

5. J.R. Smith's Abysmal Postseason

It was a postseason to forget for New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith.

The 2012-13 Sixth Man of the Year enjoyed a terrific regular season as Carmelo Anthony's right-hand man, but his playoff performance was anything but enjoyable for Knicks fans.

He shot 33 percent from the floor and 27 percent from distance. His elbow of Jason Terry drew a suspension and derailed himself and the team. He participated in the Knicks' tasteless funeral-garb stunt. His late-night social life served as a distraction (partying can wait until after the playoffs).

Not exactly a winning recipe.

Is he a good scorer off the bench? Yes. Is he a suitable second option to Carmelo Anthony and a championship-type leader? No.

4. Referees Call Phantom Fouls

Refereeing NBA games isn't easy at all, especially during physical matchups and flopping sequences that are misleading.

However, we can't let the officials off the hook this spring.

On numerous occasions this postseason, referees have called fouls involving little or no contact and have often made the calls from 30-40 feet away from the play.

SB Nation's BBall Breakdown examined Game 3 of the Bulls-Heat series and found a host of inconsistent officiating. It exposes calls that should have been no-calls, blocks that should have been charges, charges that should have been blocks, and much more.

In an attempt to "keep the game under control," referees have often gone too far and whistled too frequently.

3. NY Knicks' Ill-Advised Funeral Attire

Prior to Game 5 of their first-round series against the Boston Celtics, several New York Knicks players wore all black to the arena, symbolizing a funeral for the Celtics as they tried to clinch the series.

The move backfired on them. The Knicks lost the game 92-86 and failed to realize that a funeral-themed wardrobe against a Boston team was insensitive to the lives lost and people injured in bombings two weeks prior.

Kenyon Martin was the mastermind of this out-of-bounds stunt, and a bunch of his fellow veteran teammates joined him in the act.

Not a smart move. Not a tasteful move. Not a veteran move.

2. The League's Soft Stance on Flopping

Flopping is a problem in the NBA, and this past offseason, the league took measures to fine and discourage it.

It's nice that it tried to do something, but it's not enough, especially in the playoffs. Fining players $5,000 for a first-time offense or $10,000 for a second time is hardly enough to change the flopping culture, especially when playoff games are on the line.

Stars will do anything it takes to win, and a few bucks isn't going to matter to them or their coaches. If they can mislead the referees and gain a possession or advantage, then it's worth it.

"

LeBron makes $17.545 mil. Being fined $5,000 is 0.02849 percent of his salary. That's equivalent of one making $50,000 being fined $14.25.

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) May 30, 2013"

The NBA needs to adopt a harsher stance. Whether it's two-shot technical fouls after video review, suspensions or exponential fine increases, something must be done.

1. Too. Much. Flopping.

Selling a call can be a smart basketball move. 

Overly exaggerating or flopping, however, is not basketball, and turns the game into a fraudulent product. It robs fans of true toughness and authentic gamesmanship.

In addition to the hilarious LeBron James-David West double-flop featured here, there have been a handful of other Oscar-worthy performances throughout the playoffs:

In a beautiful synchronized flop, Derek Fisher launched himself backward even though Kevin Martin took the brunt of Omer Asik's contact.

Meanwhile, Tony Allen grabbed his head writhing in pain even though video clearly showed that his head didn't hit the floor.

Dwyane Wade joined the flop fest, taking a convenient dive.

Last, but not least, Lance Stephenson and Jeff Pendergraph did their best to draw whistles.

Let's hope we don't see this nonsense in the 2014 playoffs.

Follow Dan on Twitter for more hoops talk: @DanielO_BR