As the hottest team entering the playoffs, are Quin and the Boys poised to surprise the masses by doing something special in the playoffs?
You may remember THIS APRIL 2018 ARTICLE by Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert. In the article, Gobert discusses his development and what led him to be successful in the NBA.
But more importantly was the promise Rudy left with all who read his words:
Any team that wants a piece of us is gonna have to come to Salt Lake City and deal with all 19,911 of you.
Rudy Gobert | April 2018 Player’s Tribune
Well, here we are. The time has come for Rudy’s words to come to fruition.
The Utah Jazz has done it’s part by reaching the playoffs. Now is the time for fans to reciprocate.
Are We About to See Something SPECIAL??
The Utah Jazz have seemed to fly under the radar for most of the season. At the beginning of the year, it seemed as though the team would seriously underperform.
However, as the season progressed, the Jazz seemed to be figuring out the game without anyone really noticing. Even with a mass of injuries plaguing the team night in and night out (especially at the PG position…), the team still seems to be on an entirely different level than others.
Right now, it seems as though the first round draw for the Jazz will be the Portland Trailblazers. Portland recently lost star guard CJ McCollum to a knee injury and center Jusuf Nurkic to a disgusting broken leg.
This may seem like a lucky break (pun intended) for Utah’s chances of avoiding a first-round exit. However, if the Jazz are able to overcome an injury-plagued Portland team, who would be waiting for them in the second round?
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GSW/OKC First Round Matchup
Chances are Golden State comes out of the first round without much of an issue. If standings stay pat (which could absolutely not happen), the Warriors would match up with the Thunder in round one.
Originally, I thought this would be incredibly beneficial for the Jazz. OKC seems to match up really well with GSW, and has had some real battles with the defending champions this season.
However, Paul George seems to have at least one bum shoulder, which leaves Russell Westbrook to take the brunt of the teams shots.
Look for a whole bunch of complaining, with GSW beating OKC in six (my gut says five).
How much damage can OKC do to GSW in the first round?
If OKC looks anything like it did at the beginning of the season, look for the matchup to be a serious issue for GSW. But the REAL question still looms…
Can the Utah Jazz get to the Western Conference Finals?
It’ll take some serious high-level play and a cataclysmic GSW/OKC first round series, but I won’t say it’s not possible.
Take a look at fivethirtyeight.com’s NBA predictions below:
Right now the Utah Jazz have a 4% chance of making the Finals, which would make that slightly higher for the WCF.
In conclusion…
My heart says first round exit (tampering expectations), my head says second round exit (logical) but my gut says WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS!
… with a little help, of course.
Coach Phil(osophy)
