Five things that need to happen for the Utah Jazz to make the playoffs

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – JANUARY 20: The Utah Jazz celebrate during the game against the LA Clippers on January 20, 2018 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)

In order for the Utah Jazz to qualify for postseason action come season’s end, it will be vital that the following five things fall into place.

Following the Utah Jazz’s impressive win over the Golden State Warriors back on January 30th, just a trio of games into their now mind-blowing 11-game winning streak, I predicted that for Utah to make the playoffs, they would need to go 20-12 from there. Doing so would put them at a record of 42-40, which I believed would be enough for the eighth seed in the West.

At the time, it seemed like a pretty tall order. A win percentage of .625 over the course of 32 games for a team that still sat well under .500 at 22-28 appeared as though it would be much easier said than done.

However, since I wrote that piece, the Jazz have gone 8-0, elevating their record all the way to 30-28 in what’s felt like the blink of an eye. With that being the case, if my original prediction of 42 wins being enough for a playoff spot holds true, then Utah now needs to go just 12-12 to close out the season in order to reach that mark.

Prediction: Utah Jazz will need to finish year 20-12 to make playoffs https://t.co/5a8E3tlHEC pic.twitter.com/7O5p6QdD4V
— The J-Notes (@TheJNotes) January 31, 2018

A perfectly balanced .500 record over 24 games following the All-Star break sounds much more manageable, especially when looking at Utah’s schedule during that stretch. In other words, while a playoff berth once seemed pretty far-fetched, it now feels like a near guarantee.

Nevertheless, there’s still plenty of work to be done for the Utah Jazz. The season is far from over and a playoff spot is far from a sure thing. If Utah is to pull off what seemed like an impossible task just a month ago and qualify for the playoffs come season’s end, the following are the five things that are going to have to happen.