The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz: Previewing each potential first-round playoff matchup

By Jared Woodcox

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 15: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz talks to the media on the court after the game against the Phoenix Suns on March 15, 2018 at vivint.SmartHome 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)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 15: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz talks to the media on the court after the game against the Phoenix Suns on March 15, 2018 at vivint.SmartHome 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) /
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ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 13: Paul George #13 and Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder react during game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 13, 2018 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 13: Paul George #13 and Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder react during game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 13, 2018 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Oklahoma City Thunder

Although the Oklahoma City Thunder have been the definition of Jekyll and Hyde this season and their defense hasn’t been nearly as staunch since Andre Roberson went down for the season, I’m not going to lie, they’re still one of the last teams I’d like to see Utah face in the first round. I’m fully aware that we’ve been saying all season that this team will eventually figure it out, yet they still really haven’t, but still, Playoff Paul George is a different animal and Russell Westbrook is consistently a big problem for the Jazz.

That’s been evidenced by OKC’s 3-1 regular season series win over the Jazz as Utah has largely struggled against the Thunder. Yes, each of those losses came during Utah’s horrific month of December, so the results should possibly be taken with a bit of a grain of salt, but this is still an extremely talented team that I don’t want to see Utah face.

Outside of George and Westbrook, Steven Adams is often the forgotten man, but he’s certainly capable of challenging Rudy Gobert on both ends of the floor and has played well against the Jazz in the past, too. Carmelo Anthony doesn’t scare me as much as those three, but he could very well elevate his game in the playoffs as well.

It feels like this Thunder team has largely slept their way through the regular season, and while they certainly need to get their act together if they want to finish with a favorable position in the Western Conference standings, I have a feeling that the playoffs will motivate them to take their game to a whole different level.

And because of that, quite frankly, aside from Golden State and Houston, this is the last team that I want to see the Jazz face in the first round. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if such ended up being the case. The Thunder are in fourth right now, but will likely be hard-pressed to catch the third place Portland Trail Blazers. Meanwhile, the Jazz have a good shot of passing the beleaguered Pelicans and Wolves, but may struggle to catch the Thunder, especially without possessing the tiebreaker.

Therefore, there’s a good chance that this could end up being the 4-5 matchup, and unfortunately, I don’t feel confident that it would end in Utah’s favor if such were the case.

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