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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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MARCH 11: Kevin Durant #35 and Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors stand side by side during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 11, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MARCH 11: Kevin Durant #35 and Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors stand side by side during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 11, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Golden State Warriors

If the playoffs were to start today, the Jazz would be matched up against none other than the Golden State Warriors. Obviously, that isn’t exactly ideal, and all season the talk has been that teams will want to avoid the seventh and eighth seeds so they won’t be swept in the first round by either Houston or Golden State.

However, Golden State hasn’t looked quite as daunting of late due to a barrage of injuries. Steph Curry (right ankle sprain), Klay Thompson (broken right thumb) and Kevin Durant (sore ribs) were all listed as out for Friday’s contest against the Sacramento Kings while Draymond Green has been dealing with a shoulder issue.

Some of these injuries are more severe than others and the Warriors are certainly being cautious knowing that arriving to the postseason healthy is far more important than regular season wins or even earning the top overall seed. But that doesn’t change the fact that Golden State is looking somewhat vulnerable, especially compared to what they were presumed to be at the start of the season.

If those woes continue, and the Jazz can somehow match their last effort against the Warriors where they won by an astounding 30 points in the playoffs, this could end up being a mind-blowing upset in favor of Utah. Of course the Jazz still have two more regular season contests against Golden State, one at the end of March and one in the second to last regular season game on April 10 which could be telling about how Utah can fare against the Warriors.

Nevertheless, as nice as it is to dream about the Warriors folding due to injury or Utah being able to stifle them with their excellent defense, let’s be honest, the chances of the Jazz advancing past the first round if starting against Golden State is slim to none. Yes, I know Utah has played extremely well and I stand by what I said about the Warriors looking somewhat vulnerable at the moment, but I have a feeling that they’ll flip a switch in a major way the second the postseason hits.

We’re talking about a team with four All-Stars and two recent MVPs that went 16-1 in the playoffs last year en route to a championship. They’re more than likely going to get healthy in time and even if they’re not quite 100 percent, it’s unreasonable to expect the Jazz to be able to keep up with that much talent.

I’d love to see a Jazz upset as much as anyone and if Utah makes me eat crow on saying this, I will do so happily. But I think we all know deep down that if the Jazz are tasked with facing off against the Warriors in the first round this season, it will more than likely result in a first-round exit, despite the monumental improvements they’ve made in the latter part of the season.

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