Utah Jazz: Three reasons for optimism, three reasons for panic after Game 1

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – APRIL 15: Ricky Rubio #3 of the Utah Jazz shoots the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game One of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 15, 2018 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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 Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

Panic – Jazz three-point percentage still led to loss

Although the Utah Jazz appeared out of sync on offense for much of the contest, surprisingly enough they did shoot the three-ball extremely well, finishing with a percentage of 39.3 percent (11-of-28). Sure, it wasn’t nearly as good as OKC’s 48.3 percent, but it was still a good mark.

So why is that a reason for panic? The Jazz shooting so well from three should be encouraging, right? Well, yes and no.

Of course it’s always good to shoot the ball well, but the fact that Utah did convert from deep and still lost is certainly an area of concern, especially since it was widely predicted that if Utah won the three-point battle they’d likely win the series.

It was an extreme rarity this year for Utah to shoot the ball that well from deep and still lose. In the regular season, when Utah shot 39 percent or better, they went 26-5. Of those five losses, only one came following the turn of the calendar year. In other words, when Utah shot better than 39 percent, especially after undergoing their impressive turnaround in mid-January, they won almost every time.

Utah Jazz at OKC Thunder: George’s big night proves too much for Jazz in Game 1 https://t.co/ZYk0Dtpk7a pic.twitter.com/sj1Jhx6dPH
— The J-Notes (@TheJNotes) April 16, 2018

So what was the deal this time? Essentially the Jazz shot the three-ball well enough to win the game, but their defense wasn’t nearly potent enough to halt the Thunder. And that’s a scary thought. If the Jazz were unable to come out on top when the deep balls were falling, what will that mean on a potential cold shooting night? I don’t even want to think about it.

The good news is, as I said in the previous point, the Thunder (particularly Paul George) really shot out of their minds Sunday night and it would be almost hard to fathom it happening quite in that fashion again. Sure, Utah’s lackluster D largely enabled the three-point shooting barrage, but I expect as they make adjustments there, they’ll be in fine shape.

Ideally, if Utah can continue to shoot 39 percent from deep or better, it should lead to multiple wins in the series, but of course their defense will have to improve dramatically along with that continued shooting for such to be the case – which segues perfectly into my next point.