3-6 Matchup: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Utah Jazz
How could it happen?
Oklahoma City Thunder beat Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks. Portland Trail Blazers defeat Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings. Utah Jazz lose to Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers.
I know, it feels counter-intuitive to hope the Jazz fall further down the standings. And if the Houston Rockets stay in third place, it would make matters even worse for Utah if they slipped to sixth. However, in this ideal scenario that we’re creating, there’s a way for the Jazz to not only avoid the Rockets in the first round, but stay away from both Golden State and Houston in the second round entirely as well! Sounds nice, huh?
But what would it take? Well, first off, it can only work out so conveniently if the Jazz fall into sixth. And if a few other things take place as well.
The Jazz would need to lose out their final two games against Denver and LA (we established this in prior scenarios). The Blazers would need to win out over the Lakers and Kings. The Rockets would have to lose to the Thunder. And the Thunder would have to then go on to defeat the Bucks.
That’s a lot to have happen… But if you’re up for cheering for all six of those games to end precisely as the Jazz need them to, then go for it! Keep in mind, though, if any one of the outcomes that Utah can’t control besides Houston-OKC goes the other way, the Jazz will find themselves facing the Rockets in the first round. Talk about a gamble.
But if it played out like this, it would be absolutely masterful! The Jazz would get to face a Jusuf Nurkic-less Blazers team in round one. It would still be a hard battle, but much more favorable than going up against the likes of the Rockets. From there, assuming Utah did emerge victorious, instead of taking on the reigning Western Conference finalists from a year ago, they’d get to take on the less than daunting Nuggets or Clippers in round two.
Meanwhile, Golden State and Houston (presumably) would do battle against one another in the second round, meaning that whichever triumphed would likely be battered by the other and arrive at the Western Conference Finals against a Jazz team that presumably had beaten the Blazers and Nuggets/Clippers – a much easier path than what their higher-seeded foes would have faced.
I’ll be honest with you. It’s most likely that Utah will finish with the fifth seed. Thus, for my sanity, I kind of hope Houston just wins on Tuesday meaning that Utah and Portland will be guaranteed to face off instead of Utah and Houston, even though it won’t be in as favorable of a bracket situation for the second round. But if OKC prevails, then I’m shifting my hopes to full chaos, aiming for the Jazz to fall to sixth and line up for favorable matchups in both the first and second rounds.