The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz: Four reasons to feel encouraged about Utah’s chances against Houston

By Jared Woodcox

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - FEBRUARY 2: on February 2, 2019 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - FEBRUARY 2: on February 2, 2019 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – FEBRUARY 2: Nene Hilario #42 of the Houston Rockets plays defense against against the Utah Jazz on February 2, 2019 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – FEBRUARY 2: Nene Hilario #42 of the Houston Rockets plays defense against against the Utah Jazz on February 2, 2019 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Utah Jazz landed a less than favorable matchup in the first round of the playoffs as they’ll face the Houston Rockets. But things are different from a year ago.

I, like most Utah Jazz fans, found myself cursing the basketball gods on Wednesday night. All the Jazz needed for a more favorable first-round matchup was for the Sacramento Kings to beat the Portland Trail Blazers’ scrubs or for the Minnesota Timberwolves to beat out the Denver Nuggets. Both were in prime positions to do so – Sacramento led by as many as 28 and Minnesota owned a double-figure lead late in the fourth – but ultimately it wasn’t to be so.

Instead, the Blazers moved up to third place in the West and the Houston Rockets dropped to fourth where they will battle the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. Not only are the Rockets a tough matchup for the Jazz regardless of seeding, but the fact that they finished in fourth place has more to do with the injuries and other issues that got them off to a slow start than it has to do with their true talent level.

If you look at how they’ve played to close out the season, it’s hard to argue against them being the second best team in the NBA, behind only the Golden State Warriors. It’s atypical that a fifth-seeded team such as the Jazz would have to take on such an elite squad in the first round, yet here we are.

In other words, while Utah’s past two first-round wins against the LA Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder were impressive, this Rockets team is significantly better than both those teams were. For all those reasons, it would have been much more preferable if the Jazz had drawn the Blazers in the first round instead. But such won’t be the case so it deserves no further conversation.

My initial reaction upon realizing Utah was going to be facing the Rockets was similar to that of most of Jazz Nation. It was one of despair, frustration and an assumption that Utah had little to no chance of prevailing. After some time to think things over further, that could still be absolutely the case. However, I also believe there are some significant reasons that Jazz fans should feel more encouraged than I originally presumed.

I’m by no means projecting that Utah’s going to shock the world and win the series, but I’m also not NOT projecting that. My J-Notes colleague Josh Padmore recently touched on why Jazz fans shouldn’t be afraid of the Rockets, and I’m here to expand on some of what he started. Here are four reasons why this series could be more competitive and positive for Utah than Jazz fans may have originally presumed.

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