Utah Jazz: Four questions that will define Jazz-Rockets series

As a challenging series against the Houston Rockets quickly approaches, these four crucial questions will loom large for the underdog Utah Jazz.

After a long wait, the day is finally here. The Utah Jazz open up Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets at 7:30 PM MT. This isn’t the matchup any Jazz fan was hoping for or wanted, but it apparently was the one the basketball gods wished for as the final two days of the NBA regular season were nothing but pure chaos to produce this result.

There’s no questioning that the Rockets present a tough matchup for Utah. With a near-impossible cover in James Harden, a savvy veteran point guard in Chris Paul who can play outside of Houston’s mold by draining deadly mid-range jumpers, a solid big in the middle in Clint Capela who can devastate in the pick-and-roll, and a supporting cast made up of the likes of Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker who can wreak havoc at any given moment, this Houston squad will have Utah’s hands full.

Even so, while the Jazz are far from the favorites in this bout, they absolutely shouldn’t be counted out. If there’s anything they’ve taught us the past two seasons, especially the past two postseasons, it’s that they’re a resilient and hard-nosed group that doesn’t go down without a fight. They’ll assuredly come into this series prepared and with a well-crafted game plan, courtesy of Quin Snyder, that if executed well could very well lead to victory.

With that said, there’s certainly a lot up in the air about whether Utah can truly hold their own against Houston or not. They’ll have to play nearly flawless basketball to come away victorious. And with that being the case, these four questions perhaps loom largest of all in deciding whether or not Utah can win their third straight first-round series.