Utah Jazz aren’t bad, but their playoff match-up sure is

Advanced stats have the Utah Jazz pegged as total postseason duds, but it’s ultimately the result of a bad first-round match-up.

So, it doesn’t take much effort to discern that something is rotten in the state of Denmark as relates to the Utah Jazz’s 2019 playoff run. Really, you needn’t look further than the 0-2 series hole and consecutive 20-plus point losses to the Houston Rockets. However, if you’re really a glutton for punishment, the advanced stats paint a picture particularly grim.

How grim, might you ask? Try potentially the worst team in the playoffs bad.

In terms of net rating, Utah’s mark of minus-26.5 trails only the Detroit Pistons as the worst number among playoff teams. Given the point margin, that stat should come as no surprise, but there are plenty of other equally troubling data points.

Heading into Thursday’s game, they’re the second-worst defensive team in the postseason, allowing 120 points per 100 possessions. They’ve conceded the fourth-most points in the paint at 50 per game, the third-most second-chance points (15.5 per) and have the second-worst effective field goal percentage allowed at 58.3.

Let me remind you that this is a team that many called the best defensive squad in the Association, and one that’s led by the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Rudy Gobert.

Offensively, the Jazz haven’t fared much better, ranking 14th in points scored per 100 poss. (93.5) and 14th in effective field goal percentage (43.7).

If you break everything down by the plays they’re running, there’s a lot of bad, but the Jazz have been particularly bad spotting up, converting on just 22 percent of their spot-up opportunities for just 0.61 points per possession. The reason this is a big deal is because the Jazz have been taking more spot-up jumpers than any team in the playoffs, attempting 58 such shots through two games.

Clearly, relying heavily on something while simultaneously failing hard at said thing is not a recipe for success.

All of this leads us to the following question: are the Jazz actually a bad team right now? As ugly as the series has been so far, I have to answer that one with in the negative. That said, their match-up with the Rockets is as bad as they come.

It goes without saying that Utah has no answer for James Harden, but then…who does? He’s arguably the most skilled individual offensive player we’ve seen since Michael Jordan.

However, the fact that Chris Paul and he essentially give Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni two Hall of Fame point guards who read defenses as good or better than anyone in the NBA — each of whom command the attention of all five defenders — has the Jazz D in a perpetual bind. Particularly in the screen-roll game, where the Jazz’s twin towers of Gobert and Derrick Favors can’t quite cope with switching out a lot of the time.

That’s why the Rockets are making a playoff-high 16 3-point baskets per contest. The Jazz defense has simply been playing catch-up all over the floor while Harden, CP3 and even Eric Gordon make plays.

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That perimeter potency is opening things up inside, where Gobert usually shuts things down. In this series, he can’t because he’s being pulled around to deal with Harden, or to help out teammates that are dealing with Harden.

This all leaves it to the Jazz offense to score enough points to stay in the game, which is something it’s just not equipped to do against the Rockets. As an added bonus, they’ve been missing open shots all series, which manages to twist the knife even more.

I’m not breaking all this down to bring despair to the Jazzland masses; I’m doing it to point out the fact that this series was probably always going to be a loser. The Jazz have still had an incredible season, winning 50 games in what was possibly the toughest Western Conference ever, and I dare say they would fare better against any of the other teams in their playoff bracket.

Unfortunately, it’s the Rockets that actually stand before them.

Hopefully, a switch to the friendly confines of Vivint SmartHome Arena will cleanse the palette and breathe new life into the blue, green and gold crew. But if you’re looking for a miracle comeback, you’re probably going to be looking for a long time.