Utah Jazz: Poor first-round draw spoiled what could have been fun postseason

Any chances of the Utah Jazz producing a fun and memorable 2019 postseason went out the window when they got matched up against the Houston Rockets.

What I’m about to tell you won’t come as any surprise to Utah Jazz fans. But after watching the first few games of the second round of the NBA Playoffs, the harsh reality became clearer than ever. Namely, the Utah Jazz could have had themselves an entertaining postseason. Instead, by finishing in fifth place for the third straight season and this time drawing their toughest foe yet in the Houston Rockets, they were quickly bounced leaving little else but disappointment to ensue for the Utah faithful.

In neither of the previous two seasons were the Jazz expected to contend for a championship, so the mere fact of making the playoffs was an absolute delight. Not only that, but many had the Jazz pegged as a first-round exit in both the series against the LA Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder. Instead, Utah pulled off the upset in both matchups which resulted in a an advancement to the second round.

That thrill of winning a series and exceeding expectations made both the 2017 and 2018 postseasons feel extremely fun and entertaining. Even though the next round went exactly as projected both times – a lopsided loss to the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets, respectively – just making it that far and getting to watch Jazz basketball into the month of May was riveting. And that’s a big reason why this year has felt like such a letdown.

That’s even more the case when considering that the seeding really wasn’t indicative of who the best teams in the West truly were. As exciting as Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers and Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are, in watching that Game 1 in comparison to the Game 1 between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, it was quite evident who the two best teams are, even if Houston’s seed reads 4 and the Nuggets/Blazers read 2 and 3.

As the hottest team in the NBA since the All-Star break, there’s practically no denying that the Houston Rockets at peak condition are the second best team in the West and probably the second best team in the entire league. But rather than being able to hold off facing them until the conference semis, the Jazz instead had the misfortune of drawing them in the first round. That obviously led to a quick dismissal in the first round and no chance to exceed expectations this time around.

Now, I completely recognize that the West is a slaughterhouse and the Jazz very well could have lost in the first round to just about any team. There were absolutely no slouches to be found among seeds 1 through 8. Nevertheless, had they drawn literally any team besides the Warriors or Rockets, they would have most certainly had an opportunity to compete in the first round and likely advance to exceed expectations yet again.

And after watching the bout between Denver and Portland on Monday night, if Utah had been fortunate enough to avoid Golden State or Houston for another round as the Nuggets and Blazers have, I believe it’s quite realistic to say that the Jazz could have even outdone the previous two years by winning yet another series and advancing to the Western Conference Finals.

Again, that’s far from a guarantee. Considering Utah’s inconsistent nature this whole season, it’s entirely plausible that they would have fallen flat against the likes of Portland, Denver or whoever else they might have faced in this hypothetical situation. But on the flip side, it can’t be denied that the opportunity to succeed would have been there in much more prevalent fashion. Such could have never been said regarding Utah’s first-round draw against Houston.

Part of this unfortunate outcome was just bad luck for the Jazz. The Rockets only finished with the record they did because of the injuries they suffered early in the season that led to a slow start. Not only that, but there were several outcomes that looked nearly certain in the final two days of the regular season that would have permitted Utah to avoid Houston, but each of them flipped late in the contest producing the least favorable result for the Jazz.

But then again, the Jazz also have themselves to blame for the poor circumstances. They likewise got off to a putrid start to the 2018-19 season, but unlike the Rockets, they didn’t really have injuries to blame in the early going. Sure, the schedule was challenging, but there were still several inexcusable losses before the turn of the calendar year that would ultimately come back to haunt the Jazz.

Had Utah better taken care of business ever so slightly, they may have very well moved up in the standings and avoided a date with the Rockets in the first round once all was said and done. Such a result would have led to an exciting postseason for Jazz fans, even if ultimately it did little more than delay the inevitable elimination for another round or two.

But instead, the 2019 Playoffs went down as far less than memorable for the Utah faithful, especially compared with the brilliant moments that the past two years gave us. This time they ended in disappointing fashion and gave little of the exhilaration and optimism that the past two seasons provided.

Now the Jazz are forced to look towards the offseason where it’s clear that significant upgrades will have to take place if they are to return to their successful and enjoyable postseason ways. And ideally, make it further than even the second round which has been their ceiling for 19 of the past 20 seasons.