The Utah Jazz ended the 2020-21 regular season with the best record in the entire NBA. Despite achieving this in the always competitive Western Conference, they came up short in the playoffs, getting knocked out in the second round by the Los Angeles Clippers.
Utah hasn’t had a Finals appearance since 1998 and is one of the 11 NBA franchises that have yet to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy. So what will it take for this year’s Jazzmen to bring the state of Utah its first championship? That’s what we’re here to dig into.
The Utah Jazz must repeat their regular-season success
For the Utah Jazz to be able to win their first NBA championship, they’ll need to ensure that they have the easiest road to the Finals possible. That means getting the top seed in the Western Conference for a second straight season is a must.
The “play-in” is in effect for another season, giving the top-seeded teams an added advantage. Whatever team the top-seed Jazz play would have to win two high-intensity games just to make the playoffs.
This proved to be a factor last season when the Memphis Grizzlies had to win a nail-biter against the San Antonio Spurs and follow it with an overtime win over the Golden State Warriors. While Memphis was able to ride some momentum into Game 1 against Utah, the Grizzlies proved worn down and outmatched as the Jazz won four games in a row.
Not to mention that securing the top seed would also likely mean that they wouldn’t run into other contending teams like the Los Angeles Lakers or Phoenix Suns until later in the playoffs.