Their chances looked a little bleak not too long ago, but the Golden State Warriors prevailed against the Houston Rockets, keeping their season alive. While the Warriors advancing past the first round isn't too surprising, let it not be forgotten that the Utah Jazz helped get them there.
It sounds ridiculous because the Jazz didn't trade any of their players to the Warriors (though they had those Lauri Markkanen trade discussions last offseason), and yet the Jazz did two favors for the Warriors at the deadline.
1. They helped orchestrate the Jimmy Butler trade
Before the Butler trade, the Warriors were grasping at straws. Following a promising start, their season was in a tailspin. Getting Butler was a last-minute trade deadline miracle to save their season, and Butler proved them right to take that chance.
And the Jazz helped complete that deal. They weren't the biggest piece of the puzzle, but being willing to take KJ Martin, Josh Richardson, and two second-round picks in the blockbuster deal helped complete the trade. This whole situation started to unfold primarily because of Butler's turbulent exit from South Beach, but the Jazz were among the moving parts that got him to the Bay Area.
The Warriors were in serious danger of missing the playoffs when they got Butler, and now they're going to the second round. Whether or not they'll go any further is another subject, but they wouldn't be where they are without Butler.
In a time where teams are being as conservative as possible about how they spend their money, the Warriors are lucky the Jazz were willing to take back contracts to make that happen because that isn't so easy under the league's CBA restrictions.
Plus, there's another key element that not many remember.
2. They bailed them out of the Dennis Schroder disaster
Schroder really helped Detroit in their short-lived playoff series, which thankfully overshadows how dreadfully bad he was as a Warrior. The bench guard is a boom-or-bust player where if he fits, he's a massive difference maker on a playoff contender, but if he doesn't, he will look terrible and hurt his team in the process.
This season encapsulated the Schroder experience. He was playing some of the best basketball of his career in Brooklyn, then flopped so badly in Golden State that they basically salary-dumped him. Then, he proved how impactful he still was in Motown.
The Jazz basically helped the Warriors hit two birds with one stone at the trade deadline. Maybe the Warriors won't win the title this year, but because of Utah, Golden State can sleep well at night knowing their season wasn't a failure.