NBA Playoffs 2017: 5 things we learned from the Warriors sweep of the Jazz
The Golden State Warriors completed a four-game sweep of the Utah Jazz in the NBA Playoffs. Let’s look at five things we learned from this series.
The Golden State Warriors are still perfect in the postseason, winning their first eight games and doing it in a dominant fashion. The two opponents that the Warriors faced in the first two rounds were vastly different. Portland was an offensive-minded team, that featured a young, dynamic duo that could go shot for shot with the Warriors’ backcourt duo. Utah on the other hand was a slower, defensive-oriented team, who wanted to grind out games.
It didn’t matter to the Warriors, who destroyed both teams on their path to the Western Conference Finals, where they await the winner of the Rockets-Spurs’ series. The four games between the Warriors and the Jazz weren’t even particularly close and watching the games, it never felt like Golden State was in danger.
The Dubs won each game in a different manner and that’s exactly what’s so impressive about their team. Although they feature a Big-4, on any given night, any of the superstars has an ability to take over the ball game and bring it home for the Warriors.
In Game 1, it was a full-team effort to defeat the Jazz. Kevin Durant and Draymond Green each dropped 17 points, while Stephen Curry led the way with 22 of his own. In Game 2, Green had his way, dropping 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. The following game in Utah, Kevin Durant stole the thunder by dropping 38 points on 15-for-26 shooting. In the closeout game on Monday night, Stephen Curry did the damage, scoring 14 of his 30 points in the first quarter. The true testament to a juggernaut in the NBA is that they can win in multiple ways and that’s exactly what the Warriors have been able to do so far in the playoffs.
On the other hand, Utah came limping into this Western Conference Semifinals’ series. They had beaten a Los Angeles Clippers team in seven games, while missing their star, Rudy Gobert, for most of it. Obviously, they didn’t have the firepower that Golden State does, but many thought they could stay close in these games due to their slow pace and aggression on defense.
Gordon Hayward was spectacular this series, after a poor showing in Game 1. Hayward averaged 29 points, 4.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game in the final three games of this series. Some of the keys before the series was that the Jazz needed solid contributions from their role players in order to have a chance in this series. Outside of Hayward and Rudy Gobert, the Jazz simply didn’t show up to play this series. Joe Johnson, Rodney Hood and Shelvin Mack were all no-shows this series, while Joe Ingles and Derrick Favors were ineffective offensively.
The Warriors took care of business in four games, just as most expected. Their real season doesn’t start until the NBA Finals in June. In the other locker room, the Jazz have a promising future ahead, with a talented head coach and a young roster. Let’s take a look at five things we learned from the Warriors’ sweep of the Jazz.
5. The Jazz will be a top-3 team in the Western Conference next year
I know the Jazz fans are still probably upset from getting swept by the Warriors, but there’s a bright side to it. Utah has a young, talented roster, led by a fantastic head coach in Quin Snyder and thus they should be a top-3 team in the Western Conference next year. Obviously, this is all contingent on Gordon Hayward re-signing with the Jazz.
Although it was a four-game sweep and looked particularly ugly for the Jazz, they gained invaluable postseason experience and matured through their first playoffs’ run in the last few years. People tend to forget that before being swept by the Warriors, the Jazz won their first-round series against a talented Clippers’ squad. They won a Game 7 on the road in Los Angeles to get to this point.
There’s absolutely no reason that the Jazz shouldn’t have more success than they did this year. Utah has some key free agents, such as Gordon Hayward, George Hill and Joe Ingles, that they need to try and keep. But if they can bring back the same core group of players, the expectations going into next year will be sky-high.
The Jazz finished 2016-17 with a record of 51-31, only four games back of the No. 3 seed Houston Rockets. The Spurs and Clippers have lots of questions to address in the offseason and will likely take a step back. If Utah can add some supplementary pieces and re-sign their stars, they could be in a position to leapfrog those teams.
An underrated component to Utah’s success has been head coach Quin Snyder. The Jazz have been used to having stability at the coaching position, with Jerry Sloan for a number of years. Snyder has brought back the Jazz to relevancy and continues to develop a young roster into a strong contender in the Western Conference.
If Utah’s front office can go ahead and do their job over the summer, there’s no doubt that the Jazz will come back a top-3 team in the West next year. Jazz fans, make sure you take note, your team’s on the rise.