Warriors Won't Have Trouble With Jazz
The Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz begin their second-round series in the 2017 NBA Playoffs Tuesday night, hoping to win the best-of-seven set and reach the conference finals. The series could feature some competitive games, but there isn’t much doubt regarding which team will advance.
Any prediction other than a series victory for the Warriors doesn’t have much logic to support it. Golden State is a significant betting favorite for good reason, and the odds suggest that Utah’s run in the playoffs might not last much longer.
Bovada.lv gives Golden State -3000 odds to win the second-round series, and they are favored by 13 points in Game 1. Utah is a +1400 underdog, but even that figure doesn’t do justice to how much of an upset it would be for the Jazz to beat the Clippers four times.
After adding Kevin Durant to a team that set the NBA record with 73 wins in the regular season, the Warriors are the odds-on favorites to win the 2017 NBA Finals. Even taking Golden State to six games might be considered an accomplishment for Utah, who is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
That’s not to say the Jazz aren’t a good team. They went 51-31 in the regular season, posting the same record as the Cleveland Cavaliers. With a bonafide All-Star in Gordon Hayward and maybe basketball’s best center in Rudy Gobert, the Jazz had an impressive first-round series win over the Los Angeles Clippers, winning Game 7 on the road.
But Utah doesn’t have what it takes to stop one of the greatest teams in league history.
Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors won't lose their NBA playoff series to the Utah Jazz. Pictured: Curry reacts with a smile after a foul is called on the Warriors in the second half of Game 4 of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon on April 24, 2017. Photo: Reuters/Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
After a 67-win season in which their best player missed nearly a quarter of the team’s games, the Warriors are playing their best basketball of the year. They were dominant in their four-game sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers, and they did so without Durant or head coach Steve Kerr for half the series.
Golden State beat Portland by double-digits three times, including two wins by 25 points or more. The Warriors scored at least 110 points in each contest, showcasing the best offense in the league. They eclipsed the 120-point mark in the two games that Durant played, and he totaled 42 points on just 27 shots.
The Warriors have won 19 of their last 20 games, and only four of those victories have come by less than 10 points.
Utah is one of the few teams that can slow Golden State down, considering they allowed fewer points per game than anyone in the regular season. The Warriors, however, actually had the better defense, surrendering fewer points per possession.
Golden State defeated Utah 106-99 in their first regular-season meeting, and the Warriors absolutely dominated the Jazz 12 days later, winning 104-74. Utah did manage to get a 105-99 win over Golden State in the second-to-last game of the year, but the Warriors had nothing to play for and Klay Thompson didn’t even suit up.
Thompson, Durant, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green all appear to be fully healthy, though Golden State will begin the series without their head coach. Kerr is still dealing with the side effects from his back surgery two years ago, and he might not return this postseason.
“I think the way we look at it is plan on him (Kerr) not coming back,” Green said, according to CSN Bay Area. “That’s the way we’re approaching this thing ... Mike Brown is our coach, we have the rest of our staff, and that’s who we’re rolling with.”
But no matter who is on the sidelines for Golden State, they shouldn’t have much trouble advancing to the next round for a matchup with either the San Antonio Spurs or Houston Rockets.
Series Prediction: Golden State in five
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