Owner Real Deal Posted April 27, 2021 Owner Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 Simple question: are the Jazz really a threat to win it all? They are currently 1st in the conference and have the best record in the NBA at 44-16. They have the 4th best offense (behind Donovan Mitchell) and the 2nd best defense (behind Rudy Gobert) in the league. Can Utah clash with the Lakers, Suns and Clippers, and come out on top? Can they beat Jokic and the Nuggets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Built Ford Tough Posted May 23, 2021 Report Share Posted May 23, 2021 Funnily enough I had Utah as my dark horse title contender last season and they obviously didn't meet those expectations of mine for a variety of factors like Conley taking until this year to really look comfortable, Jamaal Murray going supernova in the playoffs, Bogdanovic getting injured and, in my opinion, a general lack of chemistry. Plus, I also found them to be too one dimensional on offense at times last season. This season they don't have any of those problems. Conley was obviously great and I think they play much better as a unit, which is evident by them being so good on both offense and defense. They've looked phenomenal this season and assuming Mitchell's ankle isn't a lingering issue I definitely think they are legitimate contenders. They have a diverse offensive attack that features a variety of threats, a go to scorer down the stretch and a defense that can shut down any team on any given night. Do I think they are going to win it all? No, I probably wouldn't bet on them if I had to bet on a single team but I do believe they are right in the mix with a handful of other teams that can win it all this season. They honestly remind me a lot of the Raptors team that won the 2019 championship. A suffocating defense, a variety of threats on offense, a solid 8 man rotation and a chip on their shoulder from past playoff failures. Obviously they don't have that X Factor in Kawhi where he can single handedly take over an entire series on his own if need be as we saw him do against the Sixers during the Raptors run, but I do think that they have everything else that made that Raptors team special. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted May 23, 2021 Author Owner Report Share Posted May 23, 2021 He's not Kawhi by any means, but I do think Mitchell has the ability to take over a series. He and Murray pretty much did that last year, when they went to war. I just don't know if he has it in him after recovering from his injury. But yes, I think they could give most teams a run for their money, but I'm not so sure about the Lakers or Nets. Anthony Davis would keep Gobert busy, and would open the flood gates for LeBron...and the Nets would cause them issues simply because of their big three (they are going to cause everyone issues). I will say that Utah needs to take Memphis seriously, though. The Grizzlies will fight for a win. Utah will have to keep Jonas off the offensive glass, and watch for Morant shooting long range (he may feel pretty good about it after the game against Curry and the Warriors). Might be a fun series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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