January 1: Warriors versus Jazz
I will admit, I am growing a little tired of talking about the Utah Jazz. Always a top regular-season team that seems to consistently flame out in the playoffs — it is getting hard to take the Jazz seriously.
Even so, it is impossible to deny how talented this squad is. And, I’d be lying if I did not acknowledge that this team is a couple of lucky breaks away from rattling off a title run.
With that being said, Utah is within a three-game range of challenging Phoneix and Golden State for the No. 1 seed. With a New Years Day matchup approaching, the Dubs should look to put some distance between themselves and the eager-to-prove something Jazz.
Utah ranks first in scoring at 115.4 points per game. The Jazz also lead in both 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage. Yes, as great as the Warriors are at run-and-gun basketball — the Jazz can arguably play just as good.
January 1 will be a bit too early for the Warriors to ride the wave of Klay Thompson returning (he is projected for a Jan. 6 debut) and some New Years’ Eve hangovers could be in effect for both teams.
Nevertheless, the stakes are high. Depending on how the next week goes, this matchup could determine a lot for the standings. Golden State will have to snuff out the Jazz one more time and truly show them the difference between contender and pretender once and for all.