2017 NBA Playoffs Preview: Utah Jazz don't pose threat to Golden State Warriors

The Utah Jazz advanced to the conference semi-finals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs Sunday after finishing off the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 7 of their first-round series. The Jazz will now face the mighty Golden State Warriors in the second round, a match-up that should favour Stephen Curry's team, according to analysts covering the league.

Besides owning a 2-1 regular-season series advantage over the Jazz, the Warriors have benefitted from a week of additional rest after making quick work of the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. The Jazz, on the other hand, will have less than 48 hours to recover from a taxing 7-game series against the Clippers. Also, the Warriors will field a fully healthy squad with Kevin Durant (strained calf), Shaun Livingston (finger) and Matt Barnes (foot) recovering from their respective injuries. After missing Games 2 and 3, Durant played just 20 minutes during the 128-103 Game 4 victory over the Blazers last Monday. Livingston, meanwhile, hasn't played a game since spraining a finger on his right hand during the Game 1 victory.

According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index (BPI), the Warriors enter the series with a 93 percent chance to advance to the conference finals. Stephen Curry & Co. are trying to make their third consecutive NBA Finals appearance after capturing the championship in 2015 and nearly repeating a year later. If they can get past Utah, the Warriors would face either the Houston Rockets or San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals.

Warriors vs Jazz: A clash of contrasting styles

The Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz play contrasting styles of basketball. While the Warriors prefer to play at an accelerated pace with hopes of making a flurry of three-pointers in transition, the Jazz like to grind it out and prioritise defence over offense. During the regular-season, the Jazz attempted less than 80 field goals per game, the only team in the NBA to do so. They were ranked Top-3 in defensive efficiency and finished No. 1 in points allowed per game (96.8) and No. 2 in Opp. field goal percentage (.443). Both the Warriors and Jazz are elite teams on the defensive end but the former holds all the cards on offense.

On Sunday, the Jazz won their first postseason series since 2009. While the presence of veterans Joe Johnson, Boris Diaw and George Hill has helped the young star duo of Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert, the team lacks playoff experience and the juggernaut, i.e. the Golden State Warriors could prove too hot to handle in the second round. After finishing off the Clippers, an emotional Hayward said that his team is just getting started. "We've been through some pretty hard downs. It definitely feels really good to go from 25 wins to where we were this year making the playoffs, winning a series," the young all-star said, via ESPN.

The 2017 NBA Playoffs will continue Monday as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors begin their Eastern Conference semi-finals with Game 1 at the Quicken Loans Arena. The San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets will also begin their Western Conference semi-finals series. The Warriors and Jazz will lock horns starting Tuesday with Game 1 at the Oracle Arena.