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The Utah Jazz’s playoff opponent will be decided Friday and if you’re a Jazz fan, it’s time to — for one day only — put all of your energy into being a fan of the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Golden State Warriors and Grizzlies will play Friday night at 7 p.m. MDT on ESPN for the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference. The loser of that game is eliminated and the winner will take on the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs.
You might be thinking to yourself that when the Jazz faced the Warriors at full strength early in the 2020-21 season the Jazz won pretty easily to the tune of 127-108. You might also be thinking that the Warriors will be tired for Sunday’s Game 1 at Vivint Arena after playing on Wednesday and Friday. All of those things are factually accurate, but given the choice, you don’t want to face the Warriors in the playoffs.
First of all, an early season win over the Warriors is not the same as a playoff game and Stephen Curry has been incredible lately. Through the last 21 games of the regular season Curry averaged 26.5 points, shooting 49.5% from the field and an outrageous 44.3% from 3-point range on 15.1 3-point attempts per game. And that was the regular season. Playoff Curry is something entirely different.
Also, tired after playing every other day is what every team in the league has been doing all season and when the postseason comes around these guys find another gear.
The Jazz are a very good defensive team, but the Los Angeles Lakers, who have the best defense in the league, hounded and pressured Curry all night on Wednesday during the seventh-eighth seed play-in game and Curry still went off for 37 points.
The Jazz would absolutely have a chance to beat the Warriors in a seven-game series, but life would certainly be easier against the Grizzlies.
In the three regular season games against the Grizzlies, the Jazz didn’t need to be at full strength and didn’t even need to play their best to win every game. They even beat the Grizzlies the day after they all thought they might die on a flight that lost an engine and had to make an emergency landing, and in that game they didn’t have Donovan Mitchell.
The Grizzlies are an inexperienced young team and while they have a lot of talent and fight and heart, they would absolutely be the more favorable matchup for the Jazz.
Now, I say all of that knowing very well that the Warriors will probably beat the Grizzlies Friday and that the Warriors are most likely going to end up the Jazz first-round opponent. But, it wouldn’t hurt anything for Jazz fans to pour all their fan energy and vibes into hoping for the turnout that would make an easier path for the Jazz.
New with the Jazz
Stat of the week
The four players in the NBA with the highest total plus-minus for the 2020-21 season were all Utah Jazz players. Rudy Gobert led the league in total plus-minus with +758 followed by Mike Conley, Joe Ingles and Royce O’Neale.
This week on Unsalvageable
On Friday, “Unsalvageable: A Utah Jazz Podcast” launched and currently has three episodes available for your listening pleasure. Hosted by Deseret News Utah Jazz beat reporter Sarah Todd and lifelong Jazz fan Greg Foster (no, not that Greg Foster), the podcast dives into all topics Utah Jazz and NBA. In Episode 1, the Unsalvageable crew debate the pros and cons of the play-in tournament, in Episode 2, Sarah and Greg give their choices for NBA end-of-year awards and in the most recent episode they take a trip down memory lane to relive the best Jazz moments of the 2020-21 season.
New episodes come out every Wednesday with bonus episodes to come often and after every playoff game. You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast and anywhere else you stream podcasts.
From the archives
This week in Jazz history
On May 29, 1997, John Stockton nailed a 3-pointer as time expired to lift the Utah Jazz to a 103-100 win against the Houston Rockets in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals. That victory gave the Jazz the series and lifted the franchise to its first NBA Finals appearance.
Extra points
- Utah Jazz players surprise scholarship recipients with FaceTime calls (Deseret News)
- From ‘unsalvageable’ to MVP candidates: How Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell took their next huge steps (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Mike Conley’s extensive playoff experience is big plus for the Utah Jazz (Salt Lake Tribune)
Around the league
All hoops, no joy: NBA players describe a lonely and taxing regular season.
NBA Summer League to return to Las Vegas in August.
Up next: NBA Playoffs
May 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Game 1 vs. Golden State/Memphis Grizzlies | TNT
May 26 | 8 p.m. | Game 2 vs. Golden State/Memphis Grizzlies | TNT
May 29 | TBD | Game 3 at Golden State/Memphis Grizzlies | TBD
May 31 | TBD | Game 4 at Golden State/Memphis Grizzlies | TBD
June 2 | TBD | * Game 5 vs. Golden State/Memphis Grizzlies | TBD
* Game if necessary