Los Angeles Clippers/Utah Jazz Playoff Preview
16 Wins A Ring Writers offer 3 different perspectives on each first round series
The Numbers:
Regular season: Los Angeles won 3–1
Clippers 108.7 PPG for (6th in NBA)/104.4 PPG allowed (12th in NBA)
Jazz 100.7 PPG for (28th in NBA)/96.8 PPG allowed (1st in NBA)
Clippers record vs Western Conference playoff teams: 15–11
Jazz record vs Western Conference playoff teams: 10–16
Los Angeles Clippers Preview by Andrew Miller
Clippers’ Series X Factor:
I stand by my opinion that the Clippers will only go as far as Blake Griffin can take them. Chris Paul is always going to produce at an elite level, particularly on the defensive end. But, Blake Griffin tends to drift in and out of big games.
The matchup vs. Derrick Favors is going to be a physical one, so if Griffin can get his jump shot to fall, it’ll provide some much needed spacing for the offense. The Jazz are a fantastic defensive team so the Clippers will need Griffin to create a little chaos and force Quin Snyder to dig deep into his bag of tricks.
Los Angeles Clippers’ Series MVP:
It would be easy to pick out Chris Paul or Blake Griffin, but Luc Mbah a Moute has the chance to make an enormous impact on this series. Gordon Hayward is an extremely versatile wing, and the Clippers are a little thin at that position so Doc Rivers is going to rely heavily on Luc’s high defensive IQ.
Shutting down Hayward completely is out of the question, but being able to slow and inconvenience him just enough for the Clippers to take advantage of the more favorable matchups in the series could be a key factor in the outcome.
Los Angeles Clippers Key Advantage Over Utah Jazz:
The scoring ability of the Clippers is going to cause Utah some problems. In the regular season, Los Angeles were scoring a 6th best 108.7 points in comparison to Utah’s 28th ranked 100.7 points.
If the Clippers can find some consistency in their 3-point shooting, the Jazz will have a severe problem trying to contain them. Factor in J.J. Redick will have a lot of eyes on him this year in the playoffs.
Redick has historically struggled in the postseason. If the Clippers want their offense to flow, his off-ball movement and ability to score off a screen is likely going to be the deciding factor in a win or loss.
Los Angeles Clippers Key Disadvantage Over Utah Jazz:
DeAndre Jordan struggles to score against the Jazz. In the 4 regular season games, Jordan shot a season low 52% from the field and only averaged nine points. Although the Clippers won’t rely on DJ to put points on the board, his offensive ability is going to have a colossal effect on getting Rudy Gobert into foul trouble.
The pressure that’s mounting for the Clippers to have any form of playoff success could play a factor in this series. If the players go into the post-season thinking about the “what if” that’s been hanging over them all year, then mistakes are likely to happen.
Filling the hole left by Rivers (Austin that is):
The absence of Austin Rivers is going to force the Clippers to make some adjustments. Despite what most NBA fans around the league think, Rivers is one of the key players in this rotation. His footwork and defensive ability offers a huge boost to the reserve unit, and takes a lot of pressure off Chris Paul when they share the floor. Playing Luc Mbah a Moute more could provide a potential focus on both ends of the floor.
In a playoff scenario when the pace of the game slows a little, having another player who can provide excellent off-ball movement and scramble the defensive rotations with J.J. Redick, as well as his ability to guard multiple positions without drawing careless fouls will be important.
Series Prediction: Clippers over Jazz in 6 games:
The Clippers are the superior team. They have star power on both ends of the floor. Having home court advantage should make them the clear favorites. Utah are an excellent defensive team, but they have very little playoff experience and the fire power this Clippers team has will be extremely difficult to stop. Plus, you would be foolish to bet against Chris Paul in a first-round playoff series where half-court offense becomes increasingly emphasized.
Utah Preview by Taylor Griffin
Utah Jazz’ Series X Factor:
George Hill has been the X-Factor for the Jazz all season long, and he will continue to be through the post-season. The Jazz’ record has soared and skidded at an incredibly similar trend to that of the performance of George Hill.
During the regular season, When Hill scored 20 points or more, the Jazz were 15–1. No more evidence is needed to prove Hill’s validity as the X-Factor. His match-up against Chris Paul will be the deciding factor in the series vs. the Clippers, both offensively and defensively.
Utah Jazz’ Series MVP:
If the Jazz are going to have any chance at a deep playoff run, it will rest on the shoulders of Gordon Hayward. Hayward is entering an extremely important stretch of his career. As one of the poster boys of the upcoming free agency, Hayward can capture the attention of a giant audience on the national stage of the NBA Playoffs.
With only four playoff games under his belt, Hayward still has a lot to prove in the areas of leadership and post-season heroics. Hayward will need to average more than his current 22 points per game for the Jazz to succeed. Hayward has carried the Jazz offensively all season long, and will need to throughout the post-season for Utah to make some playoff noise.
Utah Jazz Key Advantage Over Los Angeles Clippers:
The Utah Jazz possess the same advantage over the Clippers as they do over pretty much every other NBA team — defense. The Jazz were one of the best defenses in the regular season, with their league-leading points allowed, and third-best defensive rating.
Utah’s defense is stifling, led behind their defensive anchor Rudy Gobert. Their slow pace and physical defense has gotten the best of most NBA teams, most recently claiming the soul of the Golden State Warriors in Oakland with a healthy Kevin Durant. The Jazz go on insane defensive lock-down stretches, where teams struggle to score at all.
Utah Jazz Key Disadvantage Over Los Angeles Clippers:
One of the more blatant weaknesses of the Jazz this season has been the point guard play. Inconsistent is the word used to describe their point guard array of George Hill, Dante Exum, and Shelvin Mack.
On the other side of the court this playoff series, the Jazz will face the best and most consistent point guard in the league, Chris Paul. Paul’s brilliance at the point guard position is enough to cause defensive nightmares, even for the best defensive team in the league.
Recognized for his gifted passing ability, court vision and intelligence, Paul is sure to cause some major issues for the Jazz during this series.
Series Prediction: Jazz over Los Angeles in 6 games
Gordon Hayward is unstoppable, averaging 28 points per game in the series. Good George Hill shows up for the Jazz, scoring 30 and hitting the game-winner in a close game 6 in Salt Lake City to clinch the series. \
Rudy Gobert is…well… Rudy Gobert. The Jazz dominate defensively and frustrate Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, causing a few skirmishes in what becomes the second-most entertaining series in the Western Conference (Houston beating OKC in 7 games).
Independent Preview by Lance Roberson
Series X Factor:
The ultimate X factor in this series is going to be Gordon Hayward. The Chris Paul era Clippers have always had trouble with wings. Hayward is a versatile player that can give the Clippers fits.
Series MVP:
Gordon Hayward is the man to beat this series. This will be his coming out party to the NBA world. His seize the moment series, if you will.
Key Factor in series:
Both teams have a high-level defensive center in DeAndre Jordan for the Clippers and Ruby Gobert for the Jazz. The key factor will be which one produces the most on the offensive side of the ball.
Series prediction: Utah over Los Angeles in 7 games
The Los Angeles Clippers have a stigma that they can’t come up big in the playoffs. This will be the series that helps prove that theory. As previously stated, the Clippers have a history of having problems at the wing position. Gordon Hayward will be the player that will cause the ripple effect, thus ending an era in Los Angeles.
