2021 NBA playoffs power rankings — 2. Utah Jazz
The Jazz are the one-seed for a reason. Like Phoenix, Utah is on a tear. They have not lost since Game 1 vs. Memphis, when Donovan Mitchell was still sidelined due to injury. Since Mitchell’s return, the Jazz have torn through opponents weak and strong, and look primed for a run to the conference finals.
As someone who has historically been skeptical of Utah’s title odds, I must admit — the Jazz have the juice. Mitchell has taken a real leap. He’s the kind of self-creation master who can lift up a championship offense. Utah has weapons galore on offense, and Rudy Gobert won Defensive Player of the Year for a reason. There is no stronger deterrent at the rim.
Utah is another well-oiled machine, with a group of guys who know how to play together. The Jazz are experienced and have more continuity than another other team in the postseason. There’s a level of comfort and understanding there that makes them hard to bet against, like this fool did before the postseason (I will look less foolish of LA comes back to win the series).
If the Jazz get by LA, then Pheonix is the likely next step. That would make for one heck of a series. It may not feature the NBA’s biggest markets, nor even its biggest stars. It would, however, feature some spectacular basketball players playing spectacular basketball. The Jazz are singing a sweet, sweet tune right now, and it’s hard not to groove along with it.