Utah Jazz: Four Reasons Why They Won't Win It All

Four Reasons Why The Jazz Will Not Win it All
A LayupDrill.com Exclusive

There are a number or analysts, so-called experts, and prognosticators that will tell you all the reasons why ____fill in NBA contender here___ can win the NBA title. Here at LayupDrill.com, we like to tell our readers the facts, and never sugarcoat them. We all can agree on the half a dozen legitimate title contenders out there. Each one of those teams have many strengths, and if the chips fall their way, you could see any of them hoisting the NBA Championship in June. However, we want to take time out to break down the top four reasons why each team will not win it all as well. We continue our exclusive breakdown with our focus turning to the Western Conference, and the Utah Jazz.

1. It’s All About Match ups.
The West Playoff seedings will be more important than ever this season. The difference between the two-seed(Spurs) and eight-seed(Dallas) is only 4.5 games. While Los Angeles will likely be the top seed in the West, whoever ends up two, three, or four will covet homecourt. The Jazz sit right now fourth in the West at 40-23, as of today. They have the best record in the NBA since 2/1/09, and a potential classic first round match with the New Orleans Hornets would pit Deron Williams against fellow class of 2006 guard Chris Paul. However, Williams does boast a better supporting cast, and the deepest, most dangerous front line in the NBA. The fearsome foursome of Andrei Kirelenko, Mehmet Okur, Paul Millsap, and Carlos Boozer are a point guards dream, as pick and rolls and give and go’s are plentiful in Salt lake City.

2. From good to great?
The Jazz, under head coach Jerry Sloan, have been good all season long. While injuries have slowed this team in the early months, the core seems to have found their swagger at the right time. With Carlos Boozer due to get back in the flow in short order, the Jazz have now went from not looking like they would make the playoffs, to having homecourt in round 1. However, do they have enough to sepeate themselves from the crowded pack?

3. No Kobe Stopper.
A Lakers/Jazz playoff match up would be even more intriguing this season, as the Jazz seem to be a formidable foe to derail the Laker’s title hopes. Unfortunately, Jazz fans have to come to the realization that when it is “winning time”, there is not one player on their roster that can defensively attempt to stop Kobe Bryant. Deron Williams has shown flashes of greatness in past postseasons, yet he is not the answer to defending Kobe. We have even seen AK-47 being assigned to play against KB24, yet the end result was the same.

4. Will the real Utah Jazz please stand up?
While the Jazz are certainly rising right now, are they peaking? Their play over the last five weeks has been among the best in the game, but with over five weeks left in the regular season, can they withstand it? One bad stretch can take them from potential division champs to going on the road as against San Antonio or LA in round one. I would give the Jazz the edge against the Blazers, Mavericks, and Hornets in a seven-game series, but I am not sure if they have enough to take out either the Spurs or Lakers.