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Utah Jazz vs Golden State Warriors: Playoff Game 2 Preview

Can the Jazz steal one in Oakland?

NBA: Playoffs-Utah Jazz at Golden State Warriors Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

So, if anyone is feeling down and out about the loss in Game 1, consider this: It's May 4th, and the Utah Jazz are playing basketball. Remember what we were doing at this time in the last 5 years?

-Reading this downbeat by My_Lo about renaming the Jazz season ticket club. Good writing, but talking about this is not as fun as the playoffs.

-Analyzing Jazz players' summer vacations

-Breaking down game seven matchups and cheering for Deron Williams, Andrei Kirilenko, and Devin Harris

-Reading this tweet from Derrick Favors

And this one from Gordon Hayward:

-Criticizing Scott Layden for saying that Tyrone Corbin should be the COY. Hahahahaha ahaha ha ha. (The team had already been swept by the San Antonio Spurs by this point)

So, my point with all this is that things aren't so bad right now. They could get bad this summer, but right now it's still playoffs time. Derrick Favors has been playing in the playoffs and Gordon has better things to do than assemble furniture.

So, let's look at Game 2:

Situation

The Utah Jazz are down 1-0 heading into their second tilt with the Golden State Warriors. I am out of the country, and wasn't able to watch game 1, so my insights may not be the best. However, it seemed to me that, while the Jazz lost by 12, they could have just as easily lost by 25. This isn't a knock on the Jazz, by they way. That's what happens when you play a team that obviously forced the CPU to accept roster moves and turned up the game sliders to 100. The Dubs are good, okay?

Marquee Matchup: Rudy Gobert and the Bigs vs. Everyone

Every player from PG-PF is a marquee player. Seems to me that the only hope for Quin is to lock down the paint and hope Golden State misses shots. Again, not a knock on the Jazz at all. GSW is just good.

X-Factor

As Rodney Hood goes, so go the Jazz. They really, really need him to show up. When Good Rodney makes an appearance, the offense is nearly unstoppable. Gordon Hayward, from what I've read, also has some room to improve.

Prediction

It seems foolish to bet against the Warriors. Hope I'm wrong.

Jazz 102 Warriors 113

Go Jazz!

#TakeNote