After capturing the nation’s interest with a thrilling series win over the Mavericks, the Warriors will look to keep the momentum going on Monday when they open the Western Conference Semifinals in Utah. Monday’s action will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. and be aired on TNT.

The Warriors split their four-game season series with Utah, with each team sweeping on their home floor. For a complete series match-up breakdown, click here.

Game 1 of this series will mark the first time in 16 years that Golden State will have participated in a conference semifinal. Despite the long layoff, there is no reason to expect that the Warriors will be tight. During their emotional six-game series with Dallas, the Warriors played with the type of reckless abandon that made them so effective over the second half of the season.

Leading the Warrior charge this postseason has been Baron Davis. He’s stepped up his game and is playing as well as anybody in the NBA. He’s averaged 25.0 points, 5.7 assists and 6.2 rebounds in the playoffs, but his impact on the team has stretched far beyond the box score. He has willed the team to victory, taking and making the big shots and even playing through injury.

But by no means has Davis been alone in carrying the club. Stephen Jackson has shouldered his share of the load as well. With more playoff experience than anybody on the Warriors’ roster, Jackson knows what it takes to succeed in the postseason, and he demonstrated that during Thursday’s series-clincher over Dallas.

Knowing Game 6 gave the Warriors the best chance to win the series, Jackson came out firing in the second half. He sunk all four of his three-point attempts in the third quarter, scoring 14 of his game-high 33 points in the period as the Warriors stretched their two-point halftime advantage into a 111-86 victory.

The Warriors will look upon Davis and Jackson to again lead the way, as they will be matched up with a Utah team that presents a dangerous trio in Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur. The Jazz advanced to the Conference Semifinals after out-lasting Houston in a seven-game series.

Following Monday’s action, the Warriors will stay in Utah for Game 2 on Wednesday. The series will shift to Oakland for Games 3 and 4, which will take place on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Tickets for those contests have not yet gone on sale, but there’s still a way to guarantee 2007 Warriors playoff tickets. Click here to find out how.

Extras: WARRIORS PLAYOFF BLOG | SERIES MATCH-UP BREAKDOWN | MULTIMEDIA