Over the past couple of days, the Utah Jazz have been asked about their performances in the past playoffs — early exits that have caused some questions to be raised.
But the team, one to never back down from a challenge, has faced those questions head-on and been honest in their responses. Despite having the season's best record last year, Utah fell to the LA Clippers in the second round, one year after being bested by Denver in an incredible seven-game series that gave rise to Donovan Mitchell in the first round.
Despite the shortcomings in the postseason, much of which can be traced back to various injuries to key players during that time, the Jazz are entering the playoffs this year with nothing to say.
They'd rather let their actions speak for themselves.
"We've got to prove it, we've got to earn it," Rudy Gobert said Wednesday. "I don't blame people for overlooking us until we accomplish something."
Utah will have a chance to prove something beginning on Saturday when they face the Dallas Mavericks — tipoff is set for 11 a.m. MST and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Here are five things to note before the series opens:
1.) Health, Health, HealthAfter dealing with various injuries throughout the past two postseasons, Utah enters Saturday arguably the healthiest they've been all season. Except for an injury to backup point guard Trent Forrest, who has played himself into the rotation, the Jazz are expected to have every piece at their disposal.
That fact alone is why this team feels so confident entering the playoffs, especially since they've been able to work on chemistry in practices and games over the past few weeks. Being healthy gives head coach Quin Snyder the option to go with multiple rotations to match up with the Mavericks, a key component in the series.
"We haven't been healthy, but we're healthy now," Snyder said. "Hopefully that stays consistent, but I know we've got a team that's been looking forward to this."
"I think for us to go into the playoff series knowing that we have most of our guys healthy, especially guys who have been in the rotation consistently, that's a win for us," Mike Conley added. "We understand that."
2.) How Will Quin Snyder Navigate The RotationThroughout the past couple of weeks, especially when the Jazz have had their full arsenal available, Snyder has been able to test out multiple rotations and see which ones can be deployed for specific reasons.
Obviously, Utah's starting five of Mitchell, Gobert, Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Royce O'Neale will stay in place, but from there is where the questions begin. It's expected that Hassan Whiteside, Jordan Clarkson, and Danuel House Jr. — a trade deadline pickup — will all see significant minutes as they're carved out their roles.
But what about Juancho Hernangomez and Rudy Gay?
Gay was brought over in the offseason and, after dealing with a myriad of injuries throughout the season, is finally healthy and playing the best he has all year long. His veteran presence is most useful in the postseason, and he has the ideal size and strength to be a small-ball center.
Often viewed as a throw-in during a midseason trade that sent Joe Ingles to Portland and brought Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Utah, Hernangomez has proved to be much more than that. He's a sharp-shooting big man who slashes to the hoop and plays very good defense.
While there is a possibility that they both see the court simultaneously, Snyder will have to go with one or the other, which may come down to matchups and feel. Either way, the Jazz should feel confident about whoever is on the court.
3.) Does Donovan Mitchell Recapture The MagicFor Mitchell, his postseason legacy started two seasons ago at the Wonderful World of Disney in Orlando, where playing in the NBA bubble, he unleashed himself against Denver in a thrilling seven-game series.
Although the Jazz came up just short, the legend was born.
Last season is where the legend grew — when playing on one healthy ankle, Mitchell still turned in incredible performances that almost helped the Jazz reach the Western Conference Finals.
This year is when the legend is to be cemented, when Mitchell proves that his postseason play is expected rather than surprised. Over the past two years, he is averaging 34.3 points, 5.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds, on 48.8% shooting from the floor and 47.6% from three-point territory.
Many national pundits aren't giving Utah much of a chance against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, but if Mitchell can recreate the postseason monster he is, look for the Jazz to be moving on to the second round.
4.) Can Utah Punish Dallas When It Goes SmallWith or without Doncic in the lineup, the Mavericks have a pretty straightforward game plan when they play the Jazz on Saturday.
Armed with a bevy of shooters and talented defenders, Dallas will try and spread Utah out on the perimeter, effectively rendering Gobert useless as he's left to defend someone on the wing rather than protect the hoop.
It's a recipe that worked last season against the Clippers and a few weeks ago in Dallas, so it's no secret what the Mavericks want to do.
While it's not a bad recipe for success, the Jazz can shut it down on the other end of the court — and that's by having Gobert absolutely punish the Mavericks in those smaller lineups.
Snyder and Mitchell have repeatedly said that they will continue to play within their offense, and if that means Gobert has his defender sealed inside the paint, you can expect him to get the ball. If that happens and he can finish around the rim, it won't necessarily matter what Dallas does on offense, as they'll have no answer for Gobert on the other end.
"We talked about, it feels like a decade ago, that the strength of the team is the team," Snyder said. "When we embrace that, that's when we're at our best on both ends of the floor. So I think we've got a group that's got some very talented players, but ultimately our strength is that the whole can be greater than the sum of the parts. And that's how we've got to play."
5.) Is Luka Doncic Going To Be HealthyEasily the most significant question mark entering Saturday will be the health of Doncic, the Mavericks' all-NBA guard capable of winning an entire series by himself.
Doncic suffered a mild calf strain in the regular season finale on Sunday, and after much speculation, it's unknown if he'll be able to suit up for the first two games in Dallas.
"We'll prepare with him, and then we'll also prepare without him," Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said earlier this week. "Just like with any injury that we've had all season, we'll see how his body feels each day. We all hope he's ready to go for Game 1, but if he's not, we'll move forward without him."
Calf strains are no joke, as Utah has been through its fair share, primarily with Gobert and Bogdanovic. Each of them missed nine games recovering, amounting to about three weeks worth of action. While the Jazz admit they were being extra cautious in bringing the both of them back early, Dallas doesn't have that luxury as Doncic is everything to them.