Does the Jazz’s Playoff Seed Actually Matter?

The Jazz are trying to climb the standings — but how much does it matter? (Melissa Majchrzak via espn.com)

The dust has not settled… yet

The eight team field for the Western Conference playoffs is all but solidified, with current eighth seed San Antontio a full five games ahead of the No. 9 Sacramento Kings. It’s not official just yet, but it will be in the next few days. 

While the players are basically set, the positioning is anything but. It’s unlikely (or even impossible) that the No. 3 Houston Rockets fall to eighth and its very unlikely that the Spurs or Thunder (currently 7th) rise to third or fourth, but not a single team is solidly placed into a spot at this point. Even the Golden State Warriors, with a tenuous half-game lead over the Denver Nuggets, could drop from their current spot at No. 2. Given the respective schedules of those teams, however, it’s actually more likely that Houston overtakes Denver, who has a very tough schedule, than it is for the Dubs to drop to second.

The Jazz’s  playoff goals

The Jazz are currently are tied in the loss column with fifth-place L.A. but only a game and a half ahead of eighth. But their advantageous schedule could put them in position for another No. 4 or 5 seed in this year’s postseason. If the Jazz land fifth, it would be their third straight year ending with that slot, which is tough because even though they have won two straight first-round series as the fifth seed, they have met the top-seeded Warriors and Rockets in round two. This year would probably be the same, assuming they beat their likely opponent, the ailing Portland Trail Blazers. Ultimately, their season could end with the same fate as the last two. Of  course, this is only hypothetical as anything could happen and the actual seeding is still unknown. 

This weeks Salt City Seven already took a look at the push for playoff positioning, but maybe the question that should be asked is if or how much the position even matters. At the risk of sounding pessimistic, it’s probably safe to say that this year is not the Jazz’s year for a title run, given Golden State’s dominance and other emerging contenders in the way. And if the Jazz are not going to be the champions, does it matter what seed they land in or who they face?  They aren’t going to hit the championship, but there are other objectives in the sights of the organization.

Now, this should also be stated with the caveat that the Jazz want to avoid whatever would put them across Golden State, and probably even Houston, in the first round. That does mean the Jazz want to end up in the 3-6 range. So by virtue of this logic, the positioning really does matter. 

We have to view this with the lens that this post-season should have two, maybe three, goals for the organization.

1. Show that the team is only one big piece shy of making a title run as a demonstration to potential free-agents. This could be showcased by a strong first round win and putting up a fight in the conference semifinal round  against Golden State. If their second-round opponent is someone other than Golden State, they would feel more confident about their chances to win.
2. Show that the team has made progress since last season as a visible barometer of growth. 
3. Give the age of Utah’s core pieces, as much postseason experience as possible to prepare them for big games and playoffs in the future. 

Now,  the Jazz are most likely destined for the No. 4 or 5 seed. And Golden State is headed for the top seed. If for some reason that doesn’t happen, it means the Jazz have somehow  made the unlikely push  to 3 or have fallen behind San Antonio (or the Clippers?!) and Portland. This would most likely land the Jazz in a first round meeting with the Rockets.