The Jazz are going to lose - and that's ok

The Utah Jazz will not beat the Golden State Warriors in the 2017 NBA Western Conference Semifinals, and I've come to grips with it. As much as I'd absolutely love for the Jazz to shock the world and wipe those smug smirks off the Warriors' faces, it's not going to happen.

It has been hard for me to watch these first two games, as the Warriors controlled both contests from start to finish. I consider it a "close game" if the Jazz can narrow the deficit to single digits. It sounds like the crowd at Oracle Arena is on the verge of panic if the Jazz hit a shot to bring it within 13. (I find this hilarious, by the way.) But the fact of the matter is that the Warriors are the best team in basketball right now. The tough part is that, as good as they are, it makes the Jazz look bad. We look like a high school team or something. We look afraid of them, especially in the first half. We are timid when it comes to shooting and clumsy when it comes to passing. It is a sour note to end a great season on.

As a whole, I consider the 2016-17 Utah Jazz season a tremendous success. We won 51 games (more than most predicted or even hoped), we got ourselves an All-Star, Joe Ingles spent most of the season leading the league in three point shooting, Rudy is a strong Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Joe freakin' Johnson plays for the Jazz (I still can't believe that), we won our division and we beat the Los Angeles Clippers in a tough, seven-game playoff series - all the while battling injuries that depleted our starting lineup for a majority of the year. Imagine what we could have done with a healthy roster! In comparison to what we've seen for the better part of a decade (or, really, since Stockton and Malone retired), this was a pretty dang good season to be a Jazz fan. Losing to the #1 Seed in the West is nothing to feel bad about.

I've been thinking a lot about what our current predicament compares to. Probably the best comparison I have come up with would be a footrace against Usain Bolt. You could be Tyson Gay or whoever the second-fastest runner in the world is, and it doesn't matter. You're going to lose. In fact, Usain Bolt probably going to blow you away. This doesn't mean that you suck; it just means that he is that good.

The Warriors have been a ridiculously good team for about three or four years now. Adding Kevin Durant this offseason was basically them just spitting in the face of parity and fairness. At this point, they've got three guys who can light you up from downtown at any time. On top of that, they've got that moron Draymond Green, who will just as likely shut you down defensively as he will kick you in the family jewels in a fit of frustration. They're really good. And even when those four guys are on the bench, they've got a bunch of other players who go full-speed almost the entire game. They're constantly getting points in transition (or "cherry picking"... call it what you will) and most teams just can't maintain that pace of play all game long.

To put things into an interesting perspective, however, despite the Jazz losing by double digits in each of the first two games in this series, they're actually doing relatively well, compared to the other semifinal matchups. Through two games, every team that had lost a game lost by at least 20 points at least once, with the exception of Utah and the Washington Wizards (who also lost by double digits in each of their first two games, albeit not by more than 20). Considering that the Jazz are playing, by far, the best team in the league, that's a stat I'm willing to live with.

I just want the series to be competitive. Game 1 was rough. We pulled our heads out in Game 2 and I truly think we made those bandwagon Warriors fans nervous by keeping it relatively close, especially in the second half. I'm hoping we can take a game or two in Salt Lake City before facing elimination in Game 5 or 6. But, even if we do end up getting swept, you know, I'm not embarrassed. I'm not mad. I'm really not even that concerned. Everybody is getting stomped on by the Warriors this year, and it's very likely that they'll waltz their way to another NBA championship, the way things are looking.

I don't think I hate the Warriors. I hate the Clippers. Absolutely hate the Clippers. I think I'm more annoyed by the Warriors. I thought they were a fun little team to watch when they knocked off LeBron a couple years ago, but then they got confident and they got cocky. Too cocky, if you ask me. I can't stand Draymond flexing every time he gets an And-1. I want to go slap Steph Curry's mouthguard right out of his mouth. I think Durant is a sellout with embarrassing facial hair. Klay Thompson doesn't bother me; I just don't like him because he plays for the Warriors. JaVale McGee is a bozo and I want to cut off his stupid rat tail haircut. I don't think Steve Kerr or Mike Brown are necessarily great coaches - I could coach that team: "Get Steph the ball. Shoot lots of threes." Matt Barnes looks like Gomez Addams with prison tattoos - and the #nightlife scandal has been entertaining, to say the least. I've got to order myself a shirt. Making fun of the "Woyers" has been one of the few things that have made these last two games watchable, in my opinion. I've actually been kind of bored watching, to be quite honest. So at least that gives me something to do. And hey, win or lose, at least I will always be able to say that the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead.

I'm proud of the Jazz and how well they've played this season. It's been a lot of fun to watch and it's been a heck of a journey for us as an up-and-coming team. We have nothing to be ashamed of. Plus, we've always got this memory to look back on:


Go Jazz! #TakeNote