Golden State Warriors

Why the Utah Jazz were swept by the Golden State Warriors

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:27 p.m. ET

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May 8, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles (2) pats Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) on the back during the final minutes against the Golden State Warriors in game four of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz saw their season come to a close on Monday night when they lost their fourth straight game to the Golden State Warriors. Why were they so easily dispatched?

On Monday night, the Utah Jazz's season came to a close with their 121-95 blowout Game 4 loss to the Golden State Warriors, knocking them out of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs in a sweep.

Although this was the expected outcome heading into the series, it's at least a little disappointing result for the Jazz faithful given how they felt the team had improved during the season.

Over the four games, the Jazz lost by a combined 60 points, with all defeats coming by at least 11 points.

Game 1 saw the Warriors set the tone early, dominating the Jazz from the tip and never looking back. The same held true for Game 2, with Golden State using a 33-15 first quarter to establish the pace and put Utah away.

The Jazz returned home for Game 3 desperately needing a win to stay competitive, but fell short with the Warriors playing extremely well down the stretch.

Finally, Game 4 showcased the Warriors' balanced attack as well as the Jazz's fatigue, ending in a blowout.

Head coach Quin Snyder seemingly refused to up his team's offensive pace in an effort to match the firepower of the Warriors, neglecting to attack them in transition especially.

This was just one reason behind the Jazz's sound defeat. Here are the three most impactful factors that determined the series victor.

Oct 5, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) and forward Gordon Hayward (20) talk mid court during the first half of the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Utah Jazz defeated the Phoenix Suns 104-99. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

George Hill's injury

The Jazz had been afflicted by injury all year, but no one player has been hamstrung more than George Hill. Having missed 33 games in the regular season with a variety of ailments, it was maybe no surprise that Hill found himself out of commission again in the playoffs, this time with a re-aggravated toe injury.

Missing Games 2, 3, and 4, Hill left the point guard duties to the trio of Shelvin Mack, Raul Neto, and Dante Exum, none of which possess Hill's defensive abilities or his role running the offense.

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The Jazz went to Mack as the stand-in starter for the three games they were without Hill, playing him 30, 37, and 24 minutes respectively. Considering he appeared in just 12 minutes per game during the regular season, this was a bigger responsibility than Mack was used to.

He'd often have to force shots or drives as the shot clock wound down, being that he was one of the few Jazz on the floor with a penchant for dribble penetration. When the offense was functioning well, it was usually running through Gordon Hayward, resulting in Mack having just 11 assists to his eight turnovers as a starter.

The talent gap between Mack and Neto or Exum isn't nearly as big as the drop-off from Hill to Mack, but it was still a noticeable one.

Neto appeared in extended fashion in both Game 2 and Game 4, but tended to blend into the background rather than take charge, taking just four shots over those games.

Exum also played only two minutes in Game 3, but his most notable performance was actually in the final game of the series, in which he scored 15 points on mostly drives to the hoop.

Without Hill's defense, Warriors point guard Stephen Curry was able to go for 23, 23, and 30 points, catching fire over the last quarter of Game 3 to give the Warriors the win.

There will be a lot of decisions to be made at point guard for the Jazz this offseason, and how they played without their current starter will likely have a big impact on how Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey proceeds.

Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Wing scoring (or lack thereof)

Throughout their series against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Jazz received great contributions from Gordon Hayward and Joe Johnson, the latter of which more or less won them two games on the road.

Against the Warriors, Hayward was his usual self, averaging 24.8 points per game and leading the team in scoring in three of the four contests. However, Johnson and almost every other Jazz wing did not step up accordingly.

Johnson did not score more than 11 points in any game, and shot a cumulative 12-for-38 (31.6 percent) from the field. When he's not scoring, his 35-year-old body isn't able to keep up well with quicker wings.

Joe Ingles, who was tasked with guarding Klay Thompson, continued to play a limited role on offense, going for just 25 points over four games, although his shooting wasn't as bad as others.

Continuing his struggles from the Jazz's previous series, Rodney Hood also scored 25 points, shooting poorly from the field and leaving Game 4 early with a perceived injury.

Derrick Favors, who claimed he is "100 percent healthy" going forward, also had a rough series, seeing a sharp decline in both minutes and production.

The absence of Hill twisted the circumstances a little, but it is essential for Hayward's return in free agency that he sees the Jazz as a group he can compete against the best teams in the league like Golden State.

The lack of assistance in this series might make that a harder sell for the Jazz's front office.

May 6, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrate after Durant scores against the Utah Jazz during the third quarter in game three of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

Too many options

The Jazz are well-stocked with contributing assets nine, 10, or even 11 spots deep on their bench, which has allowed them to match up well with a variety of opponents. However, this was not the case against Golden State.

Kevin Durant, who ran roughshod over Utah for 38 points in Game 3, was a matchup nightmare all series, proving too long for Gordon Hayward and too quick for virtually everyone else.

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On the occasion that Durant wasn't able to get his shots to fall, the Warriors had the luxury of going to their three other stars for scoring.

The Jazz simply don't have enough good defenders to slide onto every threat the Warriors pose.

This may seem obvious, but it's exactly why it is so hard to defeat Golden State in one game, let alone a seven-game series.

The Jazz played just about the best game they could have hoped for in Game 3, holding the pace down, limiting the Warriors to just nine made three-pointers, and clamping down on Golden State's transition attack.

All the holes were plugged, except for one – Kevin Durant, who singlehandedly kept the Warriors in the game until the fourth quarter, where Curry was able to shoulder some of the load.

The Warriors had Plans B, C and even D available if their main options weren't able to produce, but the Jazz were left with just one path to victory — a path they were not able to succeed with.

It was a disappointing but expected outcome for the Jazz, who will now turn their attention towards the offseason and all the change and opportunity it brings.

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