Utah Jazz: 3 crucial goals for their playoff run

Utah Jazz. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Utah Jazz. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports /
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Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports /

Utah Jazz playoff goals No. 1: Force more turnovers

During the regular season, the Jazz were the worst team in the league for forcing turnovers. They only managed to force 11.5 per game, preferring to funnel their defensive assignments into the paint where Rudy Gobert would alter or block their shots.

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As a team they were also good at pressuring the perimeter shots, holding their opponents to the second-worst 3-point shooting percentage. All of this led to the Jazz holding their opponents to that 107.2 points per game.

However, in a seven-game series against some of the better teams in the league, this may not be as effective. These teams will work out a way of beating defenses, players like Kawhi Leonard simply defy the statistics, and as a result, the Jazz needs to force the turnovers to keep the offense guessing.

In the first game of the series, the Jazz forced only eight turnovers, fortunately, they won by three points. In the second game, they forced 11 turnovers and won by six points. Both of these games were at home and this could have had an impact on the result. In the return games at the Staples Center, the Jazz needs to keep the Clippers from getting any flow to their offense.