FILE -- Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley (10) eyes the basket as he goes up for and hits a three point shot as the Utah Jazz and the Sacramento Kings play an NBA basketball game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Saturday, April 10, 2021. The Jazz won 128-112. Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY — We won’t know who the Utah Jazz will face in the first round of the NBA Playoffs until Friday, but heading in as the No. 1 seed, we do know the teams they could face off against.
After a win against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night the Jazz clinched the No. 1 seed heading into the NBA Playoffs and go into the tournament holding the best record in the league.
This is the first time the Jazz have held that title outright. In 1998 and 1999, the Jazz tied for the best record.
The official announcement for who the Jazz will face in their home-opening appearance for the finals won’t come out until Friday. However, we know the are four teams that the Jazz could face. They are the Warriors, Lakers, Spurs and the Grizzlies.
Out of those teams, the Jazz have never played against the Grizzlies in the playoffs before, and out of the other three, they’ve seen mixed results.
The Jazz have played against the Lakers in the playoffs six times, and came away with wins two of those times. They’ve played the Spurs five times in their playoff history and won three times.
Rounding out the top games, the Jazz have played against the Warriors four times and beat them once in 2007.
Holding the best record in the NBA means the Jazz will have the home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, and there will be fans in the stands.
“It’s an advantage, there’s a reason why teams work so hard to try to get in those top four spots,” Mike Conley said. “When you’re at home, you’re just in a better zone, you’re in a better state mentally, you have a better routine.”
The Jazz say that 13,000 fans will be in attendance, with courtside seats available for fully vaccinated people.
“With the fans, that’s the reason we love to be in the playoffs,” Conley said. “It’s a whole different atmosphere than what you experience in the regular season. Having an advantage like we do, especially in Salt Lake City, it’ll be a lot of fun.”
The last time the Jazz played their first game of the playoffs in Salt Lake City was against the Golden State Warriors in 2007.