Houston Rockets (1) vs. Utah Jazz (5) Preview

It's finally here. The second round of the NBA playoffs. And this second round series is not one many expected. Utah surprised everybody by eliminating the Thunder in 6 games while Houston stomped past the Timberwolves in 5 games. Who is going to win this series? Will the Rockets continue their dominance over the Western conference? Or will the Jazz upset another team in this year's playoffs.

We all know how lethal the Rockets are on the offensive end. They have two surefire hall-of-guards in Chris Paul and James Harden and the offensive system of Mike D'Antoni, which has propelled them to the best offensive rating and overall record in the NBA. If Harden is having an off night, CP3 can just pick up the slack and vice versa. And the Rocket's offensive weapons don't end there. Everyone knows they are excellent at shooting 3's, with Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson, Trevor Ariza, Gerald Green and Joe Johnson. However, what has been surprising is the fact that the Rockets have the 6th ranked defensive in the league! With everyone basically healthy and rested on the Rockets, they will be a tough team to compete with.

On the other side, the Utah Jazz have been surprising everyone all year. They were not expected to make the playoffs, let alone be the 5th seed in the West. They were not supposed to be the Thunder, and yet here they are. With their 2nd ranked defense in the league, this may be the most exciting matchup. The best offense in the league against one of the best defenses in the league. However, the Jazz could be without their starting point guard Ricky Rubio for as much as 10 days, which would be a major blow. With Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, the Jazz have the potential to make this series extremely competitive. 

I have the Rockets winning in 6 games. The Rockets are going to come out flat for 2 games and the Jazz are going to be able to steal those 2 games.