NBA Western Conference playoffs: What we've learned, what to expect

Now that we're down to the final four teams of the Western Conference playoffs, here's what we learned from the first round and what to watch for in the second round.

Golden State Warriors

To quote the late Dennis Green, they are who we thought they were. At least so far.

Even with Kevin Durant missing two of Golden State’s four games against Portland in the first round because of a calf injury, they rolled through the Trailblazers by an average of 18 points in the first-round sweep. The scariest part for the Utah Jazz entering their second-round matchup? Steph Curry (29.8 points, 6.5 assists, 5.3 rebounds per game in the first round) is looking eerily similar to the guy who won the NBA’s last two MVP awards.

Utah Jazz

Behold the nothing-to-lose part of NBA playoff programming.

Every year, there’s an upstart team like these Jazz that is just dangerous enough to make you wonder if they might not shock the basketball world. They probably won’t because it’s the vaunted Warriors in their way, of course, but the offensive depth (five players averaged double-figure scoring in the first round) combined with the elite defense (third-best defensive rating in the regular season) means Golden State will likely have to be at its best to avoid a scare.

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San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs’ defense, that Kawhi Leonard-led unit that had a league-best rating during the regular season, is its most dangerous weapon. But as they learned the hard way in four regular season matchups against the Rockets, when there weren’t quite as many stops in those games that were decided by a combined 12 points, this Houston team is on a different level offensively.

While the Spurs won three of those games, their defensive rating (103.5 points allowed per 100 possessions) was significantly worse than their season-long mark (100.9). Then again, with Leonard (31.2 points, six rebounds, 3.8 assists and two steals per game) looking so unstoppable in that six-game series win over Memphis, maybe it won’t matter.

Houston Rockets

Whether or not you’re a believer in the Rockets’ extreme offensive philosophy, that commitment they’ve made to shooting only three-pointers and layups, you had to respect the fact that they downed the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round by using a very different formula. Play sound defense (fifth-best defensive rating so far among playoff teams). Pound the paint when the threes aren’t falling (after breaking NBA records for three-pointers taken and made, they hit just the eighth-most threes per game). They did all the gritty little things, in other words, that will be needed yet again if they have any hope of surviving the Spurs.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick on Twitter @Sam_Amick

PHOTOS: Best of the second round