In arguably one of the surprises of the playoffs, the Utah Jazz are on the verge of progressing to the second round as they hold a commanding 3-1 lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder.They overcame a 1-0 deficit after game one to reel off three straight wins and put themselves on the brink of advancing.Making the playoffs was an unexpected feat for Utah but dominating a team that features a trio of All-Stars in Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony didn't seem possible to many people.But one man who isn't surprised with their big lead is former OKC superstar Kevin Durant.The Golden State Warriors small forward points to his own experiences of playing against the Jazz this season and after suffering two heavy defeats in Salt Lake City, he's not shocked that they're close to eliminating his former team.“We got our a**es kicked by them twice,” said Durant, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I don’t think of that as a surprise.”“Not saying that OKC is that bad or worse, but I know from personal experience how good that Utah team is and OKC. It’s the playoffs, you’re playing at home and those guys take care of home.”

The Warriors' two worst losses of the year came in Utah as they lost by 30 and 40 points, respectively.

The Jazz have the best defence in the NBA and have used that to stifle the Thunder offence for much of the series.

But they have also been terrific offensively as they've posted 113 and 115 points in their last two wins at home.

When they have their lineup of Ricky Rubio, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Jae Crowder, and Rudy Gobert on the floor, they're a tough matchup for any team.

Rookie sensation Mitchell will deservedly take much of the credit as he's translated his regular season form into the playoffs and is thriving as the team's number one option.

But Defensive Player of the Year favourite Gobert must also get a ton of praise for the way he's dominating on that end of the floor.

The work of head coach Quin Snyder must also be recognised as he's developed himself into one of the best in the league.

Despite holding a big lead, however, the work still isn't done for Utah as they head to Oklahoma City for a game five that their opponents know they can't afford to lose.

They can certainly expect Westbrook to give it everything he's got to keep his team in the playoffs and there are likely to be a few more twists and turns to come in this series.

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