May 7, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz shooting guard Gordon Hayward (20) walks off the court after game four of the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at EnergySolutions Arena. The Spurs defeated the Jazz 87-81 to sweep Utah and win the series. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

I mean no disrespect to the Utah Jazz but now, officially, the playoffs will begin. The Jazz are a fine team that certainly has a lot of pieces that potentially can become a cohesive unit. They aren’t quite there yet.

After the Spurs disposed of the Jazz for the final time this season, they shouldn’t hang their heads. They were playing, in my opinion at least, the most complete basketball team in the NBA. The Spurs always make the extra pass, the extra cut, the extra screen. They always make the defense pay for missed defensive rotations. For this reason alone, the Spurs don’t waste any possessions.

Maybe Utah will reach that level, the pinnacle of basketball. A synonymous unit that knows each other like the back of their hands.

As of now, however, Utah is simply a basketball team that has one decisive advantage and a flurry of flaws that will prevent them from reaching the next level unless they address these flaws directly. Whether they improve through the draft — their 2012 top seven protected first-round pick might help — free agency or through a trade will be up the front office.

Devin Harris is a quick point guard that can beat many players in a foot race. The problem is that many point guards fit the same mold and, without one discernible skill, Harris is mostly indistinguishable from his peers. Harris has improved his 3-point stroke this year; his 36.2 percentage from behind the arc is a career high.

May 7, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) looks to pass while defended by San Antonio Spurs center Tiago Splitter (22) during the first half of game four in the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

Derrick Favors, a 6’10″ physical specimen, made an impact in his first career playoff start. Favors was active on the defensive glass and his close out ability impeded the path of the Spurs guards. Favors was credited with two blocks although it felt like much more. As a result, for the first time all series, Utah scored more points in the paint than San Antonio.

Al Jefferson is a talented low post scorer. He’s a little slow on pick-and-rolls, thus our incentive to run him into pick-and-rolls all series. His block totals overvalue his defensive aptitude, surely. Even so, he is 27-years-old and he seems to have a future with the Jazz barring any unforeseen trades in the near future.

Selected with the 47th overall pick in the 2006 draft, Paul Millsap has enjoyed a precipitous rise from his rookie year. In the final game of the series, Millsap grabbed 19 rebounds and blocked three shots. Millsap was pressed into playing the 3 last night and he did so admirably.

I have a soft spot for Gordon Hayward. He’s a smart kid that nearly ripped out the hearts of Duke University when his fateful shot clanked off the back iron in the National Championship game. But, as it turns out, he’s also a pretty good professional. Hayward was mostly non existent after attempting, and converting, on 12 free throws in Game 1. He wasn’t able to slash into the paint with any regularity, leaving him largely ineffective for the remainder of the series.

This core is one that is a little rough around the edges. But with some fine tuning, this rotation is one that can withstand the rigorous Western Conference.

A test like the one they experienced this week is one that some teams need in their development. Their failure leaves them with a sting that will resonate until next year, until they will be ready to learn from their four consecutive defeats at the hands of the superior Spurs.

But, until they translate this learning experience into tangible results, the Utah Jazz will be relegated to facing the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the playoffs. And, if this series is any indication, the Jazz surely don’t want that, do they?

Game notes
Utah missed all of their 13 3-point attempts … It is their third time this season where they didn’t convert on a 3-pointer … Paul Millsap grabbed 19 boards, marking a season-high … Millsap’s 19 rebounds is the second highest total recorded by a Jazz player this year … Millsap also finished with 10 points on 4-of-17 shooting … Derrick Favors, inserted into the starting lineup in lieu of Josh Howard, recorded a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) and he attempted 12 free throws … Devin Harris led the team with a +15 … The Jazz’ bench accounted for 10 points or about 12.3 percent … The Spurs’ bench accounted for 57 points or 65.5 percent of their total points … Manu Ginobili led the team with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting … Tiago Splitter (10 points, two rebounds) led the team with a +21 … Boris Diaw was held scoreless for 20:42 … Tim Duncan scored 11 points, increasing his streak to 14 consecutive games with 10-plus points …

While children across the country were hunting for Easter eggs Sunday, the Spurs were hunting for something just as sweet.  11 straight victories.

A respectable effort by the Jazz was squashed by MVP candidate Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, who led the Spurs to a ten-point win over Utah.

Parker finished the night with 28 points, despite Gregg Popovich’s decision to bench Parker in the second quarter and handing over the keys to Patty Mills for 12 minutes.

Regardless, the Spurs never trailed in their 114-104 victory, but Utah never stopped fighting despite a few setbacks.

The Jazz were missing Raja Bell and Josh Howard, and they lost Earl Watson and CJ Miles in the process. Watson and Miles would not return to the game, and the Jazz needed a spark.

Off the bench, DeMarre Carroll and Derrick Favors poured in 16 and 14 points, respectively. However, the night was San Antonio’s.

Apr 8, 2012; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) drives to the basket against Utah Jazz forward DeMarre Carroll (3) during the second half at the AT

The Jazz bigs were out-rebounded by San Antonio, specifically Tim Duncan who pulled down 16 boards. And while it was a big night for the Big Three, the Spurs played a very balanced game.

Defensively, Utah struggled to create offense and forced tough shots or turned over the ball. On the other end, San Antonio shot 50% from the field and 27% from beyond the arc. Also, it is hard to complain when San Antonio shoots 88% from the charity line.

Although, an interesting move by Popovich, Boris Diaw started in place of Dejuan Blair. Diaw logged 24:09 of action. Along with Stephen Jackson, Blair saw no action in the win. However, Diaw is not exactly unfamiliar with being placed in a bigger role.

Boris Diaw went 4-5 from the field and finished the game with nine points. Although, Diaw fouled out in the contest, marking the first time this season a San Antonio player has committed six fouls.

Speaking of fouls, no one had any problem giving the referees a piece of their mind. Popovich and Duncan received technical fouls for challenging calls, as well as a frustrated Paul Millsap.

While the refs did let a few slip by them, thankfully, they picked up on an obvious clear-path foul by Jamaal Tinsley. Parker, making a break down court, was shoved to the ground by Tinsley, but Parker got back up and came out unscratched.

It will be interesting to see how both teams respond tomorrow night in Salt Lake City, considering the heated moments during the game. The Jazz will definitely need a similar bench effort and will need to catch a few more breaks.

All in all, it was a hard fought game. The Jazz fell behind big several times, but kept fighting back. The Spurs did not let any of the Utah runs faze them, and claimed their eleventh straight win and cling on to the top spot in the Western Conference.

The Spurs will battle Utah again tomorrow night at 8:00 PM CST. All the action can be caught on Fox Sports-Southwest and 1200 WOAI, live from EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake.

Game notes.
San Antonio got to the line 43 times, converting 38 of them (88.4 percent) … The 43 attempts represents a new season-high; their previous high was 33 against the Pacers on Mar. 31 … This was the Spurs’ third game in the last three years with 40-plus free throw attempts … Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker shot 24-of-25 from the line (96 percent) … Utah and San Antonio both made six 3-pointers on the night snapping the Spurs five-game streak of converting more shots from behind the arc … The lead never changed nor was there ever a tie … DeJuan Blair’s healthy DNP was his first missed game of the entire year … James Anderson and Stephen Jackson were also healthy DNP’s … Tim Duncan swatted three shots, making it his fifth consecutive game with two or more blocks; he added 13 points and 16 rebounds to the cause … San Antonio shot 61.7 percent on 2-pointers … Utah shot 45.5 percent on 2-pointers … Utah took 24 more shots than the Spurs but that was offset by the Spurs ability to get to the line with impunity … Kawhi Leonard scored six points and grabbed four rebounds in in 26:40 … Derrick Favors and Al Jefferson both posted double-doubles …