NBA Playoffs 2012: San Antonio Spurs Will Sweep Utah Jazz in Round 1
The Utah Jazz are going to be swept under the rug by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs.
The Spurs are already up two games to none, and I don't see the Jazz coming close to a single victory in this unbalanced series.
Gregg Popovich earned the NBA Coach of the Year award for the way he managed his team during the strike-shortened season, and it's easy to see why.
The Spurs look like champions this year.
They are the most balanced team in the playoffs, and Tim Duncan looks as rested and fresh as I've ever seen at this point in the postseason because Popovich only played him 28 minutes a game during the regular season.
The results are evident, and the Jazz—who've won all year long on the backs of their two big men, Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson—haven't been able to dominate the paint like they were able to do in the regular season.
Duncan isn't the scoring threat he used to be, but that has more to do with the continuing emergence of Tony Parker as one of the league's best point guards than it has to do with any shortcomings in Duncan's game.
Instead, Duncan is dominating the glass. He is averaging 12 rebounds in the two games so far against the Jazz while Jefferson has been relatively quiet, averaging only 6.5 boards per game—well under his seasonal average of almost 10 per game.
As a result of Jefferson's inability to out-rebound Duncan, young Derrick Favors is taking on more of a role for the Jazz. He is doing a good job on the glass, but when he's on the floor they lose a significant amount of offense compared to when Jefferson is playing.
The Spurs have effectively wiped out any advantage the Jazz were supposed to have down low by presenting them with a healthy and rested Duncan.
This is a huge problem considering the fact that the Jazz don't have any outside shooters capable of carrying the team in the meantime.
Making things worse for the Jazz is the fact that the Spurs have a handful of players at the guard and forward positions that are capable of going off for 30 points on any given night. The best part about that equation for them is that nobody is ever looking to score 30 points a night.
They are the best passing team in the NBA. Everything they do on offense is predicated on unselfish ball movement, and every player on the team has bought into the concept 100 percent.
As the series heads to Utah for the next couple of games, there is a slight chance that the Spurs will experience a hiccup and lose a game on the road.
I don't see it happening, though.
Duncan spoke to the media earlier this week in between games. Per ESPN.com: "I don't know if anybody's saying we're the favorite. I think we have a chance. I don't think we're ever the favorite in anything."
It's exactly this kind of attitude that will propel them to greatness.
The Spurs have the look of true champions this year, and they've been down this road before. They know the dangers of allowing an inferior team to regain hope, and they won't take anything for granted.
The Spurs are going to take this series in four games, and there isn't anything the Jazz can do to stop them.
