SAN ANTONIO — A fan sitting behind press row at the AT&T Center shared a loud mouthful of free advice with the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.

“Put in Hornacek!”

That option, of course, hasn’t been available for years. Now an assistant coach, Jeff Hornacek has different game-time responsibilities these days anyway.

But even without good knees and with his suit and dressy loafers on, the former Jazz sharpshooter’s touch would’ve come in handy in this 104-89 blowout loss to San Antonio.

Of course, it would’ve been even more helpful for the Jazz if “Take out Ginobili!” had been shouted out and then adhered to by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

Manu Ginobili hit a sizzling 9-for-10 from the field, sank 5 of 6 3-pointers and finished with 23 points.

“He is who he is in this league,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. “He’s an All-Star. He can score. You want to make him work hard for everything.”

Oops.

The Argentine Assassin single-handedly turned this into a rout in the second quarter when he scored eight straight against a Jazz bench that got lost on rotations, allowing for back-to-back wide-open treys for Ginobili.

The Manu moment continued as he dropped 14 points and the Jazz dropped their heads in the period, giving the Spurs a double-digit lead they never came close to relinquishing.

“We lost a little bit of our zest. I thought our energy level was pretty good up until that point,” Corbin said. “They made a run and we just didn’t respond to it.”

As a result, the Jazz, still trying to find who they are between their youth and veterans, were clobbered on someone else’s court for the third time in five nights.

Any momentum picked up in Friday’s exciting 102-99 home win over Philadelphia fell out of the charter somewhere between the Wasatch Front and the Alamo. It’s looking like inconsistency could be the major theme of the season.

“It’s going to be an up and down for a while,” Corbin said, “until we get more familiar with each other.”

At least the 3-1 Spurs’ fans didn’t get free tacos like the Lakers’ crowd did when L.A. held Utah to 71 points and like Nuggets’ supporters did when Denver scored 117 in those one-sided contests.

“It’s only our fourth game. We do not need to panic,” Jazz center Al Jefferson said. “We have all the pieces we need. We have a good bench, and we have a lot of new guys, so on offense they are not quite clicking yet.”

Against Utah’s defense, the Spurs sure clicked.

Besides Ginobili happening, DeJuan Blair added 17 points with 10 rebounds, while Tony Parker (14 points, eight assists) and Tim Duncan (12 points, nine rebounds) reminded the young Jazz that the old guard still rules in these parts.

On the other (cold) hand, there was Utah.

Two teams executed what they wanted to do this season better than any other — the Chicago Bulls on defense, the San Antonio Spurs on offense.

Yet, when the talk of a title came up it was always the Lakers out of the West, Miami and Boston in the East.

“I think we’ve been a pain in the ass for the press this year, we just get in the way of the conversation…” Gregg Popovich said before his team took on the Lakers.

The Spurs have always been fine with that. It’s not about flash, it’s about execution and belief in a system. That execution is half of what the Spurs need to win.

Sticking to the system that is their strength. It’s not the system itself — what the Spurs run is not better or worse than the Lakers triangle, or what is done in Boston, Chicago, or even Memphis and Philadelphia. What is different in San Antonio is the willingness to stick to that system and execute it properly every time down. They as a team commit to the system in a way other teams do not.

Talent matters — they need the Tim Duncans and the Manu Ginobilis and the Tony Parkers — but the Spurs made their leaps forward this season without a massive roster overhaul as some had called for. Timothy Varner of 48 Minutes of Hell explained it this way in an email to PBT.

What the Spurs didn’t do is blow up their team. They didn’t move Richard Jefferson, although they found a creative way of reducing his annual salary. They didn’t decide that trading away one of their Big 3 was their next ticket to contention. They made small, surgical changes that left the rest of the body intact and unharmed.

The beauty of this approach is that the Spurs out-execute most teams because their players, by and large, breathe the Spurs’ system. In San Antonio, this takes time. One full season, at least. Sometimes longer. By limiting their personnel turnover the Spurs set themselves up to… beat you with a bench that is not only talented, but one that clearly understands the nuances of Spurs basketball.

In the playoffs, the pressure is more intense — pressure from opposing defenses is tougher (especially as teams advance), pressure with the weight of the games increases. It becomes suffocating for some.

The Spurs, they just execute it. They know they can they dare you to match.

But the Spurs do not have the overwhelming talent of the Lakers, Celtics and Heat. That means their margin for error is smaller.

Which brings us to the second thing that has to happen for the Spurs — they can’t afford injuries. They need to stay fresh and healthy.

Already Manu Gimobili has a sprained elbow. That is not likely enough to cost them much against Memphis — the Grizzlies big men are their strength — but from the second round on they will need him at or near 100 percent.

“I think we can play with anybody,” Popovich said. “The question for us is if we can stay healthy and last against all these young, athletic deep teams.”

If they can, you know they can execute the Spurs system. Ii they do that they have a chance to beat anybody. And win another title.

Read More: Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs

The Memphis Grizzlies have never won an NBA playoff game. Their next chance will be Sunday at 1 p.m. on TNT, as the Grizzlies will visit the San Antonio Spurs for Game 1 of their first round 2011 NBA Playoffs series. The Grizzlies essentially picked the Spurs by tanking the final two games of the season against Portland and the Clippers; neither Zach Randolph or Tony Allen played in either game, and coach Lionel Hollins sat Mike Conley for the finale. That allowed the Grizzlies to avoid the Lakers. The Spurs are some prize, huh?

Here’s the full series schedule:

Game 1: Sun., April 17 in San Antonio, 1 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2: Wed., April 20 in San Antonio, 8:30 p.m., NBA TV
Game 3: Sat., April 23 in Memphis, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 4: Mon., April 25 in Memphis, TBD
Game 5: Wed., April 27 in San Antonio, TBD
Game 6: Fri., April 29 in Memphis, TBD
Game 7: Sun., May 1 in San Antonio, TBD

Check out the full NBA playoff schedule.

PHOENIX — The San Antonio Spurs lost a shot at home-court advantage throughout the playoffs and saw a grimacing Manu Ginobili leave the court in pain early in the game.

Not exactly a beautiful ending to a powerful regular season.

“Now,” coach Gregg Popovich said, “the fun starts.”

Despite the 106-103 loss to Phoenix on Wednesday night, the Spurs are the No. 1 seed in the West and early indications were that Ginobili’s hyperextended elbow wasn’t serious.

Popovich sat Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker in a loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, but all three were in the starting lineup Wednesday.

“You can’t predict anything and there’s no reason to second guess and I don’t think any one of us are going to do that,” Duncan said. “Luckily, it’s not serious and hopefully he can be ready to go once the playoff starts. You cross your fingers, you hope for that, and you move on.”

The Spurs move on to a first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies, a team that seemed to want to face San Antonio.

“They sat their guys for the last three or four games,” Duncan said. “They’re trying to stay where they’re at. Obviously, they’ve chosen their matchup and want to stick with it.”

Marcin Gortat had 21 points and 13 rebounds to help the Suns avoid being swept in the four-game regular season series.

The Spurs, at 61-21, finished a game behind Chicago for the best record in the NBA.

Had San Antonio and the Bulls finished tied and faced each other in the NBA finals, home-court advantage would have been determined by a random drawing because all other tiebreakers were equal.

Ginobili went down with 9:46 left in the first quarter. The star guard slid to the floor near the San Antonio free throw line, then the Suns’ Grant Hill fell on top of him.

X-rays for a more serious injury were negative. An MRI was planned Thursday.

Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker sat out the Spurs’ 102-93 loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday but all three were in the starting lineup against Phoenix. Duncan had 17 points and 12 rebounds in 31 minutes. Parker scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting in 25 minutes. Neither were on the court when the game ended.

“Tony’s been under the weather. He got 25 minutes so I thought that was about enough for him,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “We got Timmy about 30 so that was good. They needed to get a good run and they did so they could keep a rhythm. And then you like to win, but we didn’t and that’s the way it goes.”

Channing Frye and Jared Dudley scored 17 apiece for the Suns.

“We’ve kind of had our fans on the emotional roller coaster this year,” Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said, “where we played well and then we struggled then we played well.”

Phoenix failed to make the playoffs for the second time in three years after a surprise run to the Western Conference finals a year ago, which included a second-round sweep of San Antonio.

“It’s been a long year so to finish it off with a couple of victories was good,” the Suns’ Steve Nash said. “I think it was important for us too for our psyche. It’s a good feeling amidst a lot of disappointment.”

Nash, with one year left on his contract with Phoenix, said he has no desire to play elsewhere.

“This is my team,” he said.

The Suns shot out to a 17-point lead in the first quarter Wednesday night and the Spurs never could catch them.

After shooting 65 percent in the first 12 minutes (17 of 26), the Suns made 20 percent (5 of 25) in the second to lead 61-53 at the break.

San Antonio cut it to 66-63 on Parker’s short jumper three minutes into the second half, but an 11-1 Phoenix run made it 77-64 when Dudley made a pair of free throws with 5:01 to play in the period.

Down 85-74 after three, the Spurs came back to make it a free throw shootout down the stretch. Aaron Brooks sank two from the line to put Phoenix ahead 106-103 with 3.9 seconds to go. Gary Neal threw up an airball from the corner for San Antonio just before the buzzer.

NOTES: Hill became the seventh player in NBA history to average at least 13 points at age 38 or older. … Ginobili missed two games this season, only one because of injury: March 28 against Portland because of a bruised left quad. … Nash led the NBA in assists for the fifth time, joining John Stockton and Jason Kidd as the only players to do so. … San Antonio had the best record in the West for the sixth time in franchise history – five of them with Duncan. … The Suns won 40 games for the seventh straight season.

PHOENIX (AP)—The San Antonio Spurs lost a shot at home-court advantage throughout the playoffs and saw a grimacing Manu Ginobili(notes) leave the court in pain early in the game.

Not exactly a beautiful ending to a powerful regular season.

“Now,” coach Gregg Popovich said, “the fun starts.”

Despite the 106-103 loss to Phoenix on Wednesday night, the Spurs are the No. 1 seed in the West and early indications were that Ginobili’s hyperextended elbow wasn’t serious.

Popovich sat Ginobili, Tim Duncan(notes) and Tony Parker(notes) in a loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, but all three were in the starting lineup Wednesday.

“You can’t predict anything and there’s no reason to second guess and I don’t think any one of us are going to do that,” Duncan said. “Luckily, it’s not serious and hopefully he can be ready to go once the playoff starts. You cross your fingers, you hope for that, and you move on.”

The Spurs move on to a first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies, a team that seemed to want to face San Antonio.

“They sat their guys for the last three or four games,” Duncan said. “They’re trying to stay where they’re at. Obviously, they’ve chosen their matchup and want to stick with it.”

Marcin Gortat(notes) had 21 points and 13 rebounds to help the Suns avoid being swept in the four-game regular season series.

The Spurs, at 61-21, finished a game behind Chicago for the best record in the NBA.

Had San Antonio and the Bulls finished tied and faced each other in the NBA finals, home-court advantage would have been determined by a random drawing because all other tiebreakers were equal.

Ginobili went down with 9:46 left in the first quarter. The star guard slid to the floor near the San Antonio free throw line, then the Suns’ Grant Hill(notes) fell on top of him.

X-rays for a more serious injury were negative. An MRI was planned Thursday.

Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker sat out the Spurs’ 102-93 loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday but all three were in the starting lineup against Phoenix. Duncan had 17 points and 12 rebounds in 31 minutes. Parker scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting in 25 minutes. Neither were on the court when the game ended.

“Tony’s been under the weather. He got 25 minutes so I thought that was about enough for him,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “We got Timmy about 30 so that was good. They needed to get a good run and they did so they could keep a rhythm. And then you like to win, but we didn’t and that’s the way it goes.”

Channing Frye(notes) and Jared Dudley(notes) scored 17 apiece for the Suns.

“We’ve kind of had our fans on the emotional roller coaster this year,” Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said, “where we played well and then we struggled then we played well.”

Phoenix failed to make the playoffs for the second time in three years after a surprise run to the Western Conference finals a year ago, which included a second-round sweep of San Antonio.

“It’s been a long year so to finish it off with a couple of victories was good,” the Suns’ Steve Nash(notes) said. “I think it was important for us too for our psyche. It’s a good feeling amidst a lot of disappointment.”

Nash, with one year left on his contract with Phoenix, said he has no desire to play elsewhere.

“This is my team,” he said.

The Suns shot out to a 17-point lead in the first quarter Wednesday night and the Spurs never could catch them.

After shooting 65 percent in the first 12 minutes (17 of 26), the Suns made 20 percent (5 of 25) in the second to lead 61-53 at the break.

San Antonio cut it to 66-63 on Parker’s short jumper three minutes into the second half, but an 11-1 Phoenix run made it 77-64 when Dudley made a pair of free throws with 5:01 to play in the period.

Down 85-74 after three, the Spurs came back to make it a free throw shootout down the stretch. Aaron Brooks(notes) sank two from the line to put Phoenix ahead 106-103 with 3.9 seconds to go. Gary Neal(notes) threw up an airball from the corner for San Antonio just before the buzzer.

NOTES: Hill became the seventh player in NBA history to average at least 13 points at age 38 or older. … Ginobili missed two games this season, only one because of injury: March 28 against Portland because of a bruised left quad. … Nash led the NBA in assists for the fifth time, joining John Stockton and Jason Kidd(notes) as the only players to do so. … San Antonio had the best record in the West for the sixth time in franchise history—five of them with Duncan. … The Suns won 40 games for the seventh straight season.