Utah Jazz guard Derek Fisher showed up at halftime of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, too late to save his team's season.

He had spent the afternoon in New York, to be with his 10-month-old daughter as she underwent chemotherapy treatments for eye cancer.

But the way fellow guard Deron Williams sees it, Utah's pitiful performance in the Spurs' 109-84 series-clinching victory Wednesday had less to do with which Jazz players showed up late and more to do with those who failed to show up at all.

"There were some guys that were already on vacation," Williams said. "Point blank. On vacation. A long time ago."

Williams declined to name names.

Tim Duncan headed to the bench for a well-deserved break. Only nine minutes into Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, he already had the Spurs well on their way to another NBA finals berth.

"Good job," coach Gregg Popovich said blandly, not even making eye contact.

Duncan nodded slightly and took his seat.

The Spurs aren't flashy and don't brag. They just win, especially in odd-numbered years, and the display they put on at the start of their 109-84 victory over the Jazz on Wednesday night should serve as a warning to the Pistons and Cavaliers what one of them will be facing when the championship round begins next week.

Turns out the biggest adjustment the Spurs made for Game 4 was shortening the bench. Brent Barry didn't play at all, and Francisco Elson got in for only the final 27 seconds of the first half. That meant more minutes for Fabricio Oberto (37:09) and Manu Ginobili (34:57).

The Spurs' Argentine connection paid big dividends in the victory in the pivotal game.

Seems like sticking with the same plan for Game 5 would be a no-brainer. After all, closing out the series tonight would give the Spurs at least five days to rest before Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

But the decision facing Gregg Popovich is not as simple as it seems. With the Western Conference finals now in the grueling 1-1-1 stretch that requires play-travel-play-travel-play, does Popovich risk leaving his much older roster drained should it have to play Game 6 on Friday in Salt Lake City and possibly Game 7 on Sunday in San Antonio?

It seems much more likely Popovich will give both Barry and Elson a rotation in the first half of Game 5. If he likes what they give him, they will get similar shifts in the second half. For Barry, that means knocking down a 3-pointer. For Elson, it means avoiding turnovers and being out of position on defensive rotations.

If there is a Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, security is likely to be tighter.

Angry Utah fans threw debris onto the court late in the San Antonio Spurs' 91-79 win Monday night in Game 4, and the shower continued after the buzzer -- even after repeated pleas over the public address system to not throw anything.

Both San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich and Utah coach Jerry Sloan were still unhappy Tuesday about the ugly scene.

"It's unfortunate because it's always a few people that create a poor impression. It didn't reflect well on Salt Lake City that's for sure," Popovich said in San Antonio, where the Spurs will try to wrap up the series Wednesday in Game 5. "But on balance, we all know that there are idiots in every town that can act like that and unfortunately we saw some of that."

There were no injuries, although San Antonio forward Bruce Bowen said he was a little alarmed to see a container of lip balm coming at him.

Utah fans -- seeing their team lose at home for the first time in eight games this postseason -- showed their disgust by hurling things toward the court, appearing to hit San Antonio's Bruce Bowen with something small.

Manu Ginboli and Tim Duncan had post-game interviews on the court cut short by head coach Gregg Popovich, who rushed his players from the court to the safety of the locker room.

It was San Antonio's first playoff win in Salt Lake City. The Spurs had been 0-9 counting losses in 1994, '96, '98 and Saturday night.

Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili took the brunt of the blows and made enough foul shots in the fourth quarter to lift San Antonio past a valiant Deron Williams and the Utah Jazz 91-79 Monday night, giving the Spurs a 3-1 series lead.

This was the first game of the best-of-seven series still in doubt in the fourth quarter, causing tempers to flare and bodies to fly. The Jazz got four technical fouls down the stretch, including the ejection of coach Jerry Sloan and usually mild-mannered Derek Fisher.

Jazz point guard Deron Williams started Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Monday after battling a stomach bug for the last two days.

Williams missed practice Sunday and did not participate in the team's shootaround Monday morning. He arrived at EnergySolutions Arena about 90 minutes before tipoff and was listed as a game-time decision until the starting lineups were released.

Williams, who had 31 points and eight assists Saturday in Utah's 109-83 victory in Game 3, said he was feeling "all right" as he walked toward the court to warm up with some jump shots.

Utah coach Jerry Sloan said he expected Williams to play if he was well enough to dress.

Jazz point guard Deron Williams didn't participate in a shootaround Monday morning because of a lingering stomach flu and was to be a game-time decision for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.

The Jazz trail the Spurs 2-1 after a 109-83 victory Saturday night in which Williams scored 31 points. He is averaging 30.3 for the series.

Williams showed up at the team's practice gym Sunday complaining of stomach problems. He was given medicine and sent home. On Monday, Williams received treatment while his teammates practiced.

Jazz point guard Deron Williams sat out practice Sunday because of a stomach illness and is considered probable to play Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Spurs on Monday night.

Williams had 31 points, eight assists and five steals in Utah's 109-83 victory Saturday night that got the Jazz back into the series, 2-1.

Back in the comfort of home, the Jazz found some things they didn't have the first two games of the Western Conference finals: Confidence, defense and scorers other than Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams.

Williams and Boozer still led the way, but it was the play of their teammates that carried Utah past San Antonio 109-83 on Saturday night, and cut the Spurs lead in the series to 2-1.

Williams had 31 points and eight assists and Boozer had 27 points and 12 rebounds, keeping the Jazz a perfect at home this postseason -- 7-0 -- and making them 3-0 against the Spurs in Salt Lake City this season.