Jerry Sloan not sounding very confident

See you Sunday.

Assuming the Lakers open the playoffs that day -- a safe bet since Sunday is also known in the league office as “Lakers vs. Whomever on ABC!” -- we know who they’re playing.

Passing up a chance to avoid the Jazz in the first round by losing, the Lakers instead dialed U for Utah, leading by as many as 21 points Tuesday, crushing the Jazz, 125-112, to lock in the matchup.

For the Jazz, it ended a nightmare finish in which it lost seven of its last nine -- including home games against Minnesota and Golden State -- dropping from No. 5 and a matchup with someone its own size, to No. 8 and the Lakers.

“We didn’t give them much of a battle, knowing we have to play them again,” said Utah Coach Jerry Sloan. “It looks pretty bleak. . . .

“They have a terrific team. They have guys who can pass the ball, do about anything you ask a team to do. They’ve got guys who can make big shots, who just know how to play the game, make the game look simple. . . .

“We’re just like a little dent in the road, far as they’re concerned. They’re very comfortable playing against us and obviously should be.”

Aside from the race for best overall record, which didn’t seem as important once Boston fell off the pace, Tuesday night’s game was the most meaningful one the Lakers had played since their win in Cleveland on Feb. 8.

Of course, the first question was, would they try?

Coach Phil Jackson held his usual pregame interview session, with the media asking -- delicately -- if he intended to tank, which came out as an inquiry into whether he was “concerned” about who they play in the first round.

“I don’t play the game that way,” said Jackson, dryly.

On the other hand, what would he have said if he did intend to lose, “Splish, splash, we’re taking a bath?”

Teams actually do tank, just not ones anyone is paying attention to.

Five or so hit the brakes every spring, trying to enhance their chances in the lottery. In the case of the Clippers, Washington and Sacramento, all still seeking that elusive 20th win, they seem to have started jockeying for position at Thanksgiving.

In rare instances, good teams do it, like the 2006 stretch run when a seeding loophole gave the No. 5 Clippers an opportunity to play 44-38 Denver in the first round, rather than 60-22 Dallas, if they could drop beneath No. 6 Memphis.

Thus began a tank-off between Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy and Grizzlies Coach Mike Fratello.

With a pivotal late-season meeting coming in Memphis, Dunleavy scored an important point, losing at home to a 34-win Seattle team with starters Chris Kaman and Cuttino Mobley sitting out.

Fratello struck back, putting his star, Pau Gasol, on the inactive list before the Clippers game with a sore foot.

The Clippers lost, anyway, 101-95. Fratello registered his protest by congratulating his players on their “professionalism.”

Oh, and the Clippers went on to beat Denver, while Dallas swept the Grizzlies, 4-0.

So you can imagine the excitement as the starters were announced before Tuesday’s game.

Would it be Gasol and Kobe Bryant?

Or Jordan Farmar and DJ Mbenga?

Or Sun Yue and four D-Fenders teammates?

Not that the Jazz ran and hid when the Lakers regulars came out. Utah led by seven points in the first half and wiped out a Lakers nine-point lead in the third quarter.

Then, the sky fell in on the Jazz.

A year ago, the Lakers went 12-3 in the West draw, with two of the losses against Utah, but they didn’t have Andrew Bynum then.

“They’re so much longer than we are, putting him on the floor really gives them a lot of length,” said Sloan.

Is there any way you can play against him, he was asked.

“Yeah,” said Sloan, grinning, “put him in a concrete stretcher. See if that makes our guys bigger.”

And last spring’s Jazz finished on a 38-12 run. This one finished 2-7, with last season’s leading scorer, Carlos Boozer, struggling to return to form after a long absence.

“Some great players have been able to do that [return from injury],” said Sloan. “Our guys have struggled with it. . . .

“You have to fight a little bit harder. Sometimes you think you got to go a little bit easier. Everybody has a different approach, afraid they’ll get hurt doing it.

“I always liked the Michel Jordan thing, he tried to come out and break his foot after he broke it once. And that pretty well tells you where you are.”

Where they are is scheduled for a return trip back here this weekend. It’s not all they wished for but it’s all they’ve got.

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mark.heisler@latimes.com