It only took the Utah Flash one year to get the hang of this playoff thing.

After posting a 24-26 record in their inaugural season, the Flash have made all the right moves in their second season and made one of the biggest improvements in the league.

Only the Bakersfield Jam, who improved by 15 games, have had a bigger turnaround from last season to this year and as a result, the Flash are talking playoffs.

"First of all, we're excited to be in the playoffs. A lot of work has gone into this from all these guys in that locker room. I guess from the first year to the second year, we felt like we got a real good draft," said Flash coach Brad Jones. "On this team right here, we've have four guys, our first four-round draft picks are still on our team and I would venture to say that hasn't happened to anybody else in the league. Then you get guys like Kevin Kruger, James Lang and Brian Jackson back. We didn't have anybody to get back from the year before and I think what that adds to is our depth."

Utah beat Idaho 108-102 on Saturday night, so now the Flash will open the playoffs on Wednesday at home at 7 p.m. Their opponent is yet to be determined.

"I think obviously we're very excited. The best marketing is winning. It's always great when the team plays well. There's a good vibe in the locker room and in the community," said Flash president Joe Brown. "We expect to be in the playoffs every year, but realistically this is only our second year and I think Brad (Jones) and his staff has done a great job."

The way the D-League playoffs work is eight of the 16 teams will qualify for the playoffs. The winners of the three divisions are automatically in, along with the five teams with the best regular season records, regardless of division.

In a playoff twist unique to the D-League, here's where it gets interesting. Instead of seeding the teams No. 1 vs. No. 8, the three division winners can choose their first round opponent from the teams ranked five through eight.

The first and second rounds are single elimination. The finals will be a best-of-three series.

Colorado finished with the No. 1 seed and will pick its opponent first. Utah will then have a chance to choose who it wants to play on Wednesday.

"My thought is I've got to celebrate this tonight and wake up in the morning and get with our coaches and try to make a decision," Jones said. "The tough thing is we've got to kind of look at our record against those teams, what they've done in the last 10 games, how they've been on the road, all that stuff goes into play and then you've got to wait and see how Colorado takes. I really don't have a clue."

Utah will likely pick its opponent this afternoon. Whoever it is, fans can purchase playoff tickets at the McKay Center box office or by calling 434-HOOP.