"So, I'm very fortunate to be in this position, and learn from his example," added Fisher, who is playing his first season under Sloan after spending most of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers and a couple of years at Golden State. "Getting a chance to see how he still loves to come to work, and how he still pushes us hard to go out there and play good basketball — it says a lot about him."

Even more telling, at times, is what Sloan himself says.

The farmer from Illinois frequently slips homespun humor into coaching, occasionally leaving more than one player trying to figure out not only what he meant but also where he's coming from.

"Sometimes," Kirilenko joked, "you can't understand him. ... Nobody. Even American guys."

NBA regular-season coaching victories (W-L)

1. Lenny Wilkens, 1,332-1,155

2. Don Nelson, 1,200-891

3. Pat Riley, 1,160-600

4. Larry Brown, 1,010-800

5. Jerry Sloan, 1,000-663

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com