He's worked as well on the shooting stroke of small forward Andrei Kirilenko, who immediately credited Hornacek after hitting 8-for-12 from the field and scoring a team-high 21 points in Game 1.

"He has been a great shooter, back like five years ago, and his whole career," Kirilenko said of Hornacek, who actually retired after the 1999-2000 season. "So all the little tips, all the strategy, how to shoot the ball, all the routine, how to prepare to hit a shot — I mean, it definitely helped me.

"You think it would be (magic). No. It's a work in process. Practice, practice and practice," Kirilenko added. "You warm up with a different kind of shot, and then you're shooting with a full speed, high speed with different arc, with defense, no defense, moving, no moving, stationary shots — I mean, it's just a matter of practice."

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan welcomes the helping hand of Hornacek, who periodically commuted from his home in the Phoenix area to Utah during the regular season.

He joined the Jazz in Houston over the weekend, and — now that he's here — Sloan holds him up as an example to be followed.

Not just when it comes to shooting, either.

"He was a very, very good player in this league, and had one great skill to be able to shoot the ball," Sloan said, "but another one (too), because he's smart and knew what was going on in the game.

"He doesn't look like a very tough guy, but he was a tough guy. He played, basically, on one knee for a year or two," Sloan added. "I always tell guys, 'He always kept guys in front of him on one leg.' And we've got guys on two that have a tough time. So, it's not impossible if you're willing to work at it — and Jeff was always a tremendous worker."

If only Fesenko can follow suit, Harpring's work will be done.

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com