Team owner Larry H. Miller remembered to bring a ball into the postgame EnergySolutions Arena locker room Friday night, and Utah Jazz players either signed it or planned to sign it soon after it was presented to coach Jerry Sloan.

"That's the 1,000th Jazz win for him," said Utah power forward Carlos Boozer, not exactly giving away any secrets, "so we all congratulated him and signed the ball for him, and we'll pop champagne later.

"We're proud to be part of the team that got it for him, and we're proud to be a team that's going to get him a whole lot more."

Boozer's 21 points in Friday night's 104-97 win over Oklahoma City helped Utah start the season 5-0 and give Sloan his 1,000th coaching victory for the franchise, an NBA record.

Counting his days as head coach in Chicago, Sloan has a career head-coaching mark of 1,094-717. He's 1,000-596 with Utah.

Sloan, of course, accepted the ball and the team's congratulations with little fanfare.

"He said, 'I'm just happy we got our fifth win,'" said Boozer. "He's very basic, and to him, all that matters is that we win.'"

Because the Jazz opened the season 5-0, that historic 1,000th victory came at home, where it could be appreciated most by the 19,911 announced attendance. Had the Jazz lost one, it likely would have happened some time next week during a five-game road trip to the East.

"I knew that it would have been kind of bad to get it on the road," said guard Ronnie Brewer. "We've played so well at home and won so many games at home the past couple years."

"I think for the fans' side of it," said forward C.J. Miles, "it was great to have it at home, but everybody knows coach Sloan. Coach Sloan is about winning games right now.

"He said the most important thing was getting our fifth win. Like, the thousandth win — he shrugged his shoulders, kind of like, 'OK.'"

"I think he was more happy that we started off 5-0," Brewer said.

Sloan's players may have had more of a historical feeling than the guy who set the record.

"Well, it means something. One thousand wins. Twenty years with the Jazz," said center Mehmet Okur. "I'm glad I'm here with him (when) he won 1,000 wins, same time, and I'm happy for (him).

"I wish I had 1,000 wins as a player or a coach."

Ronnie Price, in his second season with the Jazz but a man who spent a couple of years observing Sloan and the Jazz while playing at Utah Valley State College, said it's something he can relate to his future children and to his relatives.

"It's an experience that I'll be able to live with for the rest of my life, to say that I played for a Hall of Fame coach and played for probably the best coach to ever coach the game," Price said.

"I'm happy for him. I'm also happy that we got our fifth win tonight."

Fellow point guard Brevin Knight had a similar feeling and looked toward the future. "I'm just having a great time being in his company every day," he said.

"And hopefully, we can get him some more wins and get him that championship ring," one of the few mileposts that has so far eluded Sloan.