Pat Riley
Pat Riley
Patrick James "Pat" Rileyis an American professional basketball executive, and a former coach and player in the National Basketball Association. He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995 and head coach in two separate tenures. Widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time, Riley has served as the head coach of five championship teams, four with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the Heat...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionCoach
Date of Birth20 March 1945
CityRome, NY
CountryUnited States of America
We were a minute and a half away from the Finals -- big deal, ... It's about winning a championship.
We're going to go at it (Wednesday) without trying anything new. I think if we ever get to that point where we play them down the road we'll probably have a few other things that they haven't seen.
When we are in the penalty, you have to go to him as much as you can. We kept trying to call his number.
We know he's a big-time tumbler. He goes hard to the basket. He hits the floor a lot. If he could play he'd be out there.
We're absolutely finding ways to win. We're making play after play we need to make in crucial situations.
There are universal truths of defensive basketball. If a guy is open, guard him. Don't leave him standing in the corner or out on the three-point line.
When I left, I knew the end was near. I didn't think it was going to be 48 hours. ... Anybody who's been through it, you understand. I've got a job to do and I'm going to do it.
He wants to play, he wants to be out there. We're not being overly cautious, he's got a problem and we just want to treat it. We want to get it right.
I'd like to secure what we've had all season, which is the No. 2 spot. We've got to gather ourselves.
I don't know if Shaq called him; it could have been the other way around. Double-check who called who and then I think the whole thing might change around a little bit. But that's friendship more than anything else. I can assure you Shaquille wouldn't have went public with it.
He'd go a week and he'd be OK, and then he'd get hurt again. So I just hope he's healthy now and I can use him in that role.
He's a remarkable player, and I'm glad to have him on my team.
He's got to do the bulk of the rebounding for us. Those are the things he's got to dominate.
He had an impact on some of the drives they made. I'm sure they kicked it out a lot because of him.