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
I think they've turned the corner. They've accumulated a tremendous amount of talent. Ever since (Thomas) has come here, the talent level has gone through the roof. That's all I know.
He's as complete a big man as there is in the league. He's 6-11, he runs, can shoot the ball, he drives on isolations, posts up. He's really a fantastic player.
He's a remarkable player, and I'm glad to have him on my team.
He's got size. He's very strong. He shoots (43%) from the three. He can post up. He's very methodical. He plays the game until he needs to determine the difference between winning and losing. That's what he's developed into.
He's just got to go to the rim with every block. Shaq has a tendency to go to the body and get a lot of fouls.
He's had that problem in the past. In the second half, I would have loved to give him a rest. But when I wanted to, the game was tied and we went down.
He's got to do the bulk of the rebounding for us. Those are the things he's got to dominate.
He's got to do it. I was very disappointed... Those are the things that he has to dominate if he's going to be fronted and backed and we can't get him the ball all the time. He has to use his size and keep his head under the rim.
He's got to be out there on the floor, consistently. Every time he's not, it takes him out of his rhythm. He's got to be more diligent - and we've got to be more diligent - as to the kind of fouls he takes.
He's got to be more diligent. He's got to find a way to get over and contest the ball without fouling.
History is history. But they've had our number for the last two or three years.
He's being measured, I think, too harshly. But I believe in him. He's a streak scorer with this team. He can get on a roll.
He's been very aggressive posting up and around the hoop. He's taking those outlet passes and getting over people in traffic and becoming stronger inside.
When he came to the Lakers, Bob McAdoo told me how much the game meant, how it changed everything, how it opened up the world for black kids in the South. I guess I never really thought of it that way, that we were such a big part of history.