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
Obviously I'm very happy with the win and the fact that we had 26 assists and a lot of guys involved. Tonight we did a lot better at cutting and spotting quickly. We just made a lot better decisions.
When you're casting your ballots for Defensive Player of the Year or All-Defensive Team, there's no doubt. I think people forget about what he's done. He's second in the league in blocks and he only plays 16 or 18 minutes per game. He's really a factor for us. I thought he was the difference tonight.
I think the mitigating factor for us was trying to find a way to overcome the free throw shooting.
I don't take joy in anything else. The fact they have lost two games in a row. ... Welcome to the NBA. I'm really concentrating on our guys, our team. I'm not watching the standings much right now.
We just had a hard time guarding the ball on the dribble.
We just had a great first quarter. I mean, it was just incredible. I don't think I've ever seen this team play like that.
We weren't sharp. They came out with more energy and their offense was much more crisp.
We feel very fortunate that we were able to acquire the services of a multifaceted player in Derek Anderson , whom we had interest in this summer before he signed with Houston. We feel that he will be able to play three positions for us, giving us added versatility.
We controlled the game for the most part except for the end of the second quarter. Alonzo had a huge impact on the game defensively. He gave us a defensive lift when we needed it.
I've seen a lot of plays like that. I coached Magic Johnson.
I've spoken to James about it. He understands. He just wants to win and he'll do whatever it takes.
I spent four days in New York with my family, with my mother, and during the process of being there also I was able to do some things. I was getting ready while I was up there.
I sort of had a tendency to forget about him because he was hurt for so long.
I should have played him in New Jersey. I regret that. He could have helped on (Vince) Carter.