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 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 had a great fourth quarter defensively. We did not get into foul trouble early and made some really big defensive plays. They shot the ball extremely well tonight. We were down going into the fourth quarter and really raised the level of our defense.
What people don't understand is, last year we had two great players, but you need more talent. You can never have enough talent.
Eddie's always been the kind of guy coming off the bench with great energy, a real pure heart. It's hard to find guys like him.
We got a break tonight. Bobby Simmons is a great player - Mo Williams - those two guys would have created a lot of problems for us. The thing about a speed team, if you can see them walking up and down the court, you've done something.
People got a view of absolute greatness. It's absolutely beyond description. I haven't seen players do that in a long time.
Strange things happen when you think things are at their worst. I thought Gary (Payton) did a great job of running the offense and making some big plays in the fourth quarter. James Posey had timely shots and two big offensive tip-outs. We had other players step up when we had to.
This is an entirely different basketball team than I've ever coached. The personalities are different. There's a lot of great things. There's a lot of things that have to be purged. It's just a whole different view. There's a lot of good parts, so it's going to take some time to figure it all out.
Shaq did a great job tonight. We have to make sure he's not in foul trouble and constantly look to go to him.
The demise of Shaquille O'Neal has been greatly exaggerated. I can guarantee you that - and I coach him.
They played an absolutely great game. They did what they had to do defensively. It didn't help us that Shaquille got in foul trouble. Any time he gets in foul trouble and has to sit down, it sets us and him back.
They got great individual play from him. And now they're finding the spirit and camaraderie to play together.
It's almost a crossroads for me right now, to find the competitive warriors and the competitiveness of those guys will transcend the talent and reputation. I'm going to try to find the guys who are going to try to play the hardest and best in support of our two great players.
They're a great team. They can score. They can stop. That's why they're who they are.