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
That was obviously another one of those games. They (Boston Celtics) played extremely well. They were focused and they had a tremendous approach to the game. They executed in the first quarter flawlessly. They did not feel our defense and they did not feel our presence. We were waiting for them to miss and they just didn't.
What we've noticed a little bit about Chauncey and what Flip has done with this team, he has injected a sense of energy into his team early. Chauncey is no longer just a late-game (shooter). Throughout the course of the game, you've got to be very aware of him, and obviously at the end of the game you've got to deal with him and what's he doing.
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.
Shaq had an off night. In the beginning of the game he had a couple of turnovers (because of) strips, but obviously he could play a lot better than he did today.
Obviously we're concerned about everybody's health, based on what happened last year. We've still got 19 games to play. You can't walk around on egg shells, but we do have to be conscious of the maintenance of these guys.
You can't be happy with the whole disposition of our team in the second half, playing with a 20-point lead and not defending at all. We showed very little respect for all the hard work and good play. I'm happy we were able to win it at the end, but obviously we can't play like that.
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.