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.
They are a perimeter team that shoots the ball well, that if you're not covering and taking away their air space then someone's going to get you somewhere.
The team itself was hung over from last night, and very disappointed by it.
Teams are going to start getting nastier, more competitive and they want it, and they're going to get ready for playoffs. And when they happens you just have to walk away from it and you have to play at a higher level.
We had a lot of shots around the basket that didn't go in. I thought we got frustrated by not getting the calls that we thought we should have got, which leads to complaining to the officials. ... There's got to be a lot more mental toughness against a team like this.
We thought we were going to win. We can play with anyone when we're really in it and focused mentally on what we have to take away from a team like that.
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.
If we had come back with the same team as last year, it would have been a disaster. We didn't have the firepower to sustain what we needed in this conference. Last year was a honeymoon year. A couple players had career years. I didn't believe we had the core of players like the core we have now. We have a lot more versatility now.
If we had brought back the exact same group we had last year, I think the results would be good, but we needed more talent, ... We built the team around Shaquille that's a now team. We want to get it done as quick as we can. This is by far the best team that I've been around since the ones that I coached in Los Angeles.
I have complete faith. That's how I operate, that's how I coach. I truly believe that when all the parts are healthy, I know how good we are. I've said it over and over again and I will continue to say it, I just think this team can do something special. And that's the way I'll keep thinking.
I have complete faith. That's how I operate, that's how I coach. I had complete faith when we were 25 and whatever (in 2002-03), and I do now. I truly believe that when all the parts are healthy, I know how good we are. I've said it over and over again and I will continue to say it, I just think this team can do something special.
Shaq is in shape. He's back in 26 games. We've been together 46 games. Enough talk about learning each other and coming together. It's time to put up and play, and play against the best teams in the league, especially at home.
We're supposed to be one of the top teams in the league. We've assembled some of the top talent in the league. This team needs to understand that when we come to another team's arena, that it is a big event. We came in here and the Hornets took it from us.
Those two best teams probably should be in this game. But that's not the way it is.