For the Miami Heat to win its first NBA Championship, it needed the man who built the franchise into a contender over a decade ago. The Heat needed a monumental effort and a rainmaker to take over during the season and lead the troops to victory.
It needed Pat Riley. It needed him to fine tune his coaching, managerial and motivational skills, and to show that the old dog had the foresight to know he needed new tricks to win in this era of the NBA.
While Dwyane Wade stamped his name on the MVP trophy and became one of the best players in Finals history, Riley was the puppeteer pulling the strings on Wade’s supporting cast. By blending in fading superstars, a rising megastar, role players and cast-offs, he not only brought them together, but managed to finally bring a victory parade down Biscayne Boulevard.
And it was perhaps one of the best coaching jobs in NBA history. This championship wasn’t like the four Riley won as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, which boasted one of the greatest lineups ever with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy—this was a true challenge. From bringing in Shaq, Jason Williams, Gary Payton and Antoine Walker to controversially replacing Stan Van Gundy, the pressure to succeed in South Beach grew with each passing game over the past seven months.
This championship wasn’t about redemption for Pat Riley—he doesn’t need it with his resume. It was about proving that who’s coaching still matters.
Just look at some of his work—getting Walker to play defense and not just jog three-point line to three-point line, and convincing Gary Payton to play more like a role player than “the player”, as well as come off the bench and contribute to a total team effort.
Riley got Jason Williams to play less like White Chocolate and more like a Starbucks decaf latte. He tapped Alonzo Mourning’s one kidney for more production than anyone thought possible. He managed the ego of a declining Shaquille O’Neal. And most importantly, he convinced a group of savvy veterans that Dwyane Wade should be the captain of the ship, not just a passenger.
While they were handing out awards in the post-game, they should have given Riley an honorary PhD in motivational psychology. In a sports world where so many struggle mentally with the game they play, his psychological management of this team and his motivational tactics proved that he always believes and never doubts.
There was the bowl that had been sitting in the middle of the Heat locker room throughout the playoffs, covered by a shroud of mystery. Only the players and coaches knew what was inside—and it wasn’t Stan Van Gundy’s head. Riley revealed that the bowl included over 150,000 small cut-out cards of the Larry O’Brien trophy. They signified the end goal of the team and that the Heat were composed of “15 strong”.
“People don’t know how much they wanted to win. Every day, I would bring in a bunch, dump them in, Shaq would bring them in. It was about 15 strong, the Heat, the players and their wives, after all we’d heard about team chemistry and guys not working together...it was about faith,” Riley said.
In making them believe, he convinced an eclectic group of players with varying backgrounds and ages in a cynical league of selfish athletes to come together for the ultimate goal—a championship.
The players said Riley offered all of his rings so they could win this one. Who wouldn’t want to play for that guy? How many coaches can pinpoint to their teams which day they’ll win the title?
“The great Pat Riley told me we were going to win today. He told us on 6/8 that we would win it on 6/20…Pat Riley is the best coach I ever had,” Shaquille O’Neal said amidst the celebration.
He earned the respect of his players and got them to buy into his system—perhaps the most difficult thing for a coach to do in professional sports. It showed on the court as they played defense, jumped on loose balls and consistently out rebounded Dallas—something that hadn’t been done against the Mavericks in the entire playoffs. And it showed after the final buzzer, when each Heat player individually hugged Riley to show their appreciation.
It took Riley’s kind of toughness to become only the third team in NBA history to win the Finals after being down 0-2. When the series shifted to Miami after two bad losses in Dallas, Riley changed the team’s mentality. For the next four games, the Heat played like Rambo: aggressive on defense, attacking on offense and physical on both ends, relentless and driven. In contrast, the Mavericks played back on its heels, almost trying to solve a mystery like Colombo: attempting to figure out all the angles, but running out of time at the end of the show.
In many ways, the Heat are the embodiment of Pat Riley, realizing as a group that the window of opportunity was closing, that they needed and wanted a championship more than they wanted the individual recognition. Even when it appeared the Heat couldn’t find themselves, their leader knew who they were and what they could do.
For the first time in 18 years, Pat Riley tasted championship champagne Tuesday night. And it never tasted so sweet. Maybe Pat Riley needed this, but the Heat needed him more.
And I remember thinking it was a huge mistake when they dumped Van Gundy, but Riley has done have great job turning all these guys into teammates. And good luck in the Comp Moore. You're stuff has been 5 star from the first time I read it. (And you supported my stuff too) Good luck!
So you think it was Pat Riley that gunned down J.R. Interesting...
I remember when Pat Riley put this crew together after pulling off the biggest trade in NBA history, I said to myself, "there is no way in hell that this team gels and wins a title."
Boy, was I wrong. When even Antoine Walker is committed to your cause, you know that you are a master motivator. Did you hear about the tightrope story he used as a speech this series. Riley is just brilliant. I still don't like how he pushed out Stan Van, but apparently it was the right move for the Heat. Nice take, Bri.
Nice work Moore. Especially like the line about White Chocolate becoming a decaf latte. Riley did do a great job coaching. Earlier in the playoffs, it looked like the Heat had a few weaknesses. I also noticed how Antoine Walker stepped it up. Got more aggressive driving to the hoop, rather than relying on just an abundance of 3 point shots. At times, the Mavs turned into just a jump-shooting team...reminded me of the old NY Knicks with Ewing and Oakley.
Congratz to Pat!!! Yeah right, Pat Riley is no hero, savior or anything like that. It was totally wrong the way they forced Stan Van Gundy out and thats the bottom line. Van Gundy had done an excellent job, he led Miami to the 2nd round the year before, then last year took them to the Eastern Conference Finals. Had Van Gundy come back the Heat still could've won. Riley forced Van Gundy out so that he can take the credit for leading the Heat to the title.
Moore - You are so right on with this one. And on top of all of that he showed last night that he is a gracious winner as well. As I commented on MeanDovine's post, it is common place to compliment your adversary, especially after you have defeated them. But the kudos and the sincerity with which he applied them to Johnson and the Mavs showed the respect he had for his opponent and the respect he sees for their future. He taught his players and his opponents many lessons this post season. Among them was how to win graciously. I'm sure he will keep it "classy" in Miami. Great post. I have agreed with you in the past but probably never more than with this post. Awesome!
I think that when Riley piked these players, he had a vision of how they were going to play and VanGundy did not share the same vision that Riley had and was removed as necessary, to the clown that felt the need to bash Riley, the Van Gundy's do not adjust and that is why they are have no championships and why Stan was removed, get over it!
Very well said, Bri. I posted on Riley's coaching excellence today as well (though in much more casual fashion). Definitely a masteful job, as was this piece. Good luck with the judges, and stop over to the Weekly Truth tomorrow.
Great job Moore. You summed this up nicely and I agree completely. I posted an article today about the supporting cast and included Riley on it and ended it with a quote he said last night in his post game. Kinda goes with what you wrote here...
Reporter: Just how does this championship compare with the other ones that you've won?
Riley: I said it, I mean it, I'd give up six of them for this one. I just would have. I would have traded them all in for this one. Not that it's not disrespectful to any of them that I won. But after 18 years, and chasing, you know, you keep chasing it, you keep chasing it, you get tired. So this gives me a sense of absolute freedom from having to chase it, desperately chase it. So it's very special.
You can see it meant alot to Riley but like you said, he meant more to the players. Great job, 5 stars from me.
I cannot believe more is not said about overcoming one of their own starter's bad play. Walker stunk it up until the end where he had a couple of nice drives to the hoop. I would have paid money to hear Riley's inner monologue when Walker was launching up illadvised three's or passing the ball to the other team.
Riley's inner-monologue watching Walker make mistake after mistake:
"I'm going to punch him right in the baby maker!"
"When you said you were going to shoot, I thought you were joking. I even wrote it in my diary later that night. Walker made a funny joke today...he said he would win the game by making shots from the outside."
"I like scotch, scotchy, scotch, scotch."
NGreat post. Not being old enough to really appreciate the Riley-Laker Championship years, and only seeing him fall short in NY and Miami...i along with most thought that his BEST COACHING days were long past...but wow, I have a NEW FOUND RESPECT for him... He will go down as one of the BEST MOTIVATORS in history for his often unique ploys that really get through his message to his players. His "One Suit, One Shirt, One Tie" comment before GAME 6 is one of the BEST ONE-LINER Motivational moments ever!! That will be a Catch-Phrase that lives on... Kudos to Riley on a great job coaching and believing in his off-season moves that many (including myself) questioned. You CAN"T ARGUE with SUCCESS. I guess you CAN TEACH an OLD DOG NEW TRICKS.
MrNFL: Thanks for the comments, I really appreciate your support! And thanks for the high rating.
absolutebest: I have to admit, I thought the same thing. If you check my archives, I even blasted Riley myself. I kept saying, "This is never going to work...he got Antoine Walker AND Gary Payton, no chance..." And then I noticed the way he carried himself after Game 2 and never complained about anything, just saying the team needed to play better. And his motivational tactics are second to none. I still don't like how he pushed Van Gundy out either, but he does deserve credit for putting it together and seeing this thing through. Thanks for the comment!
ShooterB: Thanks for the kind words. They really just kept getting over their own short comings--they never did get good at transition D in this series, but the beauty of it was, they didn't need to.
DPhryst: Thanks for the comment. I thought the same things you did. But I became convinced over the course of four games that Riley is the only man who could have done this. He's an excellent button pusher.
gcoach: Thanks, I really appreciate the praise--and I agree with what you said about Riley's graciousness in winning, showed a lot of character.
DatSTAR: Thanks for the comment. You're probably right, the championship validates all.
itzallgud: Thanks for dropping a line. I heard the whole post-game press conference too (including every thing with Stephen A., I thought I would throw up as he slobbered on everyone, but I digress...). Giving up all his other titles says a lot about what this meaned to him.
Hoffman: Thanks.
sportsuniverse: Thanks man, always appreciate a compliment.
dmatcwu: LOL...I always appreciate a good Anchorman quote. Now that I think about it, I can definitely see Riley saying that (and you're right, Walker started to get away from the new Antoine, but not enough to hurt the team, which is a huge accomplishment for Riley).
JBinSA: The one suit, one tie line was amazing. He had so many great lines after Game 6 explaining everything he had done. Thanks for the comments and your take on it. Always appreciated.
Another great post Moore. Once again...your insight is dead-on. Only Pat Riley could orchestrate this team all the way to the Championship. And to think he did so after being down (0-2)!!! As someone who remembers the glory days of the Lakers/Celtics matchups during the 80's...what Riley did w/ this team is nothing short of phenomenal. To motivate this team to a level that allows them to shelve those ego's (Payton, Walker, J-Will)...amazing. He truly is the master Architect. And to be honest...I never have liked the guy. Could be because I grew up rooting for Larry Legend. But I gotta' give Riley his credit. Noone else could have done this...certainly not Stand Van Gundy.
Once again, good job Moore. This is a very solid post. I have come to expect nothing less from you.
Moore - It is easy for people to give that tired line of "well, the coach doesn't lace 'em up!". In this case he did everything short of it. Seriously, Avery probably needed to put his jersey on if he wanted to counter Riley because the Mavs choked.
When this series is looked back on, many will wonder how in the world this cast of characters won it all. Then someone is going to say "Pat Riley was the coach".
as much as i may not like riley, shaq, jason williams, and antoine walker, the heat really got their act together to pull off their championship run. no names, has beens, a never was, and a few recycled parts CAN succeed in the nba. it takes alot of luck and a superstar effort, but it can be done. the heat's "machine" may not have run like a benz, or looked like a sports car, but it was effective, like a 3/4 ton pickup, and that's all that matters.
Hey Moore, congrats on advancing to the top 2. Great choice for this assignment, Riley is indeed as instrumental to Miami's Championship run as you maintain.
Solid job per usual Moore, you have a good flow. However, if I could give one brief suggestion for your intro. One thing that really stood out in an awkward kind of way was the continual reference to the Miami Heat and their championship as "It" or "Its". It just doesn't sound as smooth as it could have by using some different words in place of all the "its", and at time borders improper grammar. Quick example for opening sentence:
"In order for the Miami Heat to bring home the city's first NBA Championship, the team needed..."
Then instead of saying "It needed Riley" "The Miami Heat", "City of Miami", or just simply "The team" needed Riley, would work much better.
Don't mean to be a downer, smart ####, or anything else like that. You know you have been one of my faves for a long time. Just want to help and see you at your best for what is sure to be a very grueling week for you and HiPlains. Best of luck to you this week Moore.
cardinalsbaseball: Well thank you for the high praise. As I have mentioned before, I am a huge Lakers fan and used to love Riley, but I didn't like the way he "thugged" up the game while coaching the Knicks (though his coaching of that horrible offensive team to the '94 Finals was nothing short of spectacular). That said, his job with this team may indeed be his best ever--and certainly, in my opinion, one of the best jobs in league history with all factors considered. Thanks for the comment.
Norcal: Agreed. You make a great point about Johnson needing to "lace them up", because he was outcoached (in my opinion) and that isn't because the Heat won. Did Dallas ever figure out to do when Miami went zone? It was like Riley was two steps ahead of him. Through in the motivational stuff, and Johnson never had a chance. But he's a great young coach and will get even better--many years ahead of him in the league. And you are right, the only way the Heat winning makes sense is when you look at who was coaching this, uh, interesting group of characters. Thanks for the comments and your support.
cuziffer: Thanks for dropping in. Great line about the 3/4 ton pickup. Same as you, as much as I'd grown to dislike Riley for reasons I've mentioned in comments above. But he took this team to a championship and I don't think another coach, including Van Gundy or even Phil Jackson could have (think '04 Lakers with Jackson). Thanks again man.
Last edited by MooreSports on June 22nd at 4:52 AM.
GBrent: Thanks for your kind words and suggestions. No offense taken, I appreciate any feedback on the writing--it can only help me improve. And like all things in life, we can always improve ourselves. Thanks again!
edclinch: I think you asked me at the end there if I speak French, and to answer, if would be no, though I do think it would be cool. You are right, Riles was a pioneer back in the 80's, especially with his term "Three-Peat", a new way to motivate the Lakers (though they didn't do it, he stills gets credit). Good comments, ed. Thanks!
Moore, I've been reading you since the contest started at the Final 16 and you've gotten progressively better each week while it seems the other guys have varied. You continue that trend here. Though Riley may be the focus of many stories over the course of the next few days, as will Wade and Shaq, you take a different approach since it's about how Miami needed Pat Riley--then you prove it. Great lines in here, too. The puppeteer and decaf latte lines are solid but not over the top, though nothing top's last week's Walker analogy. You have me wondering if the Heat can repeat. Maybe that's Riley's next saying, "The Heat Repeat". Nice job here.
I cannot begin to tell you how well you have written this latest post. And you bring up many valid points as to Riley piecing the team together and unifying them, at just the right time, in order to win the Heat's first NBA championship. Master motivator, eh? Perhaps so. I felt watching this series, much as everyone else, that game three was the turning point. But was that from Riley's motivation, or was it from one single player taking it on his own shoulders -- to will this team to an unprecidented victory? Did Riley tell Wade he needed to be the leader/catalyst of the team when defeat seemed enevitable? I must also mention, that the Finals Championship format (2-3-2) provided a huge upside as well. Much as the Miami fans seemed silenced for the latter part of game three, they went hysterical after the end result kept the Heat's chances alive. Yes, as much credit as you can give Pat Riley, you can't say enough about their fan support. To just keep believing in their team when mostly everyone counted them out. I think that really pushed them over the top. If game five were held in Dallas instead of Miami, the result may have been different. The Heat's momentum may have stopped short. Or maybe not. Who's to say for sure. But congrats to the Miami Heat and once again, thanks for another good post MooreSports.
Great post Moore. Very well written and smooth flow. It was an enjoyable read.
However, I am not the biggest fan of Pat Riley. I believe that he only puts himself in situations that he can excel or win. Pat Riley has never developed a young player. He has taken veteran teams laden with all-stars and first ballot Hall of Famers and not screwed it up. Motivation? In professional sports? Way over-rated.
Larry Brown is said to be a great motivator and coach. I believe that to be true, but he did not fair well with the Knicks this year, did he? Could Brown have led the Heat to a title, probably.
While insightful and well-written, I'm sorry man, I just wasn't feeling it. Many of your points remain debateable (while Riley deserves credit, who knows how Van Gundy would've fared), but more importantly, sports fans--especially in the wake of a championship--want to reflect on the drama created by the players on the court, and this series had so many colorful players involved. Maybe this is me being tired of ESPN's coverage of the Cuban/Johnson/Stern cry-fest, but I'd like to see more focus on the players and teamwork instead of owners, refs, or coaches.
drakewilmont: Thanks for the kind words and the nice compliment about getting better. Nice catch phrase there with "The Heat Repeat" slogan. Better get a trademark on that...
ThurstonHowellDa3rd: Thanks for your comments. Great point about the 2-3-2 gimmick having a huge effect on this series. I still am not sure what the purpose of running the entire playoffs one way and then throwing in that wrinkle, but it had a significant impact this year. Wade may have been the player to turn it around in Game 3--but the veterans accepted it long before. Riley had told Wade much earlier in the season to go ahead and take over, much like a father handing over the keys to his Rolls to a 16 year old. The fans in Miami really did get the hang of it, didn't they? The White Hot gimmick was a little corny, but the David Hasselhoff faces on Dirk's free throws was priceless. Thanks for the kind words, again.
FlyingPig: You bring up a good point about Riley not ever coaching a young team. Niether has Phil Jackson--until this year. But there are X's and O's coaches who develop young talent but can't ever win the big one and there are those who manage well. Joe Torre is a great manager of egos and in that city and that situation, no one else could do more. But put him on the Royals, he'd be fired in a week. I suppose it's all relative to what you respect and enjoy as a fan of a team and sports. Thanks for the comment and the comments about the piece.
Last edited by MooreSports on June 22nd at 7:56 AM.
cdh14: Thanks for the comment, I appreciate your view. While I would agree that there is no way of knowing how well Van Gundy would have done, you just can't say enough about Riley getting this team to play together and for each other--which is about teammwork and the players, and I mentioned that in the column. They came together because Riley brought them together, gave them the motivation to work for it. Though I disagree with you there, I will say I agree with you being tired of the coverage so many are/have devoted to the Cuban/Johnson/Stern drama. Good points and thanks again.
You know sitting here thinking about how good Riley is, I have even more respect for the Chicago Bulls of old. They beat good Knick teams coached by one of the best coaches in basketball. Just think, if Jordan was a mere mortal, Riley would have two or three more championships.
dmatcwu: Could be. Riley does need some talent in order to win, but it is a testament to his coaching abilities to this day that he took the '94 Knicks to Game 7 of the Finals. That was an U-G-L-Y team from an offensive and defensive perspective. Thanks again for dropping your thoughts here.
Moore and Drifter, because assignment #1 has so much specificity, I’m going to forego commenting on it as I’d like to see how the judges approach this one.
I will, however, be offering weighty comments on assignment #2.
Nevertheless, if I may offer but one piece of advice to you both, “You have to want it more than the other guy!”
Right now, I can’t tell which of you wants it more.
Last edited by MeanDovine on June 22nd at 2:17 PM.
Enjoyed this one, Moore. And I didn't watch one game of this NBA series. But, as a good writer can do, you drew me in! (Just when you think you're out...) Good strong opening and nice wrap at the end. I liked the Rambo/Columbo thing, too, although I'm a sucker for Columbo anything. (Maybe it was that cute dog of his...)
Anyway, good luck, Moore! I can see reading this type of stuff on FS. = )
Hmm...I liked the article but I'm really not sold on Riley being the reason. He's a good coach, but one of the best coaching jobs in NBA history? That's a little much considering the kind of player he was working with in Dwyane Wade. I don't know, I've never been sold on Riley as a mastermind coach. Great coach, don't get me wrong. I just don't think he is the reason for this title.
DMitch87: Thanks for your thoughts here. My take wasn't necessarily that Riley was the only reason the Heat won, but quite possibly that he was the thing that put them over the top. With the collection of guys he had, the pressure to win with Shaq now, and all the other intangibles, I'd say this is one of the best coaching jobs...just my opinion. Thanks for yours, I appreciate the comment.
I agree with you on Riley. Personally I don't care for the guy but I truly believe that Stan Van Gundy doesn't get the job done. The very second the rumors started and it became clear that some players like Shaq wanted Riley in there, he lost the team. Maybe not so much that he lost them but they lost him.
I know I wrote something similar a while back when Miami was playing Detroit that echoed similar sentiments. I just doubted that Riley would actually pull it off against Dallas. Nice piece and looking forward to your "creative writing" assignment.
rivjo: Thanks for the comment. Great point--Van Gundy had lost them when the players starting thinking about Riley, so the only way they could succeed was if Riley took over. I think that could get overlooked from time to time. Thanks again, for the kind words...
I admit, like others, I thought dumping Van Gundy was a big mistake. I've often wondered if Riley was a bit overrated considering that he had great players in L.A. You hit many nails on the head. Great job.
Thankfully, Riley was able to bring a championship to Miami, and not a moment too soon. The problem now for the franchise is where it'll go from here. As you've already said they've got a few aging superstars on that roster and it's not likely that Riley Will be back in the coaching chair next season. They've obviously got to get things in place for the upcoming season and for the next five years to day the least and that means complementing Wade's play and versatility with a good enough supporting cast. O'Neal's not going to be around beyond 2007-08 season, his legs won't carry him beyond that. Despite his claims to the contrary.
tophatal: Exactly, they were built around winning this championship, with a two-three year window. Now what? They'll most likely come back for another run, but it will be difficult, as it always is to win Back-to-Back in the NBA. It will be interesting to see what direction they take.
Heat24: Thanks for the comment, I really appreciate that.
Last edited by MooreSports on June 28th at 4:50 AM.
MooreSports, They're going to have to complement Wade's offensive prowess with a reliable third option beyond Shaq. That's where I do believe the Heat's problems seem to be. Beyond that, they can tinker with the roster however Riley sees fit to do it.
I've been looking at the names with regard to tonight's draft lottery and I'm not overly impressed as there doesn't seem to be a concensus #1 pick. Bargnani seems to fit the bill, but he's somewhat more of a protoypical European type of player. Some say along the lines of Nowitzki, which can't at all be a bad thing.
