The legendary Pat Riley celebrates his 80th birthday. Whether as a player, as a coach, or as a string puller – “The Godfather” always knows how to convince. Sport1 looks back on the incredible success story.
He was team -mate of the great Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain. He conducted Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O’Neal from the sidelines-and threaded the infamous “Decision” by LeBron James behind the scenes.
Patrick James “Pat” Riley looks back on a Hall-of-fame career that moves as moved and steeped in history than hardly any other-as a player, as a coach, as team president of the Miami Heat.
The young Pat Riley as a Lakers player 1973
The man who she calls “The Godfather” – the sponsor – went through with the Heat ups and downs. These include a total of 19 final participation, which he witnessed in Florida in his years.
His heat is currently only in tenth place in the Eastern Conference, and the playoffs threaten to miss this year. Just two years ago, Miami surprisingly reached the NBA finals.
On the occasion of his 80th birthday, Sport1 looks back on the (almost) unique career of a legendary NBA eminence.
Pat Riley as a player:
In 1972 , more than half a century ago, Riley reached his first milestone: the 1.93-meter man, born in the small town of Rome-also active in the Minor Leagues at a young age-is part of the then Laker’s championship.
In the exceptional collective around the unmatched Chamberlain and Jerry West is Shooting Guard Riley a rather little cog in the machinery: he plays in the series against the New York Knicks for a total of 15 minutes, comes to an average of five points per game.
The title remains Riley’s greatest success as a player: he reached two more finals (again in 1973 with the Lakers against New York and in 1976 with the Phoenix Suns against the Celtics), both are lost.
Riley leaves a larger and sustainable impression as a coach.
Pat Riley as a trainer:
Riley’s coaching career begins in 1979 with an almost tragedy: an almost fatal bike accident forces the then Lakers coach Jack McKinney to resign. Paul Westhead takes over and makes Riley one of his assistants.
Riley, at the University of Kentucky student of the legendary college coach Adolph Rupp, helps Westhead, from the team with veteran Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (at the high school teammate Rileys) and the rookie phenomenon Earvin “Magic” Johnson to form a master team. With the final victory against the Philadelphia 76ers 1980, Riley has his first master ring as a coach.
In the course of the 1981/82 season, Magic Johnson spends coach Westhead, the escalation goes so far that he publicly demands a trade – instead, the Lakers Westhead fire and carry Riley. At the end of the 1982 season, the final triumph against the Philadelphia 76ers and Riley’s first title is the boss.
Pat Riley was the coach of the legendary “Showtime Lakers” of the 80s
After another lost final against Philly in 1983 , the beginning of a new era followed: with the final of the Lakers against the Boston Celtics, the rivalry between the “Showtime Lakers” around Magic Johnson and the Boston Celtics around Larry Bird starts.
Rileys Lakers and the Celtics are delivering three legendary final series, which from 1984 goes to the Celtics, who triumph from 1985 and 1987 on La in 1988 against the Detroit Pistons, the possible “Three -Peat” prevent the Detroiter “Bad Boys” with Isiah Thomas and Dennis Rodman when they reversed in 1989 – also because Magic Johnson from game two with an injury is out of action.
In May 1991, Riley received a new coaching job on the other coast, the master maker with the eternally strict pomade hairstyle takes over the New York Knicks. There he forms a defensive power around Hall-of-fame colleague Patrick Ewing, who keeps biting their teeth on the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan in the east.
The biggest success of the Knicks in the Riley era is the final entry in 1994 – in the absence of the Jordan, which was resolved at the time and has changed to Riley’s old Passion. The Houston Rockets around Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwan deny Rileys Knicks the crowning glory.
LeBron James was mastered in 2013 under Team President Pat Riley Meister and MVP
In 1995 Riley switched to Miami Heat’s coaching bench and also forms a top team there. Riley’s career seems to end with his resignation in 2003, but Riley returns in the middle of the season when his hand -picked successor Stan van Gundy Flopt.
Riley leads the young Dwyane Wade and Center Legend Shaq O’Neal to the 2006 final series against Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks, the Heat kept the upper hand with 4: 2.
After 18 years, Riley still has his championship number five as a coach. Only the icons Red Auerbach (nine) and Phil Jackson (eleven) were more successful.
Pat Riley as team president:
Rileys Aura also continues to work in the management of the HEAT, in 2010 he wins LeBron James and Chris Bosh for the Superteam project with Dwyane Wade. With the trio infernale, the heat as expected rises to the dominant power of the league, move in the finals four times in a row.
In 2011 Nowitzki’s Mavericks still had the better end for themselves and cemented the legacy of “Dirkules”, in 2012 and 2013 LeBron and Co. reach Oklahoma and San Antonio The hoped-for master teachings, but in 2014 the Spurs will resonate.
As a trainer, Pat Riley was able to become NBA champion five times
With LeBron James’ Return to Cleveland in 2014, the dominance project is falling, but Rileys Heat remain a top address. In the 2020 Corona season, Butler and Co. almost succeeded in the surprise coup, this time Riley’s companion LeBron thwarts him against the injury-plagued ex-team.
And a final is also lost in 2023 – this time against the Denver Nuggets. Ring number ten is therefore denied Riley.
However, the 19th final in his career places him on one level with the Boston coach icon Red Auerbach. Hard to believe, however, that he is still far from record holder Jerry West – who even achieved 30 final participation as a player, trainer, general manager and consultant for the Lakers.