http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10443766/ DALLAS - Smiling wide and laughing mischievously, Magic Johnson offered a message Monday to Shaquille O’Neal and the rest of the players on the Miami Heat: Get ready to work hard, to be yelled at and to be led by a terrific coach, Pat Riley. “Pat is going to push and push and push,” Johnson said hours after Riley took over from Stan Van Gundy. “If those guys aren’t mentally tough, they’re in for a rude awakening. Awwww, man — they all should have hoped that Van Gundy stayed. That’s for real because it’s a new day starting tomorrow in that practice. Trust me. ... “Some people are going to have to grow some tough skin they hadn’t had to grow before,” Johnson added. “Pat is a direct guy. That’s going to really be different than everyone is used to. And he’s going to say it in a way they’re not used to a coach saying it and right in their face. ... He just wants you to play the game the right way.” Story continues below ↓ advertisement Johnson knows from experience, having played nine seasons for Riley on the Los Angeles Lakers during their “Showtime” era. Those teams reached the NBA Finals seven times and won four championships. Riley later coached the New York Knicks and Heat, along the way bolstering his reputation as a demanding boss who likes long, grueling practices. Cackling again, Johnson noted that no one gets special treatment. “He doesn’t mind singling out anybody, that’s from Shaq on down,” said Johnson, who was in town to watch the Lakers play the Mavericks. “You get one set of rules. That’s everybody, from the superstar to the last guy.” From the front office, Riley saw the Heat come within minutes of reaching the finals last year. He then rebuilt the roster over the summer, adding the likes of Antoine Walker, Jason Williams and James Posey to support superstars O’Neal and Dwyane Wade. With the new crew only 11-10, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he doesn’t think anyone should be surprised by the switch. “I think Pat’s going to do what’s best for the organization,” Jackson said. “He brought these players in and I think he’s going to try getting them going in the right direction.” Before Jackson returned from his own layoff to coach this season, he asked Riley whether he was ready to come back, too. Slide show: The Week in Sports Pictures Kuwait's al-Thafeeri catches the net of his goalkeeper after Iran scored its fourth goal in a qualifying soccer match in Doha Launch • The Week in Sports Pictures Bloody boxer, deft Dawg, blurry Sonic, and more. “He talked about not having the energy perhaps to return,” Jackson said. “Now it’s a 60-game season for him, so he’s in pretty good shape.” So is ABC. The network’s Christmas afternoon matchup of Jackson, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers against O’Neal and the Heat just got even more sizzle. “Phil Jackson and Pat Riley on the sidelines? Both teams should be motivated,” said Lamar Odom, who was among the players Riley traded to the Lakers for O’Neal. Before Riley swung that blockbuster deal for Miami in July 2004, there was talk he might try replacing Jackson as coach of the Lakers, in part to work with O’Neal. “When it became apparent that we weren’t going to re-up with Shaquille and he was going to be in the trade market, I think (Riley) went back and did the next best thing and traded for Shaq,” Jackson said. “It was probably the right thing to do.”
I started this thread to focus on what to expect out of the Heat now that Riley is coach as opposed to the dynamics of him taking over. Firstly, Pat Riley is one of the strongest personalities the NBA has ever seen. His ego and force of will are legendary. When he coached the Lakers in their "Showtime" championship year, Riley wasn't some passive sap who just turned everything over to Magic. He rode them very hard and demanded excellence during practice and in games. It was Riley's way or no way at all. All of the Lakers players that stayed on the team many years bought into it. He was no different with the Knicks. The only thing that changed was the style of play as Riley took tough, hard-nosed defense to the extreme. Without his forceful will, those Knick teams (especially the one that went to the Finals against us) would have exploded with divisions. There was a lot of tension and dislike between Oakley, Ewing and Starks. Riley is the only coach I can think of who could have taken that undertalented team to a Game 7 in the Finals. With the Heat, he was no less demanding. But for some reason, his taskmaster ways got a lot more attention in Miami. During his last couple of years in Miami, I think the game was slipping away from Riley. It's hard for a coach to stay relevent over 20+ years. Like players, coaches have peak years where they hit their stride, and most start losing their grip on the wheel after a while as the game evolves away from whatever their core philosophies are. This was happening to Riley in Miami. It wasn't just a lack of talent. IMO, he left the Heat the first time because he felt the team didn't have much upside and another year of sub-.500 winning was too much for him to bear. In steps SVG, and after a horrible start, they make the playoffs and win their first round matchup. I don't think they would have done that under Riley. Now that the team is a clear championship contender, Riley wanted back in. I think the Heat players both fear and respect. He's going to go in, crack the whip hard and the players are going to give max effort for a good while. This includes Shaq, who is going to practice hard for the first time in years. Some players will end up in Riles' doghouse and will be shipped out or benched. Jason Williams and Toine better get their acts together. If Riley tells Toine to come off the bench, he better not complain or pout. And he better play hard when he comes in. If players don't do what he dictates, it's over. It's possible Riley has a season-long honeymoon with the team and they could burn up the league until June. Don't rule it out. And maybe sitting and observing things for 2+ years has taught Riles a few new things. He was a great coach in the 80s and early 90s and maybe he is still great Whatever happens, the Heat now become one of my least favorite teams in the East. So much so I want the Lakers to beat them on Christmas Day (fat chance). What happened to SVG was jerky. Riley is an NBA legend, but he's so cold-blooded he would make a good assassin.
One can only hope.. I would love nothing more this NBA season, well that and to have the Mavs do the same thing..
I've thought about that. Riley is the one coach who could maybe calm Ron Ron down enough to make him productive and reliable. One thing is for sure: Artest wouldn't be able to complain that practice wasn't hard enough.
If you think Bird would trade Artest to one of his two major rivals for the East, you're nuts. As to Riley, I don't think the game slipped away from him. His philosophy of grinding his players to the bone 24/7 is what caught up with him. Miami was terrifying in the regular season but couldn't kick into another gear in the spring (they were in overdrive since October). Plus, guys like Marleje, Hardaway, and Mashburn very clearly wore out from the intense practices and they routinely ended up on the IL with overuse injuries (joint problems, tendinitis, etc). How will his style mesh with this Heat team? Zo knows what's up but I wonder if his body can take the practices. Shaq has really become a slacker but might play along. Walker is going to get eaten alive and may want out. Jason Williams might handle it seeing how he did well with Hubie Brown. Wade should be fine. Posey is going to need a therapist after Riley starts getting after him. Haslem should be perfect. Overall, they'll probably be good to go. If there was any doubt in my mind about SVG's "personal reasons" they got swept away with Riley's comments at the press conference ("I have to do what's best for this team"). Mike & Mike called him out hilariously this morning, playing his comments over the Godfather theme. It was eery, they fit together so well. Evan
Riley is gangsta, and if that team has any heart or desire to win it all he will get it out of them. Time to seperate the men from the boys.
I expect Riley's head to explode when Walker jacks up a 30 ft three on a fast break with a teamate under the basket.
Riley won't bench him . . riley will RUN out on the court . . tackle him and DRAG HIM BACK TO THE BENCH Rocket River
Riley won't get them any farther than SVG would've. All his championship teams were loaded. As always, it comes down to the players. If Shaq is useless in the 4th quarter like last year, they probably won't make it over the hump.
What he said...Seriously, I don't see how its ok for a coach to quite when your down and then comeback and expect anything different...PR is a great coach, in the 80's...
