Over the summer, Dallas Mavericks veteran guard Tim Hardaway proclaimed that his former coach in Miami, Pat Riley, would never have a championship contender again because players do not want to listen to him anymore.
Hardaway, who played five glorious years for the Heat, was venting his anger to the media about the man who did not choose to resign him. It was hard to believe that his remarks would become a reality.
However, his words are holding true.
Going into last night’s road game with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Heat was on an 11-game losing streak – the longest one in Riley’s coaching career.
It is not the longest losing streak in Heat history. In its inaugural season in 1988, Miami lost its first 17 games, and a year later, it lost 13 in a row mid-season.
The Heat, however, for the first time in a very long time are living in the cellar. With a 2-13 record, they are tied with the lowly Chicago Bulls for the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Riley has never missed the playoffs in his first 18 years of coaching in the NBA. In his nineteenth year, he may be playing golf or attempting to write his next book a little earlier than expected.
In a career filled with winning, this is the lowest point for a man who was once considered the best motivating coach in the league.
With well over 1,000 victories in his career, Riley is one of the most successful coaches in the history of basketball. In L.A. when he was roaming the sidelines for Magic Johnson and the Lakers for nine years, he won four championships, including back-to-back championships in 1987-88. In fact, the term “three-peat” can be credited to Riley, as he told reporters after the Lakers won their second-consecutive title in 1988 that his team would win a third championship in a row.
With his glistening slick back hair and sharp Armani suits, Riley flourished in the glitz and glam of Tinseltown.
Riley was also successful in one of the hardest places to work – New York. His arrival to the sidelines of Madison Square Garden and knowledge of the game helped a Knicks team that had come so close to taking the extra step, get to the Finals in 1994. They eventually lost to the Houston Rockets in seven games.
In 1995, Riley made a decision that has put a major tarnish on his storied career.
He left the intense spotlight of New York and migrated to the Sunshine State where the sun shines brighter than the television cameras. He wanted more control in the Big Apple, but Knicks management was not willing to give it to him.
In Miami, he got it. He got a chance to build a franchise that had much potential.
His desire for power and money has led him to losing, though. The Heat have been one of the powerhouses in the East for some time now, but they have never been able to get to the promised land. With many big name transactions and extended winning streaks, the Heat were always one of the best teams in the regular season. Once playoff time came around, it was a different story.
Riley’s motivational speeches did not seem to work in the playoffs, specifically when his team faced up with his former club – the Knicks.
Now he can’t even rile up his guys in the regular season.
Riley has never been a great in-game coach. He does not use tactful strategies and he hardly makes grand decisions to switch things up during the contest. New Yorkers know this all to well, as he refused to take out John Starks in the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the 1994 Finals despite the fact that he was shooting 2-for-18.
We can give the benefit of the doubt to Riley, as All-Star center Alonzo Mourning has missed games due to injury. However, last year ‘Zo missed the entire season with a kidney ailment and Miami still was able to finish above .500.
The Riley flare has diseased.
He cannot get his players to commit to the system. As of now, though, he cannot find a system, as he has used twelve different starting lineups in fifteen games this season.
Since Riley cannot motivate his players anymore and he has never helped his team win while they were on the court, it is time for him leave the game. He has become worthless as a NBA coach and his team is making everyone see this fact.