[外電] Riley's Influence Felt From The Shadow

[UdonisHaslem (Udonis Haslem)]

Riley's Influence Felt From The Shadows


MIAMI -- With head high and shoulders back in his dark tailored suit, Pat
Riley was quickly and purposefully striding down the hallway of Chesapeake
Energy Arena on his way to his seat just before Game 2 of the NBA Finals when
he saw the familiar face of a reporter.

"Some of you guys have been right," Riley said, referencing the criticism of
his Miami Heat following their Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"Tonight we're going to be right."

Riley is no longer on the bench, and no longer showcasing his brand of
confidence during timeouts and at news conferences. But make no mistake, the
Heat's president is still deeply involved in the fight. And the game plan.

Riley, who recently turned 67, experienced his first NBA Finals 40 years ago,
when he won his first of seven championship rings as a reserve for the Los
Angeles Lakers in 1972. He's now in the midst of his 14th Finals, having
experienced them as a player (2), an assistant coach (1), a head coach (9)
and now an executive (2).

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Ron Elkman/Sports Imagery/Getty Images
He's the highest-profile executive in the league running the highest-profile
team in the highest-profile moment. In other words, right in his comfort zone.

Riley has been attending practices and shootarounds, and has regularly
consulted with Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra throughout the playoffs. This
is no different than the regular season, as he is always around the team when
it's not on the road. But given the pressure Miami is under, his role has
been magnified.

Riley tries to avoid the spotlight, declining most interviews and even
staying in his seat when the Heat received the trophy for winning the Eastern
Conference finals last week, but the cameras still find him. And the Heat's
leaders and decision-makers still seek him out.

During a practice before Game 2 earlier this week, Riley drew up plays on a
clipboard for assistant coaches from a perch in the stands above the floor.
When a player is in a slump or his role changes, Riley often will have a
private conversation with him after a practice. Riley's communication with
Spoelstra is nonstop.

"We talk all the time, all the time," Spoelstra said after the Heat's
practice Saturday, a day before the Heat and Thunder clash in Game 3. "It's
almost as if he's a member on my staff. If I'm not calling him, if I'm not
bumping into him at the office, I'm texting him. Our dialogue has been very
good."

At times over the past two years, Riley's omnipresence has been a target for
Spoelstra detractors. Because Riley took over for Stan Van Gundy before the
Heat won the title in 2006 -- a story that has many facets and still many
versions to this day -- the assumption for some has been that he might
eventually do the same with Spoelstra.

But at no time has Riley's support of his young coach waivered publicly. And
Spoelstra has never been afraid to say he continues to lean on Riley and his
experience.

"It's most relevant with a team like this," Spoelstra said. "He's walked in
my shoes before. It's not that I don't take other people's opinions, but if
you haven't walked in these shoes, it's tough to have the proper perspective."

The Heat and Thunder have been constructed in opposite ways. Both were
somewhat deliberate -- the Thunder needed three years of high draft picks,
and the Heat spiked two seasons to clear cap space -- but the two had vastly
disparate goals.

The Thunder, as general manager Sam Presti has been widely lauded for,
conserved cap space and gathered draft picks. The Heat spent fast and heavy,
dumping prospects and draft picks for instant gratification. Of all the
projects that Riley, the 2011 executive of the year, has started and executed
in his long career, this is probably going to be his last. And he's committed
to not riding into the sunset until he's proved again that he's right.

"Where am I going to go?" Riley said earlier this season. "I'm in this."


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→ X61036:逼我怒打一槍＝＝

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推 callmedance:恩恩  原來是這樣
推 RamonJames:"I'm in this."
推 black80731:喔喔 原來是這樣
推 liugayo:內文跟上一篇差不多
推 MrHeat:最好是啦!!這篇都在講Riley的事情
推 w61036:跟我想的一模一樣
推 MrHeat:東根後來有找到睿咩連結了嗎??
推 andy556638:我承認我看不懂.....
推 ilord139:其實只是在說riley一直在背後幫spo簡直像一個助教而已
→ evilvens:了解