The Miami Heat's Success Starts at the Top With Pat Riley
Six years ago, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and team president Pat Riley made a promise to newly-acquired guard Goran Dragic after signing him at the trade deadline.
The Heat leadership told Dragic they would build a contending team. They followed through by improving via the draft with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro and trading for Jimmy Butler last summer. It has led to the sixth NBA Finals appearance in franchise history and only added to the legacy of Riley.
"He didn't assemble this team for us to just play 82 games and go home," Adebayo said of Riley. "That's not the reason he brought Jimmy here, that's not the reason he drafted me ... This was all preparation on how can we can win the championship. I love this team he brought together."
Riley has the Heat in position to win championships with three different groups. He won with Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade in 2006 and later with Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Now, he's constructed a team full of underdogs and will face the organization he once coached to four titles. The series against the Los Angeles Lakers opens Wednesday in Orlando.
Meeting Riley made it an easy sell for Butler when interest sparked. Butler said he was most impressed by the fact Riley still has a competitive drive at 75
"He wants to win at everything," Butler said. "He's so much like everybody on this roster and I'm sure he takes the losses just as hard as we do. You can tell that he's just as excited as we are when we win and those are the people you fight for."
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