Miami Heat President Pat Riley has nine NBA championships on his resume, including his time as a player, coach, and executive - yet he still wants to compete for more, just like Jimmy Butler.
Riley won one NBA championship as a player for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972, one as an assistant coach under Lakers coach Paul Westhead in 1979-80, five as a head coach with the Lakers and Heat, and two as a Heat executive. The Heat attempted to add one more to Riley's resume after the team snuck into last season's NBA Playoffs as the eighth seed after an inconsistent and up-and-down regular season.
The Heat made it to the NBA Finals, defeating the number one seed Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and Boston Celtics to become the Eastern Conference Champions. They ultimately lost the NBA Finals to the Nikola Jokic-led Denver Nuggets, who won the series four games to one.
During Riley's end-of-season review, the 78-year-old revealed that the Heat would explore options to get better to continue trying to compete for titles, which is his ultimate goal. He further detailed that the organization's front office isn't just full of business people - it is also people who understand the game of basketball and what it takes to win at the highest level.
"Good times come good times go. Hard times come, and hard times go," said Riley. "We're not going to take a wrecking ball to a good team with some real adversity this year that I feel built strength. We have a good team. Doing something that could help us with that last step? Yes, it's a possibility, and if there's an opportunity without seeing [the Heat] back while you're moving forward, it's onward for us."
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He believea that the team's two anchors, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo, represent how young and talented their entire roster is, allowing them to always compete with the league's best teams. Yet, Herro missed the entire playoffs last season due to a nagging hand injury.
Riley also spoke about his desire to win more NBA championships, stating, "Another championship team, that’s my goal." He also illustrated putting Butler in the best position to compete for the title as the current leader of the locker room.
Jimmy Butler during Game Five of the 2023 NBA Finals"I've never been a 'pat on the back' guy, and he's the same way," said Riley about Butler. " He understands what he has to do, and he's done everything he could do within his power. When he sits up here in front of the microphone, he's not BS'ing anybody. He plays the game the right way. I would like to try to get him more support and, if that comes through, the growth of our young players. I would love to go out there and pick who I want that is a perfect compliment to him, but it's not that easy."
His statements were similar to the philosophies of Butler, who addressed the media immediately after losing the finals. Despite hinting at the possibility of retirement, Butler reassured the Heat organization that he loves his teammates and still wants to win an NBA title.
"I've had some helluva teammates come through here and compete with me and give us the opportunity to win a championship," Butler said, "which I still believe, with everything in me, that we will do as a team here."
"You never know what the team will look like next year, the year after that," he said. "I'm just grateful. I learned so much. They taught me so much. I wish I could have got it done for these guys because they definitely deserve it."
With Butler, Riley, and the rest of the front office on the same page, it puts the Heat organization in a good position to continue hunting for trophies.
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