The Pat Riley Column

With the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat due to square off for the 2023 Eastern Conference title, Shank takes a look at one of the best basketball coaches of all-time, current Heat president Pat Riley:

The man behind the Heat is Pat Riley, still at work to beat the rival Celtics

He’s 78 years old, works his magic behind the scenes, and looks like an aging Michael Douglas or Gordon Gekko.

You probably won’t hear his opinions about Celtics vs. Heat.

Like Bill Belichick, Pat Riley believes in one voice for an organization. And that voice should be the team’s head coach.

Riley is in Boston this weekend, just as he was here in 1984, ‘85, and ‘87 when the NBA staged the Celtics-Lakers Ali-Frazier three-act play that vaulted the NBA into prime-time, must-see TV.

Say hello to Riley if you see him downtown. And know that he is the man behind the Miami Heat you’re watching this week and next.

The Heat president is still current, still a genius of NBA team-building, forever a Celtic rival and nemesis. He’s the man who hired Hall of Fame-bound Erik Spoelstra to follow him as Heat coach in 2008.

Riley has built a roster of 15 tough guys — including seven undrafted players — and they’re in the conference finals for the third time in four seasons. They’re also a No. 8 seed that had to endure two play-in games just to make the tournament.

Good, solid colum by Shank - it's worth reading in full.