HoopsHype.com Rumors

“I just think the game is so much different now,’’ Riley said last year. “Players today mentally, I don’t think there would be enough discipline to maintain that kind of focus and concentration for so long. There are so many things that distract you. If some team (had) 20 to 25 wins in a row, (players) might say, ‘Heck, let’s get this over with.’ There would be so much scrutiny and so much media coverage, it might be, ‘Let’s just end this and get on with normalcy.’ I can’t see it happening (that the Lakers’ record ever would be broken).’’ FOXSports Florida

Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Pat Riley 

Now, it's different. Here come the mighty Miami Heat, who won their 20th straight Wednesday and are showing no signs of slowing down. "It is certainly a possibility that the Heat could break our 33-game winning streak," said Bill Sharman, the Hall of Fame coach of those legendary Lakers. "The record has held for 41 years, and all of us that participated in it are very proud to have been part of that season. However, (Heat president) Pat Riley has put together an amazing team, and I have to admit this one makes me a little nervous." FOXSports Florida

Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Bill Sharman 

Christopher A. Vito: Miami's Erik Spoelstra on Pat Riley: "We literally talk every day...& we've never talked about our streak." Heat go for 20 in row vs Sixers Twitter @ChrisVito

Miami Heat, Coaching, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra 

Coach Erik Spoelstra offered a surprising opinion before Tuesday’s game, asserting that “I don’t think last year’s [Heat] team is good enough to win this year.” He added the level the Heat is “playing at right now might not be good enough. We don’t know how good we can become.” Magic Johnson said on ABC on Sunday that he spoke to Heat president Pat Riley on Friday “and he said, ‘We’re really not playing that well. We’re not playing our best basketball. We’re just playing good enough to beat everybody.’ He says they have room for important and he’s looking for improvement.” Miami Herald

Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, Magic Johnson 

Here's a rundown of all the speakers/performers expected at Dr. Jerry Buss' memorial service on Thursday ... CBS2′s Jim Hill will be the emcee. The other expected speakers are: Timothy Leiweke - President and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group; Johnny Buss - Buss' oldest son; Frank Mariani - Dr. Buss’ long-time business partner); David Stern - NBA commissioner; Jerry West - former Lakers executive; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - former Lakers center; Phil Jackson - former Lakers coach; Shaquille O’Neal - former Lakers center; Pau Gasol - Lakers forward; Pat Riley - former Lakers coach; Kobe Bryant - Lakers guard; Magic Johnson - former Lakers guard. Sulia

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Jerry Buss, David Stern, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 

A couple of hours earlier, Erik Spoelstra had enjoyed one of the greatest honors of his 42-year-old life, a “pinch yourself moment,” with the president of the United States praising his steady handling of adversity and controversy. Now Spoelstra and his team had moved to the next part of the Jan. 28 program, a visit to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. That’s when something happened that, even after a championship, still occurs once or twice per month. “Where’s the coach?” a Walter Reed staffer asked. “I thought Pat Riley coached the team.” Spoelstra laughed then, and during the recollection. “That doesn’t bum me out at all,” Spoelstra said. “I don’t have an ego about it. That’s partly why we’ve been able to work together effectively for so long.” Palm Beach Post

Miami Heat, Coaching, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra 

Former coaches, freer to speak, are no less laudatory. Dr. Jack Ramsay, a Heat broadcaster for seven of Spoelstra’s seasons as an assistant, believes Spoelstra has received too little credit and too much criticism. For Ramsay, the true achievement has been establishing authority: “He’s coach of the team. You don’t have to say any more than that.” Flip Saunders, now an ESPN analyst, thinks the public underestimates the challenge of guiding gifted squads: “When you don’t have a lot of talent, you get them to do whatever you want them to do, because if they don’t perform at that level, they get beat pretty bad.” Saunders cites calmness, flexibility and innovation as Spoelstra strengths, noting how Spoelstra has “unleashed” more 3-point shots while experimenting with more zone defense. “He is not afraid to change and adapt his style,” Saunders said. “While sometimes when you coached against Pat, it was, ‘This is how we are going to play, by hell and highwater.’ That’s important because players have changed, and you have to be able to adapt to what they do.” Palm Beach Post

Miami Heat, Coaching, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra 

When Pat Riley last visited the White House to mark the Miami Heat’s 2006 championship, he told President and Republican George W. Bush he had voted for him. So what’s the Miami Heat president going to tell President and Democrat Barack Obama on Monday when his team again visits the White House? “Here’s how I am about that,’’ said Riley, who Friday wouldn’t reveal his vote in last November’s election although it has been reported he donated $7,500 to Mitt Romney’s campaign. “Regardless of what I am, he’s the leader and that’s it. He’s the boss and I’m right behind him. And it doesn’t make any difference. And that’s how I feel about it. And so I’ll shake his hand with as much enthusiasm and hope for the best. That’s the way it is in this country. That’s how I feel about it.’’ FOXSports Florida

Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney 

Kobe's the only guy I can think of to get away w/ using the word "psychopath" & truly mean it as a compliment ... Kobe was asked about the Miami Heat's suffocating defense and gave all the credit to the team president, Pat Riley. "They're very smart," Bryant said of the Miami D. "You guys know Riley. You know what a psychopath he is with numbers and statistics. He plays percentages really well. He knows the high percentage of Steve (Nash) coming off of pick-and-roll and picking teams apart. He knows the high percentage of leaving me on the backside. So, he says, 'We're going to stay home and take our chances with everybody else.'" Sulia

Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Kobe Bryant, Pat Riley 

Jamaal Wilkes spoke pregame to the media - emotional from all the recognition. Spoke Lakers... "Playing for the Lakers was just great. From top to bottom they had the leadership, the organization, from Dr. Buss to Bill Sharman, Jerry West, Pat Riley and then the players," said Wilkes. "We had a real sense of pride in our team's success. Of course we had issues going on all the time, undercurrents, but we never let it get in the way of our objective, which was to be the best in the NBA and to represent the city of LA the best that we could." Sulia

Los Angeles Lakers, Pat Riley, Jerry West, Jamaal Wilkes, Bill Sharman 

After vanquishing the Heat, the team practically took over South Beach steakhouse Prime 112, a favorite of Heat president Pat Riley. Spies said many of the Knicks players had their own tables for family and friends, and were all toasted by a host of New Yorkers in town for the art fair. One spy told us, “As each player entered the restaurant, there were cheers and high-fives from the other diners. Raymond Felton, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler each had their own tables. The entire team was there, apart from Carmelo Anthony. There were a lot of New Yorkers in the restaurant who were down for Art Basel who couldn’t quite believe their luck to see them.” New York Post

Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Pat Riley, Raymond Felton, Tyson Chandler 

Whatever it is, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra has been talking to Riley, the Heat president, about the challenges of his team repeating. The only time Riley, who won four crowns with the Lakers and one with Miami, was able to do it was in 1987 and 1988 in Los Angeles. Spoelstra wouldn't reveal specifics on what Riley has told him. But, considering Riley, Chuck Daly, Phil Jackson and Rudy Tomjanovich are the only NBA coaches in the past four decades to have repeated, Spoelstra sure likes having one of them in a nearby office. "He's been a great help just from a great perspective just from some of the things he went through in the ‘80s with those great Lakers teams," Spoelstra said. "There's some similarities we've been talking about." FOXSports Florida

Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra 

Magic Johnson: I'd love to see Phil Jackson or Brian Shaw. Wish Pat Riley was available. Twitter

Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Brian Shaw, Pat Riley, Magic Johnson 

Surveying the NBA landscape, Michael Cooper provided a bold prediction. "The Lakers are about to win the championship four years in a row," Cooper said in a phone interview. Cooper, who played for the Lakers from 1978-90, laughed when reminded that former Lakers coach Pat Riley guaranteed a Lakers' repeat during the 1987 NBA championship parade. One year later, Riley appeared clairvoyant. Long Beach Press-Telegram

Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Michael Cooper 

Pat Riley apparently picked Boston to win Eastern Conference and Atlanta to win Southeast Div. In the NBA’s annual general manager survey, 96.7 percent of respondents picked the Heat to win the East and the Southeast. GMs cannot vote for their own team so 29 of the 29 other GMs (unanimous) went with the Heat to win the East and the Southeast. That means the Miami vote is the only one that went to Boston to win the East (3.3 percent) and Atlanta to win the Southeast (3.3 percent). It must be noted that it’s possible somebody at the Heat did their ballot other than Riley. But the Heat picked Boston in the East and Atlanta in the Southeast because they couldn’t vote for the Heat. Sulia

Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Pat Riley 

Did you talk to any other teams? Rashard Lewis: I was talking to Atlanta, [and] there was a couple of other teams but once Pat Riley called, I pretty much had my mind made up what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. It’s just something you think about not only during free agency, but before you become a free agent. SLAM

Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Rashard Lewis 

With the NBA electing to feature the Brooklyn Nets on NBA TV's "The Association" reality series this season, it means no HBO "Hard Knocks" type coverage for the Heat. Guard Dwyane Wade said he would be surprised if a Pat Riley-led team would allow such intimate access. "I wouldn't mind it," Wade said. "But I don't think the Miami Heat would be involved in something like that. I wouldn't mind a little bit of that, but I don't know the dynamics of how crazy it is, how much access you have to give. But I think it's a cool thing. I think it's great. Because of ["Hard Knocks"] I became fans of other teams and other players, being able to watch and see other things." South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Dwyane Wade, Pat Riley 

Dwyane Wade, when asked by the Wall Street Journal about the NBA's most stylish coach, had no answer. "Uh, coaches ain’t got style. Coach Riley’s gone. Ain’t no more Coach Rileys on the bench." Sulia

Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade, Coaching, Pat Riley 

Pat Riley, on LeBron James' gold-medal quest, "I think both Micky and I had a great sigh of relief that he got through the Olympics without getting hurt or anything happening and also winning the gold medal. It just sort of completes a tremendous turnaround for him. He did it, and he did it by looking at himself in the eye, looking in the mirror, taking stock of what it was that he may not have done last year, on the court, off the court, and this year he had a perfect run. We're happy for him. We love him to death, obviously." Sulia

Miami Heat, LeBron James, Pat Riley, Micky Arison, Team USA, Olympics, USA Basketbakk 

Pat Riley, on what he wants next from LeBron James, "We just want him to get home and get some rest. And in a short six weeks, he's going to be back at it in training camp." Sulia

Miami Heat, LeBron James, Pat Riley