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Erik Spoelstra told the story of how he gave Pat Riley a tie to wear before Game 6 at Boston in the Eastern finals, when the Heat were down 3-2. The Heat won that game and Riley wore that tie every game the rest of the season. In all, the Heat went 6-1 with Riley wearing that tie. He quipped about it after the clinching game of the Finals on the podium. Sulia

Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra 

Ethan J. Skolnick: Miller again thanks Riley for not "putting me behind the barn, put me to sleep." Twitter

Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Mike Miller, Injuries 

Chris Tomasson: Pat Riley asked if he's willing to guarantee another title again: "No. We believe that we built a team that will be around for a while.'' Twitter

Miami Heat, Pat Riley 

Ethan J. Skolnick: Spoelstra calls Riley "Mr. Trap Door." So when it comes to temp of arena: "We've been addressing a couple things the past 24 hours." Twitter

Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra 

Just a few months ago, Riley also sold the sprawling waterfront Miami mansion known as "Casa Riley," which he had owned since 1996 -- at a profit of $10.5 million -- and moved into an apartment on South Beach. Meanwhile, he has completed his dream house in Malibu, even fighting the city to get the oceanfront palace just the way he wanted it, presumably because he intends to retire there. Last fall, he made sure that his closest confidant in the Heat organization, Erik Spoelstra, had a contract extension for the next few years. With his last masterpiece, this revolutionary Heat team, on the verge of reaching the mountaintop, will Riley be ready to make 2012 his swan song? ESPN.com

Miami Heat, Pat Riley 

Mourning is the Heat's vice president of player development. Hardaway is the team's community and corporate liaison. The more accurate title for both former players is Riley Guys. "You've got to earn that respect from him," Hardaway said. "By earning that respect, you've got to show him that you're willing to work hard on and off the court, be prepared see things the way he sees it, and want to win and do whatever it takes to win, being prepared at all costs to do that. "The benefit is that you're in for life. You're in the organization for life. You're one of his guys. He's going to take care of you." ESPN.com

Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Tim Hardaway 

I called up a big-time agent, one who had some players tangentially involved. I hoped he could confirm some of what I had heard. He didn't know anything about it -- but he did know about the history of contracts and the cap. And then he added that if Pat Riley had talked James, Wade and Bosh into uniting in Miami, it would be essentially unprecedented -- a massive coup for Riley. That jolted me a bit. Was this Riley's doing? I had heard it was all about what the players wanted. But if Riley were really that masterful, that's exactly what the players would think. The best salespeople sell in a way that makes you think it's your idea. ESPN.com

Miami Heat, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Pat Riley 

O'Neal, the persuasive big man who helped lure Riley back to the sideline, disrespected the legend in a way no one else had. O'Neal wanted out so badly, he and his representative tried to manipulate a trade, ideally to the Mavericks. O'Neal dismissed Riley's and the staff's attempts to get him healthy with state-of-the-art training machines. And as the final straw, O'Neal threatened to come to blows with Riley just before a practice. In front of everyone. Poking his coach in the chest, showing no respect for a legend, and requiring teammates to pull him away. I spoke with Riley about this after O'Neal was eventually traded to Phoenix, and he'd never felt so insulted in his career. It was as if all the work he'd done to establish his status was invalidated by a childish superstar who would undermine Riley until he got his way. When Riley handed over the team to Erik Spoelstra, you could feel it was his last coaching stint. He experienced the best and the worst of it in three short seasons. ESPN.com

Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra 

Midway through a grueling first-round playoff series against the Bulls in 2006, Heat coach and team president Pat Riley had what Alonzo Mourning described as a "tin pen" constructed in the middle of the Heat's locker room. Before each playoff game thereafter, Riley or a designated player would roll a wheelbarrow full of stuff to dump into the bowl inside the pen -- thousands of cards that read "15 Strong" on one side, with photos of players' loved ones on the other. Riley put his championship rings in that bowl, and even the rosary from his mother's funeral. When the Heat set out on the road during that postseason, Riley had team managers pack up the prop to relocate it to the visiting locker rooms in Chicago, East Rutherford, N.J., Detroit and, ultimately, Dallas for the NBA Finals. ESPN.com

Miami Heat, Pat Riley 

Tom Haberstroh: Pat Riley's advice to Spoelstra on managing superstars: "Say 'Yessir' and 'Thank you.' (long pause) ... not really." Twitter

Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra 

Ira Winderman: Pat Riley, on the notion the end of his career might be coming, "I'm looking to build this team even better. And I don't have a timeline." Twitter

Miami Heat, Pat Riley 

Tim Reynolds: Riles: "I've still got a lot of bite left in my bark." Twitter

Miami Heat, Pat Riley 

The National Basketball Coaches Association selected Riley as this year's recipient of the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, which commemorates the former Detroit coach's life in basketball and his "standard of integrity, competitive excellence and tireless promotion" of the game. Miami Herald

Pat Riley 

Could you ever work with or for Pat Riley? PHIL JACKSON: Of course. I mean, we both have respect for each other. And we’re both basketball-minded guys. I mean, yeah, that’d be no problem. But I’d probably rather have him working for me than me working for him. Palm Beach Post

Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley 

Spoelstra said he is speaking so much to Heat president Pat Riley that “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. It’s most relevant with a team like this. He’s walked in my shoes before.” Miami Herald

Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra 

Micky Arison: .@MiamiHEAT coach SPO says he talks all the time w/Pat Riley. It's as if he's a member of his staff. He has walked inhis shoes! #muchrespect Twitter

Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, Micky Arison, Owners 

Fisher said that he communicated "directly" with Heat president Pat Riley and that his agent was also involved in talks. "It's always serious," he said of the conversations. "I take it seriously. It just wasn't a fit at that time for the team. As I went through the process, I learned that [the Thunder] would be a better fit for me from a number of different perspectives." CBSSports.com

Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, Derek Fisher, Pat Riley 

Take a look at how much money each of the general managers spent in the last five years... and where. HoopsHype

Miami Heat, Pat Riley 

Pat Riley leads all executives by far. Paxson and Sund come behind. HoopsHype

Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Pat Riley, John Paxson, Rick Sund 

Miami’s 94-90 loss to the Celtics on Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena sends the Heat back to Boston with no wiggle room in the Eastern Conference finals. Lose one more time — and the Heat has only won once in Beantown in the past two years — and it’s curtains for Pat Riley’s grand experiment. Miami Herald

Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Pat Riley