The Miami Heat are one win away from the NBA Finals after blowing out the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday. If they finish the job, it would add a ridiculous new point to the resume of team president Pat Riley.
If the Heat close out the Celtics, Riley would be headed to his 19th NBA Finals as a player, coach or executive. As was pointed out by longtime NBA reporter David Aldridge, that would mean Riley has been involved in nearly a quarter of all NBA Finals ever.
The 78-year-old Riley won one title as a player in 1972, then coached the Los Angeles Lakers to four more in the 1980s. He won his sixth title as a coach with the Heat in 2006, and oversaw Miami’s wins in 2012 and 2013 as team president. That does not even count the other 10 Finals he participated in on the losing side.
The Heat have shocked many this year by tearing through the Eastern Conference as a No. 8 seed, largely thanks to the excellence of Jimmy Butler. Riley’s role in building a team that could win in the playoffs, even after an underwhelming regular season, should not be underestimated, though.
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