CAREER COACHING RECORD: 15-14
AGE 39 | HT: 6-4 | WT: 210
By Dr. Jack Ramsay
Special to ESPN.com
Pat Riley is one of the all-time great coaches, and it's tough to compare Doc Rivers, who has never coached before this season, to someone who has won NBA titles. But Rivers has done an incredible job with the Orlando Magic this year.
For someone who has no coaching experience at any level, I think it's remarkable that he has been able to achieve what he has done with the Magic. Orlando is the surprise team in the league. Rivers has been able to get his players to buy into a total team game. He is getting maximum effort from each player and plays everybody on his roster. They all know they will get in the game and all try to do something productive.
The Magic don't have a player who would start on an upper-echelon team, not even Darrell Armstrong. He wouldn't start at Los Angeles, Portland, Phoenix, Seattle, Miami (under normal circumstances), Indiana or Charlotte. He would start at Toronto because the Raptors don't have a point guard.
I thought Orlando would be one of the worst teams in the league, and that by this time Rivers, like a lot of other first-year coaches, would be muttering to himself. But the Magic have a strong road record (9-6) and has beaten some good teams, including the Spurs in San Antonio.
Rivers has always wanted to coach and was preparing to coach while he was a player was a factor. He has always been a student of the game. When he was a TV analyst, he was always inquiring about the game. He would come over to me when we were doing the same games. I know he went to Dick Harter's place in Vermont and spent a few days just talking about defense.
Getting an opportunity to coach, Rivers has worked on a theory and is making his game plan work. While great coaches like Riley and Phil Jackson do it evey year, Rivers' coaching job is the most unexpected and the most remarkable of the season.
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CAREER COACHING RECORD: 966-413
AGE 54 | HT: 6-4 | WT: 205
By Kevin Loughery
Special to ESPN.com
There is no doubt that Pat Riley, like everywhere else he has coached, has done a great job this season with the Miami Heat, the best team in the Eastern Conference.
The Heat is an extremely, outstanding defensive team, probably as good as any in the NBA. But Riley made an adjustment that has helped them dramatically this year: They are running with the basketball. With the new rules in place, the Heat has changed their offensive scheme. It was the biggest move Riley made, and the players have responded really well. It has helped Alonzo Mourning get a lot of easy baskets.
Riley has coached the Heat to the conference's best record (tied with Indiana) despite having Tim Hardaway in the lineup for only 11 games. When he is healthy, the Heat have the best point guard-center tandem in the East. Jamal Mashburn has also missed time with a sprained ankle. But even with the difficulty of some key injuries, Riley has his team playing hard every night.
Riley has gotten positive results from rookie Anthony Carter in Hardaway's place. If Carter can improve his outside shot, he will be a very effective player in the NBA for a long time. They need Hardaway, but now that Carter is getting some key minutes, it will increase his confidence and make him a factor in close games.
It's been a typical Riley coaching effort in that he gets the most out of his players. But the big key is how the Heat will respond in the playoffs, not during the regular season. They have been disappointing in the postseason since Riley arrived.
Some people think that because of the effort the Heat gives during the regular season that they get tired for the playoffs. But I don't buy that perspective. As Riley has impressed upon his players, I think they are supposed to give maximum effort every night, regardless of the time of year.
The biggest thing Riley has done in Miami is bringing talented players who are willing to work, particularly his top players. No one in the NBA works harder than Mourning. While Riley may be a great motivator, it's more important for a coach to surround himself with self-motivated players. And it becomes easier to motivate a team when it is winning and competing every night like Miami does.
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