Jeff Budlong, On the Rebound

&8220;What we’ll have to change in Miami is obviously we have to play the game a hell of a lot better than we played it here in Dallas.&8221;

The above quote came from Miami Heat head coach Pat Riley. It was a comment that made me laugh for two reasons.

First, was the flair for the obvious that Riles has stating what anyone who has followed the finals thus far already knows.

The Heat lose game one even though Dallas plays poorly and follow that up with a game where the most dominant big man in the game (The Big Aristotle) gets five points in a loss.

So, they have to play better ya think?

The other reason I love this comment by Riley takes me back to my early teen years when someone gave me a motivational book of quotes from the current Miami head man.

It included gems like: &8220;Winners don’t quit&8221; and &8220;Great effort springs naturally from great attitude.&8221;

Funny how a few years (well many years) away from the biggest NBA stage will change a man’s way of thinking.

Riley is a good coach and his titles with the Showtime Lakers prove that, but doesn’t his lack of success in the recent decades raise a Phil Jackson type of question?

Is Riley really a great coach or did he just ride the coattails of great players like Magic, Kareem and Worth?

He went to New York and had good, if not a little dirty, teams but they were unable to get by Michael Jordan and the Bulls. He moved on to the Miami Heat the first time and could not get past Jordan or other comers with Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway. He found his way upstairs to a GM position before deciding he would help Stan Van Gundy realize he needed to spend more time with his family.

Now Riles, with a team he crafted of his own will, is in danger of coming up short of the big prize once again.

He has a dominant big man, one of the top two or three best young players in the league today in Dwyane Wade and a cast of veterans, but he is losing to a rookie coach.

It is time for Riley to prove he truly is a great coach. Miami hasn’t lost a game at home yet in the series and they have the next three at home, but the Heat haven’t looked good and didn’t get the bounce back effort you would expect in game two.

There are rumblings that the players are already tuning out Riles. Tired of his motivational tactics Miami looked like a team that wanted to be anywhere but where it was Sunday night.

If Riley has indeed lost his team I must seriously consider where it is wise to invest long term into a NBA coach.

It was said the Flip Saunders lost the Pistons in less than a year’s time, and if Riley did the same what can you expect from a coach that doesn’t have Riley’s kind of resum..?

Are players so far gone that they will only accept coaching for half a season? Three quarters of a season?

I guess it is time for Riley to reach deep into his book of inspirational quotes and pull out something better than what he had to say after game two. Maybe a little something like this.

&8220;You have no choices about how you lose, but you do have a choice about how you come back and prepare to win again.&8221; &045; Pat Riley