If anyone knows what a great team is, it's Pat Riley. The Miami Heat president has seen the likes of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James all team up in South beach. Moreover, as a head coach, Riley ushered in the “Showtime” era for the Los Angeles Lakers which was headlined by the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabaar and Magic Johnson.
Considered among two of the best teams assembled in NBA history, Riley knows first-hand what those two teams were like. In an interview with Heat play-by-play announcer Eric Reid on Friday, Riley compared both the Showtime Lakers and the Big 3 which he calls “The Heatles.”
“We put the big-three together and to me, those four years will go down in history in this franchise as being four of the greatest years ever,” Pat Riley shared. “Even though we won the championship in 2006, we were a domiant team. That team was like the Lakers. It was like the Lakers of Showtime. It was like the Bulls in late 90s. It was like Detroit and it could've gone on a lot longer than it did.”
The Big 3 era in Miami lasted from 2010 and 2014 and resulted in four-straight NBA Finals appearances and two wins (2012 and 2013).
On the other hand, the Showtime Lakers era in LA lasted roughly 11 seasons and resulted in four Laker championships (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988).
After a brief stint with the New York Knicks, Riley joined the Heat organization in 2005 and even served as the team's head coach until 2003.
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