Dave Hyde: Pat Riley, at 80, remains the street fighter the Heat need

Dave Hyde, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on May 10, 2025

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MIAMI — Pat Riley entered the room Friday afternoon in a blue sports jacket, salmon shirt and silver-fox hair that, as usual, provided stylish cover for the street fighter underneath.

“How many of you were born after I got here?” the Miami Heat president said while taking a seat before the cameras for his postseason news conference.

A half-dozen reporters' hands went up, meaning they were born after 1996. Riley counted them out loud — “One, two, three, four …” — and said nothing more, but there was the conversation that’s gone public on the table for all to see.

He’s old. He’s 80. It happens. Look in the mirror, if you think differently.

But Riley has all the energy and basketball wisdom to win and nothing at all to apologize for — not his age, not his team, not for how he talked about Jimmy Butler and certainly not for this past season, when Butler didn’t honor two years and $110 million on his contract, demanded more money and Riley was made out to be behind the times.

“I’m not going to apologize for saying no on the contract extension when we didn’t have to (give one),’’ Riley said. “I don’t think I should.”

Riley, in some manner, is fighting a personal culture war because some outside fundamentals have changed today, and he doesn’t think the inside keys to winning ever do. Work. Sacrifice. Learn through failure. Then work harder. That’s how you build a champion now matter your age.

“We’re going to get there again,’’ he said.

His Heat were in the NBA Finals two years ago, the Eastern Conference finals three years ago and the NBA Finals five years ago. And now there’s a public referendum if Riley, at 80, can retool a roster that sputtered through a tough year because, again, their best player quit on them?

Let’s turn that around. Would you trust someone with a hot young name or the biggest basketball name of them all, who has won three titles, made seven NBA Finals trips and 12 Eastern Conference finals appearances since coming to South Florida?

“Thirteen times we’ve found a way to rebuild a team that was respected,’’ he said. “I can go down the list starting with the (Alonzo Mourning trade) through bringing in Jimmy. It’d take an hour to go through them all.”

Some Heat fans look longingly at the youth and athleticism of the Indiana Pacers or Cleveland Cavaliers, who are playing each other now. But look how they were built. Indiana went nine straight years from 2016 to 2023 either missing the playoffs (four times) or making first-round exits (five). Cleveland missed the playoffs four straight years and lost a first-round series a fifth year from 2018 to 2023.

So, they lost enough to get good enough. Riley’s Heat never go on a multi-year walkabout. He couldn’t stomach losing like that — just losing the way the Heat did in the playoffs, “left me depressed,’’ as he said.

Riley has the energy and ambition to still win, but he doesn’t talk like he has an immortal concept. He spent a heartfelt minute Friday talking about his NBA peer, Gregg Popovich, the San Antonio legend who had health issues this season and retired from coaching last week. “I love Pop,’’ Riley said.

He also talked of concessions he’s made to age, like having two dinner rules with similarly-aged peers: No phones and no questions of health.

“We have a great time,’’ he said.

Fortunately for South Florida, Heat owners Micky and Nick Arison aren’t throwing the age-old question at Riley. They know what he’s built, who they have.

“They said, ‘Carry on, Pat,’ ” he said. “I’m going to carry on and make things thing better.”

Can Riley raise this roster one more time? That was asked before he got Shaquille O’Neal, before he dropped seven championship rings on the table in front of LeBron James and before he traded for a disgruntled Jimmy Butler.

“This is the franchise I fit best with,’’ Butler said at the time in 2019.

He fit for five great years. Golden State gave him more money and remains alive in the playoffs. So, Jimmy won.

That has to rankle Riley in some form. It has to all the Heat. Riley spent a lot of time praising Butler’s years, just as he should. But then the old man turned street fighter again.

“Eighty is the new 60,’’ he said. “I mean, that’s how I look at it. I feel great. And I’m competitive as hell.”