1. The first trade:
All those moments were great, as all of them did result in championships, however, this would not have been possible if it was not for this. The same year the Miami Heat decided to trade for Mourning, they did make one better trade.
Pat Riley had secretly negotiated a deal with the Heat, while still being under contract with the New York Knicks. This resulted in tampering, which ultimately saw the Knicks receive monetary compensation and a first-round pick. Regardless of the picks or money that was doled out as apart of the penalties for negotiation the deal with a coach that was under contract, this was without a doubt, the biggest finesse.
The greatest thing to ever happen to Miami is not drafting Wade or signing James, it was getting The Godfather. There is a reason why he is known as that.
For 15 years straight, he has proven to everyone he can make the impossible happen. Almost every decision he has made has impacted the franchise in the best possible way and I mean almost, as there are some questionable decisions.
Let’s ignore those minor bad decisions, instead, let’s focus on the great ones. He was the guy that drafted Wade, traded for Shaquille O’Neal, got James and Bosh, and more recently drafted Adebayo and Tyler Herro.
That is the impact of Riley. He made sure the team has constantly won without ever seemingly rebuilding and now is making sure that the team has a bright future, while still being able to compete for titles.
Just this season, he managed to turn a team with no money or stars into a young core with cap and arguably a top-three team in the East. Based on that notion and while these have been the most impactful moments in Miami Heat history so far, perhaps we made this list too fast.