When he was still a head coach back in 2006, Jason Williams says that Pat Riley put dirt in the middle of the locker room and had the team bury their championship rings before the start of the 2007-08 season.
In an attempt to motivate the team once again, this time in hopes of defending their championship, Riley was essentially asking the team to look beyond their accomplishments from the previous season to focus on the path to repeating.
Of course, we all know how that 2007-08 season finished for the Heat, getting absolutely demolished (and swept) in the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the "baby" Chicago Bulls. It was the beginning of the end of that core, too. Nevertheless, this is just another story that will go down in Riley lore.
Even though it didn't end up working out for the Heat, this just continues to speak to the legend of Riley. One of the best motivators in NBA history, this story is hardly surprising. It is quite unfortunate it didn't work out because it's certainly something that would've been spoken about more openly.
Pat Riley continues to be one of the most competitive figures in the Association
If nothing else, it just goes to show how competitive Riley is. And if you've followed the Heat closely over the last few years, that fact hasn't changed much.
You can still see (and hear) just how competitive Riley continues to be. It's part of the reason he hasn't walked away from the game at the age of 81 years old. Riley still has a hunger to win and an appetite for competition.
It's another reason why the Heat landing Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best stories in the league. The fact that Riley was able to get another superstar after the career as an executive that he's had with the Heat is nothing short of impressive.
If this is indeed the last rebuilding of a Heat roster before he steps away from his role, or perhaps takes a much lesser approach, it's one heck of a ride to go out on.
And for a figure who's been as successful as Riley has been, it probably should've come any other way, either.
As Riley inevitably inches toward the end of his basketball career, it's always great to hear these types of stories. It's just part of what makes basketball great.
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