“I lost it in the playoffs… I could feel the walls closing on me” - Pat Riley opens up on players drawing away from him towards the end of his coaching career with LA Lakers
Pat Riley made one of the most remarkable comebacks with the LA Lakers after his career as a player ended. Riley first returned as a broadcaster in 1977. Within two years, he was an assistant coach under Paul Westhead and won the 1980 championship.
March 9, 1988
Los Angeles Lakers coach Pat Riley recorded his 400th career victory in a 104-99 win over the Knicks in New York, reaching the 400 victory plateau faster (540 games) than any other coach in NBA history. 🐐 https://t.co/ANpAWcGmL7
Riley eventually became the coach two seasons later in 1981, when Magic Johnson expressed his unhappiness playing for Westhead. The current Miami Heat president reinstilled the up-tempo style with the Lakers that Jack McKinney and Westhead used during the 1979-1980 season.
Pat Riley successfully led the LA Lakers to four championships, playing an integral role in their "Showtime era" dynasty. However, his career as the Lakers' coach didn't end as he would've expected.
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In the fourth episode of Hulu's 10-part docuseries, "Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers," Riley talked about how it did. He said he felt the players drifted away from him toward the end of his coaching stint with LA. He said:
"I lost it in the playoffs. I could feel the walls closing in. I could feel it, and I fought it. I could feel them drawing away from me. I don't think that in my mind, there's any doubt that I changed.
"It was like war. I couldn't get down on my knees and mea culpa this thing. I had to follow through what I was doing."
The Lakers lost in the conference semifinals of the 1990 playoffs against the Phoenix Suns in four games. Riley led LA to a 63-19 record in the regular season and won his maiden Coach of the Year award. However, his dynamic change with the players led to him stepping down after losing to the Suns.
Why Pat Riley's stint with LA Lakers didn't end on a great note
Pat Riley wasn't always destined to become a top coach in the NBA. If not for Jack McKinney's unfortunate bike accident, Riley may not have gotten his break. He established that he deserved the role. Riley also became a popular figure due to his fashion sense and style matching the team's Hollywood image.
As he grew into his role, his demeanor changed with time. Riley started to believe that the LA Lakers were successful because of him. He reflected on that during the fourth episode of "Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers," saying:
"I began to lose myself a little bit, that I thought it was me. That I thought that we're successful. The ego gets a little bit inflated."
On top of that, Pat Riley started to lose control over the players because of his demanding coaching style. It got to a point where players drove away from him. This resulted in the Lakers not being able to capitalize on a 63-19 regular season during the playoffs.