Pat Riley takes shot at the Hawks

[Plainview1981]

Miami Herald -

Heat coach Pat Riley wasn't quite caught up in nostalgia when he watched the San Antonio Spurs receive their championship rings before Tuesday's opening-night victory against the Portland Trail Blazers .

Instead, Riley pointed out what he believes was a bit of unfair scheduling. Last season, the Heat received their championship rings before playing the Bulls, who spoiled the ring ceremony with a 42-point victory.

''They sent our most bitter rival for ring ceremony night, and San Antonio got, basically, the worst team in the league,'' Riley said, half-jokingly, about the Trail Blazers, who used the first pick in the draft on center Greg Oden, who is injured. ``Thank you [commissioner] David [stern]. We got the shark eater who wanted us badly. I would have liked to have seen maybe Atlanta or somebody.''

The Bulls also swept the Heat in the first round of the playoffs.

[Wurider05]

Ironically I was thinking the samething!!!!

[TroyMcClure]

Wonder what the apologists will say about this? Nothing would be my guess. Hard to say Riley is full of it. Easy to say Walter, Troy and Hot are, isn't it?

[TexasPete]

What good does it do to constantly bask in the negative all the time? This team just might surprise people and I think most would like to be optimistic for the first time in years. Maybe it won't work out, but why always bring the garbage?

Hotlanta lives with a black cloud over his head. I'm not sure why he doesn't become a Mavs or Spurs fan. Of course, then he wouldnt have anything to [censored] about.

The bottom line is Riley is overrated and will bail at the first sign of trouble back upstairs. He got his ring and he better enjoy it because he's going to suck for a long time. He's assembled one superstar, an aging great big man, and a bunch of nothing. Their another D-Wade injury away from being the worst team in the NBA...so, it won't be long until people want to schedule his sorry ass squad for ring ceremonies. Of course Riley will leave the organization with the mess he created because that's what he's about.

[AHF]

Let's just keep in mind here that Riley is talking about the 2006-07 Atlanta Hawks who finished with the 4th worst record in the league and finished last in the Southeast Division. I don't take this as that biga deal. I don't think this was intended to be a rip on the 2007-08 squad.

[Guest Walter]

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Let's just keep in mind here that Riley is talking about the 2006-07 Atlanta Hawks who finished with the 4th worst record in the league and finished last in the Southeast Division. I don't take this as that biga deal. I don't think this was intended to be a rip on the 2007-08 squad.

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Me either. While we aren't a playoff team IMO. We are 1-2 team out and that isn't exactly a cake walk as our team last year was.

W

[TroyMcClure]

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What good does it do to constantly bask in the negative all the time?

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It keeps you grounded to reality. Which is where we all live. I hoping as much as the next guy, but it is what it is. I don't always bring the garbage, but it's always there!

You know the deal with this team and organization. You have to isolate problems and correct them. If that is basking, so be it. Unfortunately, there is a wide disparity in opinion on what those problems are. What the Hawks and so many people around here do is equal to painting over severe water damage. Something like "If I can't see it right now, it's not hurting me."

I'll still make the "what a block by Smoove!" posts and such but now is the time for prognostication. And reality.

[TroyMcClure]

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Let's just keep in mind here that Riley is talking about the 2006-07 Atlanta Hawks who finished with the 4th worst record in the league and finished last in the Southeast Division. I don't take this as that biga deal. I don't think this was intended to be a rip on the 2007-08 squad.

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I don't see how our relative status to other teams has changed, though. If anything, we've not matched the pace of other teams. It's a rip on the organization, which is a rip on the teams they put out, whether 07 or 08. When Walter and I among a few others voiced opinions that go with Riley's assesment, we were roundly rejected. Where did we finish?

[AHF]

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Let's just keep in mind here that Riley is talking about the 2006-07 Atlanta Hawks who finished with the 4th worst record in the league and finished last in the Southeast Division. I don't take this as that biga deal. I don't think this was intended to be a rip on the 2007-08 squad.

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I don't see how our relative status to other teams has changed, though. If anything, we've not matched the pace of other teams. It's a rip on the organization, which is a rip on the teams they put out, whether 07 or 08. When Walter and I among a few others voiced opinions that go with Riley's assesment, we were roundly rejected. Where did we finish?

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I just don't see it as a big rip on this year's team or a projection that he sees this year's team as an easy win. Vegas certainly seems a lot more impressed with this squad. I view this as an indictment of the competitiveness of the club the last few years and not so much an indication of where he thinks the team is today.

If you are trying to say that you should not have been ripped last year for predicting the Hawks would be among the worst team's in the league, I don't see a ton of connection to this after-the-fact statement from Riley but I agree that it does show our standing in the league - doormat until we prove otherwise.

[TroyMcClure]

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I agree that it does show our standing in the league - doormat until we prove otherwise.

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That's pretty much all that I'm saying. With the improvement in the East, I see us there again.

[macdaddy]

Isn't the point of being the champion that you are better than EVERY other team in the league? "Careful who you schedule for the ring ceremony. Anyone decent is liable to blow us out by 50 points"

[Murat]

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Let's just keep in mind here that Riley is talking about the 2006-07 Atlanta Hawks who finished with the 4th worst record in the league and finished last in the Southeast Division. I don't take this as that biga deal. I don't think this was intended to be a rip on the 2007-08 squad.

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Exatcly if anyone is too get pissed of about this, it's the Blazers fans. He said that Blazers are worst team in the Nba this season.

I wish we sweep the Heat this year though.