Pat Riley Has Earned His Respect

Six seasons and two Laker championships have passed since Paul Westhead was fired as Laker coach, and Magic Johnson was fingered as the man who brought Westhead down.

Laker owner Jerry Buss insisted at the time, and insists to this day, that he had already decided to fire Westhead even before the November night in Salt Lake City when Johnson announced he wanted to be traded.

Since Nov. 19, 1981, Johnson’s coach has been Pat Riley. Their relationship, as described by Johnson:

“We read each other well. I probably understand him better than some of the other guys. He wants his due and he hasn’t gotten it.

“As a player, I understand what he’s going through. Because that means a lot to a person, to get the credit they deserve. People think he fell into the job, and they’re not giving him the respect that he’s doing a good job. So the things that he says, I understand.

“This year, he’s done a masterful job. When he opened up things for everybody, that was the best thing. If he hadn’t done that, we probably wouldn’t have won 50 games.

“This year, he came into his own. He told everybody--’A. C., you, too, Kurt, you, too,’--that they’ve got to shoot. Now the defenses have to come out, and that’s why Kareem has been more effective inside.

“He understands everybody. He understands you and knows how you are, and treats a guy like he is. That’s what he does best--he gets the most out of a guy because he understands him.

“He’s hard to understand at times because he’s so into it, so intense. If you don’t understand that’s how he is, you won’t understand him. For the new guys, it’s an eye-awakening. The veterans, we know.

“He wants to control everything. That’s fine, too. I have no problem with that. I say, ‘Whatever you want, I’m here to do it.’ ”