The NBA : Pat Riley Writes a Lot of Wrongs About Boston

There are no Pat Riley fan clubs in Boston to begin with, but after the publication of his new book, “Showtime: Inside the Lakers’ Breakthrough Season,” the Laker coach has the chance to join some select company in New England’s affections: King George III, Bucky Dent, the Montreal Canadiens.

“Boston is supposed to be the Athens of America,” Riley writes in the book, which he co-wrote with Byron Laursen. “But in our experience, it’s more like Beirut.”

During the championship finals last season, the Lakers were “pinned down in their rooms,” Riley writes.

“It’s hard for them to go out on the streets of Boston. You never know what kind of harassment will happen. There is always a sense of physical danger when we go to Boston--even for wives and family. There are always threats and crank calls to go along with the fire drills.

“A couple of years ago, Boston fans threw rocks through the windows of the press contingent’s bus. Then they ripped apart a nearby car and set it on fire. . . . “

Not quite the picture of Boston you’d get from your typical travel guide, is it? Riley is just as unsparing in his description of the so-called Celtic mystique.

“The Boston Mystique isn’t leprechauns hiding in the floorboards,” he writes. “It isn’t blood and guts. It’s a willingness to use any tactic to upset an opponent. Turn up the heat when it’s already hot. Shut down the visitors’ water heaters. Instigate hard fouls on the court. The general manager chasing officials all the way to the dressing room to try to intimidate them. To hell with dignity. To hell with fair play.

” . . . The Boston Mystique encourages the lowest common denominator of fan behavior. It grows directly out of the low-rent attitudes of Boston management. They’re the Klingons of the NBA. I respect the individual players . . . but the organization and its traditions are out of date.”

Just imagine the warm welcome Riley will get should there be the annual Laker-Celtic reprise in the finals this June.

Add Riley: The book, a fast-paced, anecdotal and generally entertaining account of the Lakers’ championship quest last season, does more than trash Boston and the Celtics, of course.

For example, Riley elaborates on the proposed trade between the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, James Worthy to the Mavericks for Mark Aguirre and top draft choice Roy Tarpley. In Riley’s version, owner Jerry Buss leaned toward making the deal, but when he asked Jerry West, the Laker general manager said: “No way. I don’t want to do it.”

Buss did discuss the possible trade with Magic Johnson, a close friend of Aguirre, but according to Riley, Johnson was opposed to the deal.

During training camp, Riley writes: “ . . . Buss told Jerry West and me that we would ‘wait and see’ about the decision not to trade James. I think he was still upset that we had swayed him. Not upset about the decision itself, but about the feeling he had let go of some power. There was a hint of finality to Buss’ message, as if our tenures were directly connected to James’ growth and contributions in the year. Buss wanted us to remember who runs the ship.”

Riley’s frustration with Billy Thompson, the team’s No. 1 draft choice, is clearly evident in his book. He details Thompson’s frequent tardiness to practices, team meetings, and trips, and also his inattention to the business at hand. What makes it so striking is that Riley rarely criticizes a player publicly.

“He makes you drool to think about what he could be,” Riley writes. “He has a problem, though, that is peculiar to a few of the most gifted athletes. He’s what coaches call a floater. So much of his game comes so easily that he didn’t need to maintain a high level of concentration against the people he faced in high school and college. . . . It’s strictly an effort area, a mental effort that has to increase with maturity.”

Just rewards: Voting for the league’s major awards ends Sunday, the last day of the regular season. One man’s choices for:

--Most valuable player. Magic Johnson’s bout with a strained groin has turned what should have been a 3-man race into a duel between Larry Bird of the Celtics and Michael Jordan of the Bulls. Bird is having the best season of his marvelous career, but Jordan’s night-in, night-out brilliance has a sub-.500 team on the verge of a 50-win season. Until Jordan wins a championship, he cannot claim to be a money player on the Bird-Magic level, but no one is more deserving of MVP.

--Coach of the year. In time, he’ll probably be recognized as coach of the decade, but it appears that the Lakers’ late-season slide will deny Riley the honor he has yet to receive. His “guarantee” of another title proved to be a masterful motivational stroke--the Lakers were incredibly focused through much of the regular season, especially on the road--but now the Lakers appear vulnerable going into the playoffs.

Doug Moe’s Denver Nuggets, meanwhile, have become this season’s overachievers--their finishing kick has them in line to win the Midwest Division title with a record in the West second only to the Lakers’. Moe’s popularity with the media won’t hurt him, either, although Riley is also well regarded. Moe is funny and honest as they come.

Rick Pitino deserves a mention for the job he’s done with the New York Knicks, and last season’s top coach, Portland’s Mike Schuler, has matched his performance of a year ago. But Moe is the man.

--Most improved player. There are plenty of deserving candidates. Kevin Duckworth, an overweight underachiever last season, has become a force at center for Portland, where forward Jerome Kersey also has made great strides.

In San Antonio, how about center Frank Brickowski, a former Laker bench-warmer who has far exceeded the Spurs’ expectations? In Utah, there is guard John Stockton, an already fine player who became the league’s top assist-maker this season.

But this award should go to another Denver Nugget, guard Michael Adams, who was going nowhere with the Washington Bullets but blended beautifully with the Nuggets’ nonstop running style. Moe said that the Nuggets would be nowhere without him, and his three-point shooting streak has added another facet to the already dangerous Denver offense.

--Defensive player. The incumbent, Michael Cooper, lost a chance to defend his title when he sprained his ankle. Cooper is still the one player you’d take your chances with in shutting down the opposition’s top gun.

Jordan leads the league in steals but cheats too often on the other end of the court. How could he avoid doing so, given the load he carries offensively? Utah’s Mark Eaton is once again the league’s top shot blocker, and no one clogs the middle more effectively, but his immobility is still a liability.

So, the choice here--and it won’t be popular with the Laker guards, who privately have let it be known that he’s overrated--is San Antonio guard Alvin Robertson.

--Rookie of the year. The easiest pick of all. Knick guard Mark Jackson is an exciting, committed player who set a team record for assists and is equally as passionate about his defense. His maturity and court leadership remind Magic Johnson of . . . Magic Johnson.

Honorable mention: Golden State guard Winston Garland and Indiana long bomber Reggie Miller, who broke Bird’s record for three-pointers by a rookie.

--Sixth man. Another category in which Cooper is a perennial candidate, this season it becomes the province of Tarpley, Dallas’ 7-foot forward who has shown the capacity of 20-point, 20-rebound nights coming off the bench.

--All-NBA team: First team: Magic Johnson and Jordan, guards; Akeem Olajuwon, center; Bird and Charles Barkley, forwards. Second team: Clyde Drexler and Fat Lever, guards; Moses Malone, center; Dominique Wilkins and Karl Malone, forwards (with apologies to Kevin McHale).