Riley Gets 500th Victory on the Fast Track at Indy

As he has probably done 499 other times as Laker coach, Pat Riley made sure that the final seconds of a victory Wednesday night ticked away without delay and then nonchalantly strolled off the court.

Not so fast, Pat.

Before Riley could take a few steps and begin to savor the Lakers’ 120-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers before 16,912 at Market Square Arena, he was double-teammed by assistant coaches Bill Bertka and Randy Pfund. Handshakes and backslaps were exchanged in acknowledgment of Riley’s 500th regular-season victory.

He earned those victories in 684 games. It was the quickest any NBA coach has done it. Before Riley, Golden State Coach Don Nelson had reached that milestone in the fewest games, 817, in 1986. In addition to that milestone, Wednesday’s victory ensured Riley’s spot as coach for the Western Conference in next month’s All-Star game.

Consistent with Riley’s controlled personality, he tried to play down the achievement. No one would let him, though. Players briefly chanted “500” in front of their coach. Later, they gave testimonials to Riley’s coaching ability and perceived lack of recognition.

All of those 184 losses probably still bother Riley, but he seemed to fully embrace this victory. Call this his personal Indianapolis 500.

And, only when asked, Riley talked about what 500 victories means to him. Turns out, it means a lot.

“It sure does,” Riley said. “I’ve always said that milestones for coaches and players are great. They are the residual rewards for winning. All the things that lead up to the winning are what really matters. I just can’t believe I’ve already coached about 700 games. It seems like just yesterday I started out on Nov. 19, 1981 with a 137-117 win against San Antonio.”

Actually, it was a 136-116 victory over San Antonio on Nov. 20, 1981. But that is quibbling. Riley has, indeed, made a quantum leap since that first game after replacing Paul Westhead.

Carrying on quite efficiently without Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Riley has the Lakers at an NBA-best 30-9. They finished this difficult trip with a 3-1 record, including victories over Detroit and New York and Wednesday’s strong effort over the improved Pacers.

Several Lakers had big games.

Magic Johnson had 32 points and eight assists. He sank 11 of 15 shots. A.C. Green made 12 of 13 shots, many from the perimeter, for 24 points. Green also had 11 rebounds. James Worthy had a career-high 12 assists to go with 17 points, and Mychal Thompson tied his season high with 19 points.

The taxing trip over, Riley even relaxed enough to joke about all the fuss over his 500 victories.

“I’ll say the same thing I said after the 100th, 200th, 300th, 400th, 500th and, if I’m still around then after my 600th win,” Riley said. “That is: If I had a little more talent, I would’ve won ‘em quicker.”

Only now, it seems, is Riley earning a modicum of credit for at least a few of those victories. He has, after all, never won the coach of the year award even though he has guided the Lakers to four NBA titles.

Does the 500th validate Riley’s coaching prowess?

“That’s up to you guys to decide,” Riley said. “I feel like I’ve made it.”

When Riley made it to the locker room after Wednesday’s game, he was greeted by a chorus of chants from Laker players.

“We were counting off all of his victories, from one to 500,” Thompson said. “We did it the Evelyn Wood speed-reading counting method, the same way we took our SATs in college.”

In a more serious vein, Laker players from Worthy to Johnson to Byron Scott praised Riley, though Worthy admitted the 500th-victory scenario was not an issue until after the game.

“There are a lot of great coaches out there,” Worthy said. “But, as far as winning goes, year-to-year, you have to look at Riley.”

Added Scott: “He’s done it quicker than anybody, and that’s saying something. I think now he is getting the (recognition). Now that Kareem’s gone, and we still got the best record in basketball and (are) playing great, people are starting to notice him.”

Johnson, who along with Michael Cooper, is the only holdover from Riley’s first victory, said he has “matured” as a coach.

“To win 100 or 200 games is a great accomplishment, but 500 is amazing,” Johnson said. “I’m proud of him. He’s been the head of this gang--I mean group of men--for a long time. And he hasn’t always gotten the credit.

“He’s matured as everyone else has matured--as a coach and a person. He’s a good friend, a guy you can talk to about more than just the X’s and O’s. He’s a players’ coach. He understands what we go through, (player) No. 1 one through 12. It’s important to know every player.”

Knowing the current Lakers as he does, Riley did not expect them to fold Wednesday night just because it was the end of a trip that consisted of four games in six days, including intense victories over the Pistons and Knicks and a last-second loss to Milwaukee.

Though weary, the Lakers never let the Pacers, off for the previous four days, lead by more than five points. Indiana took an 89-88 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Lakers scored the first six points of the quarter.

Indiana cut the deficit to one point on four occasions, only to have the Lakers pull away again. The Pacers made their last stand with 3:52 left, when Mike Sanders tipped in Detlef Schrempf’s miss to cut the Lakers’ lead to 106-105.

After an exchange of possessions and then a timeout, the Lakers pulled away for good. Scott sank a three-point shot with 3:01 to play; Johnson sank two free throws with 2:23 to play and Johnson made a three-point shot with 1:52 to play for a 114-105 lead. The Pacers, scoreless on their three possessions, were finished despite making 57.7% of their shots. The Lakers sank 58.4%.

As far as intensity and marquee value, a victory over the Pacers does not rate with wins over the Pistons and Knicks.

But Riley, not totally stopping to savor the milestone, talked about how important Wednesday’s victory was in the context of the Lakers’ season.

“I don’t think anybody’s going to win the championship unless they have the home court for the playoffs,” Riley said. “San Antonio, Utah and Portland, I’m sure they are waiting and waiting for us to lose on the road. But this team is not cracking. They could have settled for a 2-2 trip. But 3-1 is a lot better.”

By the same token, 500-184 is not bad for a coach, either.

Laker Notes

Reggie Miller led Indiana with 27 points. Miller made 11 of 13 shots, his only two misses coming in the second half. . . . A. C. Green made his first 11 shots before missing a layup with 2:32 to play in the third quarter. Green promptly grabbed the rebound and converted the miss. It was the only shot he missed all game. . . . For the second time in the last three games, center Vlade Divac did not play in the second half. In Detroit, Coach Pat Riley said he did not play Divac because the play was too physical for him. Wednesday, Riley said Divac sat because Indiana went with a smaller lineup that had 6-foot-10 Detlef Schrempf at center. “Vlade is not in the doghouse,” Riley said. “That’s just the way it turned out.” . . . The Lakers are off today and play the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night at the Forum.

GETTING TO 500 NBA coaches with 500 regular-season victories, the number of games it took to reach the milestone and the dates of their 500th win.

Coach No. of Games Date of to Reach 500 No. 500 Pat Riley 684 Jan. 24, 1990 Don Nelson 817 Nov. 26, 1986 Red Auerbach 821 Dec. 29, 1958 Red Holzman 881 Feb. 21, 1976 Dick Motta 897 April 1, 1979 Doug Moe 907 Feb. 26, 1988 Lenny Wilkens 917 Jan. 18, 1984 J. MacLeod 921 Dec. 1, 1984 Jack Ramsay 924 Nov. 20, 1979 Al Attles 941 Jan. 2, 1982 Gene Shue 985 Nov. 20, 1979 Bill Fitch 996 Nov. 20, 1982 C. Fitzsimmons 1035 March 3, 1984