Kinder, Gentler Riley Hasn’t Lost Winning Edge : Basketball: Outbursts are a thing of the past for Laker coach, who holds record for playoff victories.

“Riles” hardly ever gets riled anymore.

Pat Riley’s motivational methods have mellowed in nine years of coaching the Lakers, but his approach is still successful.

At halftime of Sunday’s playoff game against the Houston Rockets, with the heavily favored Lakers trailing by 17 points, Riley said he felt compassion for his struggling players.

Earlier in his coaching career, he might have expressed a different emotion.

“A few years ago, if we had come in here losing by 17 at the half, he would have been knocking things over, kicking holes in the wall and throwing things,” Magic Johnson said.

“In my first couple of years I would have yelled and screamed and embarrassed everybody,” Riley said, smiling at the memories. “What I really would have done is embarrassed myself.

“I haven’t kicked a door since ’82. That was funny. I put my foot through the door, and Jack Curran (the Lakers’ trainer then) had to push my foot back from the other side.”

No more such displays, the coach said.

“What I felt at halftime more than anything else was compassion,” Riley said after Sunday’s game. “They were hurting, and I felt for them. The possibility of losing a home-court advantage in the playoffs creates some fear.

“So they went inside and dug deep within themselves.”

Riley’s reassuring approach at halftime obviously worked. The Lakers scored the first seven points of the third quarter, cut the Rockets’ lead to 82-75 by the end of the period, then caught and passed them in the final minutes of the game for a 104-100 victory.

The Lakers are in Houston for tonight’s Game 3.

While Riley’s kinder, gentler methods have bred victories, so did his old door-destroying outbursts.

Sunday’s win gave the Lakers a 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 playoff opening series and--almost unnoticed--made Riley the winningest coach in NBA playoff history.

The victory was his 100th in postseason play, moving him one up on Red Auerbach, who had most of his playoff wins with the Boston Celtics from 1951 to 1966.

One of their marks should probably have an asterisk. Riley made it to 100 playoff wins (against 42 losses) in just nine years, while Auerbach, who coached in the days before the expanded playoff system, needed 20 years.

Although Riley has the best winning percentage in both the regular season (.733 to Auerbach’s .662) and playoffs (.704 to Auerbach’s .589) in NBA history, Riley thus far has not received the recognition Auerbach did in his day.

Despite the Lakers’ success in the 1980s, Riley has always been snubbed in the voting for NBA coach of the year. He was recognized, however, as the Associated Press manager-coach--for all sports--of the decade.

Riley’s achievements as a coach have been underrated, perhaps, because of the caliber of players the Lakers have had, most notably Magic Johnson. Forgotten, possibly, is the fact that Auerbach’s Boston teams also had great talent, including the MVP of his time, Bill Russell.

But even Riley downplayed his 100th playoff victory, saying: “This was a nice way to get it. It’s a significant achievement for me and the team, believe me. But it pales in comparison to winning the game and holding the edge over Houston. I’m sure I’ll appreciate it (the milestone) more in the future.”