Riley’s Return Is a Real Winner

Pat Riley insists he’s a changed man, even if his return to coaching had a decidedly familiar feel.

He whistled to get his player’s attention. He stalked the sideline in a designer jacket and slacks. His hair was slicked back. And, yes, his team won with an All-Star center leading the way.

Riley’s second tenure as Miami Heat coach got off to a successful start Tuesday night, with a 100-97 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

“Yes, I liked this win,” Riley said. “If we had lost, I’d have gone and retired.”

The team president stepped back into his old job Monday, when Stan Van Gundy resigned. He saw a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter dwindle to two, then watched a three-point shot by Chicago’s Luol Deng clang off the rim as time expired.

“You coach on instinct,” Riley said. “It’s going to take some time for me to get real comfortable with all the things you have to do at the end of the game. It’s going to take me time to get up to speed on everything.”

Shaquille O’Neal scored a game-high 30 points in his first start and second game back for Miami since spraining his right ankle -- an injury that sidelined him for 18 games.

Kirk Hinrich led the Bulls with 26 points.

Despite a 12-point deficit early in the fourth quarter, the Bulls refused to roll over for Riley.

They had one final chance after Dwyane Wade made one of two free throws with 6.9 seconds left. Deng, near the Heat basket, inbounded the ball, then his three-point attempt from the left wing hit the rim.

Riley’s return was a success, thanks largely to O’Neal. Sidelined since Nov. 3, O’Neal had 10 points and 11 rebounds in Sunday’s victory over Washington and found himself on the bench with two fouls less than three minutes into Tuesday’s game.

O’Neal, however, went on to make 12 of 21 shots, six of nine free throws and grab seven rebounds in only 27 minutes.

“You can play good defense against Shaq and he can still score,” Bull Coach Scott Skiles said. “Tonight, he had it going and he hurt us.”