Pat Riley officially became the first Los Angeles Lakers coach to have his statue erected in his honor. The Lakers will unveil the statue on Saturday, just before the game against the Boston Celtics. The timing is no coincidence. Riley remains the most profound coach in Lakers history, and his tenure coincided with the peak of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry.

One of the most memorable moments from the rivalry between the two greatest franchises in NBA history was during the 1985 season. On May 27, 1985, Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers were on the losing side of the infamous “Memorial Day Massacre” in Game 1 of the 1985 NBA Finals at Boston Garden. According to Johnson, the loss was one of the few moments when Riley, known for his composure even in the most chilling moments, had lost his cool.

After the loss, Riley told the media that the loss would be forgotten if the Lakers split the lead in Game 2. However, as Johnson recalled, when Riley entered the locker room, everything had changed. The legendary Showtime coach was livid and blasted some of the greatest players in NBA history inside the locker room.

“Oh, man, I would just say when the Memorial Day Massacre,” addressing the question when he had seen the former coach most livid. “When Boston blew us out by 34 points. They just dominated us. Well, I’ve never been dominated like that… So the next day he comes in, and we have like a four-hour film session, and he just went down the line, and he started with Kareem. Unfortunately, because [Robert] Parish and the big man, [Greg] Kite, they had all dominated him. He only scored like 10 points or something like that, and oh my goodness, he went in on him.”

“And I said, oh, if he went in on Kareem, what am I gonna get next? And sure enough, he went in on me, and what DJ and Danny Ainge did to me made me look like I was an average basketball player. There was no Magic last night, and he just kept going.”

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Following intense locker room chiding, the former Lakers coach made his players watch film and confront their mistakes on the court. However, Riley’s most significant punishment was yet to come. He made sure to teach his team a big lesson that would ultimately change the course of the series.

“And then the next day he says, okay, we’re not gonna blow the whistle. I want the reserves just to smack you in the face, just elbow you, do anything they want to do to you, and it’s not gonna be a foul. Because we were whining and crying to the referees about how physical Boston was, and that practice actually turned the whole series around.”

“Oh man, he called us everything under the sun,” Johnson recalled being scolded and cursed by his coach after the game. 

The Lakers went on to win Game 2, 109-102. After a poor first game, a 38-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar burst out for a 30-point game. The Lakers eventually won the NBA Finals 4-2.

Pat Riley was the director of the Showtime Lakers, but never considered himself above the team

For nine years, Riley, in his timeless Italian-tailored suit, representing power and fearless swag, became synonymous with the Showtime Lakers. Jeanie Buss once recalled the time Riley pushed back when she was called “Riles” by her. He asked her to call him coach. “He was LA,” Buss said about Pat Riley’s ruthless swagger.

While Magic Johnson, Kareem and others soaked in the Showtime Lakers era, Riley was still above all. He was the Godfather of the team that single-handedly dominated American sports. However much the world has tried to paint the legendary coach, he has been humble enough not to put himself above the team and the superstars he coached over the years. Riley still considers himself fortunate to be mentioned alongside icons like Magic and Jerry West.

“I’ve been gone for 30 years,” he explained. “Every time I come back, I was a part of a team that was iconic and legendary.”

Riley coached the Lakers for five years and won five NBA titles during that stint. In the 1989-90 season, he won the Coach of the Year award. However, he later stepped down after the Lakers lost to the Suns in the playoffs. Riley enjoyed unprecedented fame as a coach, but he knew exactly when to step away and not succumb to greed.