Pat Riley Notches 1,000th Career Win
M I A M I, Nov. 2 -- Win No. 1 for the revamped Miami Heat was coaching victory No. 1,000 for Pat Riley.
Even without ailing Alonzo Mourning, the Heat meshed marvelouslyand helped Riley achieve a milestone in their season openerWednesday night, beating the Orlando Magic 105-79.
Mourning, who will miss this season with a kidney disorderdiscovered at the start of training camp, received a standingovation when introduced before the game.
“I appreciate the love, the support, the prayers,” he told thecrowd. “That’s going to get me through all of this.”
Looking dapper in a three-piece suit, Mourning watched the gamefrom the end of the bench. At the other end sat Riley, who joinedLenny Wilkens as the only NBA coaches to reach 1,000 wins.
“It’s a wonderful honor,” Riley said. “Now I know how Lenny feels. It’s very satisfying.”
Riley said the pregame tribute to Mourning wasn’t orchestratedto fire up the team, although that may have been the effect.
“Zo hadn’t had a chance to talk to the fans,” Riley said. “He has gotten hundreds and hundreds of cards. There’s a lot of supportout there, and some of our guys played a little bit with his faceon.”
Miami Shoots 91 Percent to Start
The Magic were also without their best player. Forward GrantHill sat out because of soreness in his left ankle after playing 33minutes in a season-opening victory Tuesday over Washington. Hillis still recovering from offseason surgery on the ankle, and hisstatus is day-to-day.
The Heat began the season with four new starters but dominatedat the outset thanks to their lone holdover — Tim Hardaway. Hescored 12 of the first 27 points for the Heat, who raced to leadsof 17-3, 28-7 and 37-14.
“Everybody thinks with Zo not here, we’re just going to laydown and die,” Hardaway said. “We’re not going to do that.”
The Magic missed 12 of their first 16 shots and looked sloppy ondefense, while Miami started 11-for-12.
Related Stories
ABC News Live