Pat Riley thinks NBA's '65-game' rule doesn't go far enough

Pat Riley is used to winning. In his 42 seasons as a head coach and/or executive, Riley has accumulated more wins with the Lakers, Knicks, and Heat than any other NBA franchise ever has in that time. Postseason included,Riley has led his teams to 2,372 wins, and counting. However, this season was different for Pat, namely because for the first time, Riley saw his employer initiate a participation policy.

During a press conference on Monday, Riley criticised the NBA's 65-game rule that requires players to play in at least 65 games to be eligible for postseason awards.

"To me, it sends a message that it's OK to sit when you're not 100 percent when no one in this league is 100 percent," Riley said. Per Tim Reynolds (AP), the Miami Heat used a franchise-record 37 different starting lineups in 89 games this season. The only Heat players to cross the 65-game threshold were Haywood Highsmith, Duncan Robinson, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Bam Adebayo. 

The Miami Heat couldn't repeat last year's magic this postseason, as they were knocked out in the first round by the Boston Celtics. Herro missed 40 games this season and Butler missed 22, and you can be sure the Heat noticed that. Perhaps this is what Riley's getting at with his quote. Because, in Pat Riley's mind, if you give someone a little privilege, they'll take advantage of it.

While it's difficult to imagine NBA players exploiting leniency, it's also hard to picture NBA players betting on themselves/putting eachother in headlocks. And hey, all of that has happened this year. Basically, they're human just like us and Riley doesn't like the message the NBA is sending, where missing a certain number of games is okay.

After all, we've seen what Miami can do when healthy and there seems to be no doubt Riley knows what he has on paper. “We’ve got a really good group of guys and the No. 1 issue is player availability and having your guys healthy to play every night,” Riley said. “And we have to wrap our arms around that notion." Clearly, this is something the Heat are monitoring/trying to get on top of.

Riley credits young teams like 'OKC, Minnesota, Indiana, and Orlando' and 'these guys playing 70-80 games' for inspiring the Heat's deep dive into player availability. Going forward, the Heat may make some adjustments. "We do have to change some things," Riley said. "But we surely are not going to rip anything apart here.”

Even after 42 seasons, Riley is still doing his best to stay competitive and keep up with the ever-changing landscape of the NBA.