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Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers spent time Monday morning at FTX Arena ahead of his team’s game-day shootaround talking about mentorship, including his host for the first two games of his team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Miami Heat.
The influence of Heat president Pat Riley, Rivers said, has been a touchstone over his coaching career, approaches gleaned from his time playing under Riley’s coaching with the New York Knicks.
“I’ve been around some pretty good guys,” Rivers said. “But Riley clearly had the biggest impact. It’s not even close.”
That includes playing under Mike Fratello, Larry Brown and even spending time with the San Antonio Spurs working under Gregg Popovich.
Rivers told the assembled media that it was during his time as a TNT game analyst that Riley broached a Rivers move into coaching.
“He was the one when I did TV for three years, every day he would call me or challenge me, ‘When are you going to get in the fray?’ ” Rivers said of Riley. “He would belittle me, literally. Because I did the [1997] Miami and New York playoff series. Every day, he got me. I thought he was wrong, but he ended up being right.”
Rivers long has mentioned his two-plus seasons under Riley in New York as transformative.
“He inspired me, he really did,” Rivers said. “Just his speeches and his belief in conditioning, I was always in pretty good shape, anyways, so he has you believing that you’re different than everybody else in the league. And back then, he had a foul every possession in the first-five-minutes rule, because they’ll stop calling them. You can’t do that anymore.
“It’s his spirit and the way he approaches the job that sets him apart.”
And yet, while addressing the Heat, Rivers also alluded to the Heat maintaining at least part of the Riley mantra under coach Erik Spoelstra, when he forecast how the Heat might defend 76ers guard James Harden and Tyrese Maxey.
“They’re going to try to bump them and all of that fake tough stuff,” Rivers said. “I always laugh at all that toughness stuff. You’re on a basketball court.
“But, you know, we will be ready for all that.”
Two-man game
With Victor Oladipo back in the Heat rotation mix, Spoelstra said it is important for him to get into sync with sixth man Tyler Herro.
“We’ve been working on that a little bit more intentionally,” Spoelstra said. “We’ve had the opportunity to do this more for several weeks.
“The two have been very diligent on working on their rhythm and flow and who handles and what actions with the two, making sure we get to both their strengths. And it’s gotten much better.”
Spoelstra said even this late into the process, acclimation remains fundamental.
“To accomplish what we want to accomplish,” he said, “you need talent, you need multiple guys to make plays. You want everybody feeling that they can be themselves and also play with great confidence and flow. And I’ve already seen good progress with them.”
White Hot
The Heat were back in their Association Edition white uniforms Monday and will wear them again in Wednesday night’s Game 2, amid the team’s White Hot playoff theme, after playing in their red Statement Edition uniforms in their previous playoff home game, the series-clinching victory last week against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Heat will wear their Statement Edition red Friday night in Philadelphia in Game 3 and then their black Icon Edition in Sunday’s Game 4 at Wells Fargo Center. …
With local television giving way to national exclusive telecasts after the first round, Bally Sports Sun has announced live postgame shows immediately after each remaining playoff game.
Eric Reid and John Crotty will host the coverage, with Jason Jackson, Ruth Riley Hunter and Ron Rothstein also contributing.
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