Pat Riley coached American basketball.
The National Basketball Association ( NBA ) is the major men 's professional basketball league in North America , and is widely considered to be the premier men 's professional basketball league in the world . The New York Knickerbockers , commonly referred to as the Knicks , are an American professional basketball team based in New York City . Patrick James Riley ( born March 20 , 1945 ) is an American professional basketball executive , and a former coach and player in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . Regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time , Riley has served as the head coach of five championship teams , four with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the Heat .