Keeping a Pat hand

Scott must deviate from Riley's example for Nets to win

He has the sideline swagger and the razor-sharp-pleat, tailor-made style of his mentor. Byron Scott even possesses the sly I'm-smarter-than all-of-you smirk Pat Riley often flashed when addressing the media during his coaching heyday (that is, pre-Miami beatdown). A couple of weeks ago the Nets coach -- who played guard for Riley as a member of the multiple-time 1980s NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers -- told Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard, "In every way I want to emulate him. The way he dresses, the way he carries himself, the way he won."

So far, Scott has gone 2-for-3, and the last point will remain out of reach unless he chooses not to emulate another Riley trait: stubbornness.

Part of what made Riley one of the greatest coaches of all time was his singular and unwavering pursuit of his plan. It's what drove him and consumed him during his Lakers tenure. And one night in Houston nearly a decade ago, it was also what blinded him and caused him to squander an opportunity to lead the New York Knicks to their first championship since the early '70s.

It was Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals, where the Knicks, blessed by the retirement (the first one) of Michael Jordan, were carried by a Patrick Ewing in his prime and spirited (read: erratic) guard John Starks. The game lived up to what was at stake. Ewing and his future Hall of Fame compadre and counterpart, Akeem Olajuwon, were warriors. Everyone in the building knew the game likely would not be swayed by one of them, but by a supporting teammate who would (cliché alert!) "step up" and dominate.

Starks so wanted to be that player, as he often was as a Knick. Instead, also as he often was, Starks' game was off. Way off. And with each shot, the clanging seemed to grow louder. With his starting guard struggling, Riley had two options: Lift Starks for backup Rolando Blackman, the 13-year veteran who had scored 17,623 points -- primarily in Dallas -- as a smart and steady shooting guard, and was in his final pro season. Or stay with the plan.

Blackman played in 55 games during the regular season, averaging 7.3 points, well off his 18.0 career mark. He had not played a single minute in the Finals. And yet many observers saw his potential insertion as a chance to give the excitable Starks a moment to reign in his emotions and perhaps regain his touch.

It's no surprise that Riley was not among those observers. He stayed with the plan and we watched as Starks, almost painfully, struggled to hit only two of 18 shots that night. The Knicks lost 90-84 in what was perhaps Ewing's best chance to win a ring.

Back to the present: Scott's plan to defend San Antonio's masterful center, Tim Duncan, with just one man went bust in Game 1. As did his plan to maintain 7-foot-2 backup center Dikembe Mutombo's role as the team's tallest and highest-paid cheerleader.

We'll see Friday night -- and through what remains of the series -- whether Scott will emulate his mentor and stay with his plan or make the adjustment he must make in order to win the series: He must play Mutombo.

Like Blackman, Mutombo, a solid defender and stellar shot-blocker, is nearing his final days as a pro. Like Blackman, his contributions this season (averages of 5.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots in only 24 appearances) pale beside his career numbers (12.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.3 blocks) over 13 seasons.

At least, unlike Blackman, Mutombo has unsnapped his warmups in the Finals. He played six minutes in Game 1 and pretty much held his own against Duncan in the first half. But he remained on the bench as Duncan -- along with a suddenly spry David Robinson -- overwhelmed a foul-plagued Kenyon Martin and a slew of overmatched reserves, including Rodney Rogers and Aaron Williams.

The Nets obtained Mutombo prior to this season solely in anticipation of having to face Shaquille O'Neal in the Finals. That was the plan. It went awry when Shaq & Co. were sent fishin' by Duncan and the Spurs, and when Mutombo proved to be ill-suited to the Nets' fast and furious offense. But that doesn't matter now.

Scrap the plan, Byron. Perhaps your mentor Riley, now in his wiser years, would do the same.

Roy S. Johnson is an assistant managing editor for Sports Illustrated. His "Pass the Word" column appears on SI.com every Friday. Catch Johnson on CNN Headline News every Thursday at 3:40 p.m. ET.

 

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