Miami Heat president Pat Riley celebrates his 80th birthday today.
While NBA legends took time to acknowledge his renowned career, Heat fans expressed their frustration given the team's recent losing streak.
Instead of harsh attacks, it was a plethora of sarcastic comments hinting Riley should depart from the organization.
"Happy Birthday to one of the greatest basketball minds of all time," one user said. "He put Miami basketball on the map and turned this organization into a first class organization. He deserves a statue and a farewell tour. Emphasis on farewell tour. Love you Pat, go be with your family."
For years, Heat fans begged Riley to acquire star support around Jimmy Butler to elevate Miami to championship status. No such moves ever occurred, and the Heat sent Butler to Golden State after a long-standing feud.
The most recent defeat came at the hands of Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham in the waning seconds on Wednesday night. As the losing streak continues, players and coach Erik Spoelstra are holding on to any sliver of hope to revitalize the season.
"The only thing that we have to do right now is just stay the course," Spoelstra said. "You have to stay with it. There's no way to explain some of this. The banked shot at the end, there's no way to explain that. You just have to find more resolve. We're all getting tested in so many different ways that we don't want to get tested. But there can be a beauty in these challenges and these tests, if we just continue to stay stubborn."
Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
