Pat Riley: "Celts Were a Deceptive Race"

"I had to educate my players who the Celtics were," Riley said after the 1985 Finals.

"I asked if anyone knew. Finally Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] raised his hand. He said the Celtics were a warring race of Danes who invaded Ireland.

"No," I said, "the Celts were a cunning, deceptive, and secretive race.

"We had to overcome the mythology of the Celtics if we wanted to beat them."