Riles' Excuses for the 1984 Finals Loss

The Los Angeles Lakers lost the 1984 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics 4-3, even though the Lakers held leads into the final minute of games 1-4.

After the series, Pat Riley explained why the Lakers lost.

--Laker bus drivers (ie., local Bostonians) lost their street maps on the way to the Garden

--The showers in the visitors' locker-rooms at the Boston Garden were too cold

--The locker room's ventilation system lacked air-conditioning and constantly ran heat even when temperatures eclipsed 100 degrees

--The fire-alarms kept going off in the middle of the night at the hotels where the team was staying.

Hotel officials said it was because rooms were still under construction and sawdust got into the vents and triggered the alarms. Lakers coach Pat Riley blamed Red Auerbach. Auerbach denied it, but smiled at the thought of having gotten into Riley's head.