Is there anything tougher in modern sports than winning the NBA championship? The most obvious answer is no, but let the answer be yes for once. Creating a dynasty is probably the most tasking of them all. So much so that we haven’t really seen any since Michael Jordan’s Bulls. But the modern era fans might take offense to that and bring up the Warriors Dynasty, or even the Spurs one. Pat Riley certainly doesn’t believe in all that.

According to Riley, “There’s been three dynasties in my mind – Boston in the ’60s… Then the Lakers, Showtime… Michael’s 6-7 years were dynastic without a doubt. I don’t know if there’s one now.” And that is where the dispute began. Shanon Sharpe was just as surprised by The Godfather’s remark as any other fan and on his Nightcap podcast, the former NFL star brought up Riley’s dismissal of Stephen Curry’s legendary legacy with the Warriors.

“Riley says he doesn’t count the Spurs or the Warriors as NBA dynasty,” Sharpe stated. The host then highlighted, “In the ’60s, when the Celtics won, they had eight teams” while showing the numbers with his fingers. Not only that, but he also pointed out that the Celtics had seven Hall of Famers on the team from the start, a number that reached eleven at one point. He believes winning eight titles in a row wasn’t truly challenging for them with such a solid roster.

Confused by Riley’s logic, Sharpe questioned, “The Lakers won 5 in 9 years. 46 years is not a dynasty? So if the Lakers and so if Golden State won another, that means they’ve won 5 in 9 years.” The 56-year-old confessed that he loved his era (1990-2003) but never hesitated to appreciate the talents of the next generation. “I love the era that I played in. I’m protective of it, but I also give credit where credit’s due. It’s okay to give these new teams credit. That doesn’t diminish what you did in the ’80s. That doesn’t diminish the Celtics in the ’60s. That doesn’t diminish Mike.”

The analyst concluded by saying that giving credit to new-generation players doesn’t take anything away from the achievements of the previous generation, and not reaching that bar won’t prevent them from having a dynasty.

Pat Riley’s dynasty discussion even dragged LeBron into it

Despite all their glory, the Heatles were one of the most hated sides in NBA history. Going by Mark Cuban’s statements, the whole nation celebrated the Mavs’ 2011 title when they beat the Heat in the finals. Leaving that one out, Pat Riley still believes the franchise’s missed opportunity of winning 6 titles to this day. And it would’ve been a reality if LeBron James hadn’t jumped back to Cleveland.

On a recent episode of The OGs Show, Pat Riley reunited with his former apprentice, Udonis Haslem. Reminiscing about the old days, the dynasty talk came up. The infamous split of the Heat Big 3 stung Riley, he disclosed. “I wasn’t angry, but it did sting that we couldn’t keep that team together,” Riley reflected. “I truly believe we had a squad capable of winning five or possibly six championships if we had managed to maintain our core and keep them healthy.”

After their loss to the Spurs in 2014, the Big 3 was disbanded with LeBron leaving for the Cavs. Had that not happened, some more finals and possibly titles were in store for the Heat.