The perception is that Pat Riley has never been here before, never wallowed at the bottom of the standings, never dealt with defeat in such hideous doses.

The perception is wrong.

The Heat coach knows losing, all right. He knows losing streaks. And he knows last place.

Even if it's a distant memory.

"He may not remember it, but I remember it like yesterday," said Hank Finkel, best known for his time as a backup Celtics center but also a member of the 1967-68 expansion San Diego Rockets. "It was quite a unique experience."

That it was. And Riley was right in the middle of it, enduring defeat in sustained quantities even greater than the 12-game losing streak his Heat skidded to this season.