Pat Riley Talks LeBron James Reaching 7 NBA Finals, Magic Johnson's Record

Miami Heat president Pat Riley knows a little something about the greatest players in NBA history considering he coached Magic Johnson with the Los Angeles Lakers and helped bring LeBron James to Miami.

Riley said Saturday he was impressed with James' seventh straight trip to the NBA Finals but urged fans not to forget Johnson's Showtime Lakers made the trip nine times in 12 years, per TMZ Sports.

Riley and Johnson are close beyond just their connection as former player and coach. Johnson is the new Lakers president and said on ESPN Los Angeles he's talked to Riley as he moves into the front office (h/t Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post).

With the NBA Finals not starting until Thursday, there has been plenty of conversation comparing James to some of the all-time greats, most notably Michael Jordan since the King surpassed the North Carolina product in all-time playoff scoring during the Eastern Conference Finals.

Despite the Jordan comparisons, James may resemble Johnson even more as a player. Jordan enforced his will on games with unrelenting scoring, while James and Johnson are more versatile triple-double threats who can score or find teammates with precision passing.

James can add another line to his incredible resume if he beats the mighty Golden State Warriors in the Finals for the second consecutive year, but Riley doesn't want fans forgetting Johnson's greatness as James builds his own.