Dave Cowens vs. Pat Riley Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Pat Riley and Dave Cowens that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

Dave Cowens

vs.

Pat Riley

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Dave Cowens: 1970-71 to 1982-83
Pat Riley: 1967-68 to 1975-76

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Dave Cowens 2 Pat Riley 1

NBA Seasons Dave Cowens 11 Pat Riley 9

Playoffs Played Dave Cowens 7 Pat Riley 6

All-Star Games Dave Cowens 8 Pat Riley 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Dave Cowens 1 Pat Riley 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Dave Cowens 3 Pat Riley 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Dave Cowens 1 Pat Riley 0 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Dave Cowens 3 Pat Riley 0

Rookie of The Year Dave Cowens 1 Pat Riley 0

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Dave Cowens 17.6 Pat Riley 7.4

Rebounds Per Game Dave Cowens 13.6 Pat Riley 1.6

Assists Per Game Dave Cowens 3.8 Pat Riley 1.7

Steals Per Game Dave Cowens 1.1 * Pat Riley 0.6 *

Blocks Per Game Dave Cowens 0.9 * Pat Riley 0.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Dave Cowens 13,516 Pat Riley 3,906

Total Rebounds Dave Cowens 10,444 Pat Riley 855

Total Assists Dave Cowens 2,910 Pat Riley 913

Total Steals Dave Cowens 599 * Pat Riley 112 *

Total Blocks Dave Cowens 488 * Pat Riley 13 *

Total Games Dave Cowens 766 Pat Riley 528

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Dave Cowens .460 Pat Riley .414

3-Point Percentage Dave Cowens .071 * Pat Riley - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Dave Cowens .783 Pat Riley .705

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Dave Cowens 20.5 (1973) Pat Riley 11.0 (1975)

Rebounds Per Game Dave Cowens 16.2 (1973) Pat Riley 2.2 (1968)

Assists Per Game Dave Cowens 5.0 (1977) Pat Riley 2.6 (1975)

Steals Per Game Dave Cowens 1.3 (1975) * Pat Riley 0.8 (1975) *

Blocks Per Game Dave Cowens 1.3 (1974) * Pat Riley 0.1 (1976) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Dave Cowens 18.9 Pat Riley 5.7

Rebounds Per Game Dave Cowens 14.4 Pat Riley 1.5

Assists Per Game Dave Cowens 3.7 Pat Riley 1.2

Steals Per Game Dave Cowens 1.2 * Pat Riley 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Dave Cowens 0.9 * Pat Riley 0.0 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Dave Cowens 1,684 Pat Riley 251

Total Rebounds Dave Cowens 1,285 Pat Riley 66

Total Assists Dave Cowens 333 Pat Riley 52

Total Steals Dave Cowens 78 * Pat Riley 4 *

Total Blocks Dave Cowens 56 * Pat Riley 0 *

Total Games Dave Cowens 89 Pat Riley 44

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Dave Cowens .451 Pat Riley .374

3-Point Percentage Dave Cowens .000 * Pat Riley - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Dave Cowens .744 Pat Riley .763

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Dave Cowens 21.9 (1973) Pat Riley 9.4 (1971)

Rebounds Per Game Dave Cowens 16.6 (1973) Pat Riley 2.2 (1969)

Assists Per Game Dave Cowens 4.6 (1976) Pat Riley 2.0 (1974)

Steals Per Game Dave Cowens 1.6 (1975) * Pat Riley 0.8 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Dave Cowens 1.4 (1977) * Pat Riley 0.0 (1976) *

Notes: * Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. ** Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.