OAKLAND — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was perturbed by the question in Cleveland before Game 6.
If the Warriors don’t win the championship, is their season a failure?
"You guys get to make up that story," Kerr said. "So whatever you want to write is fine. I'm not going into that."
When asked again Saturday by a Bay Area reporter, Kerr gave a longer, insightful answer but was no less incredulous.
"I don't want to insult anybody," Kerr said. "I think it's an unfair question, and I never look at sports that way, and I think it's insane. It’s insane to actually say that. Like, really? Come on."
Are reputations at stake with the outcome of Game 7 between the Warriors and Cavaliers on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, ABC)?
"Sure. Reputations from the critics, and that's all part of this machine that the NBA is, and that's why we all make a lot of money," Kerr said. "That's why it doesn't bother me. So everybody's reputation is at stake in terms of legacy or whatever and what people write, but in terms of the people that matter — your family members, your friends, your teammates, the people in the organization — nobody's reputation is at stake.
"We're trying to win a game, and it doesn't change anything about anybody on either team, win or lose. It changes the narrative from the media, and that's the deal. That's the deal that we accept when we sign up for this stuff."
Kerr offered his perspective, one gained in nearly 30 years of direct NBA experience as a player, TV analyst, general manager and coach.
And of course, Kerr brings real-life perspective too, a thorough understanding that the game is important, but it’s not life or death.
When Kerr was a college freshman, his father, a president of American University of Beirut in Lebanon was murdered.
Last year, Kerr dealt with complications from back surgery, suffered, and needed another surgery. He feared losing the life he had and the joy with which he lived it.
Game 7 is big. Win or lose, it’s not the end of anything but the 2015-16 season.
Kerr gave a lengthy answer when asked how he came to his philosophy.
"My playing career started in '88, and I've been part of the league ever since. So I've really seen kind of the machine grow in terms of the daily scrutiny," Kerr said. "It used to be early in my career, it was like, just don't pick up the morning paper and you can avoid all that stuff. Now it's pretty hard to avoid the scrutiny and the criticism. Don't have a cell phone? I don't think that works anymore.
"Over the course of my time in the NBA, I've seen it. I've seen the critiquing. I've seen it as a Laker fan. I remember when Magic Johnson was referred to as Tragic Johnson because he had a bad playoff run. Really? I mean, it's Magic Johnson, for God's sake. The point is everybody's going to have some great games, some great series, some bad ones. People are going to judge it and critique it, and it's all fair, again, because this is why we're making a lot of money. This is the trade-off.
"But for the people who matter — family members, teammates, coaches — you think I'm going to think anything less of Steph Curry tomorrow if he doesn't play a great game or if we lose? Of course not. But all the other stuff we have to embrace. Maybe not embrace, but accept because it's part of the deal, and it's a hell of a deal. We have good lives."
Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.
