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Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shrugged off notions that the eventual 2020 NBA champions will have an asterisk next to their names.
Although the Dubs are not among the 22 teams who will return to action in Disney World in Orlando this July, Kerr claimed that pundits should not discredit whoever wins it all this year.
Kerr made his sentiments known via Bay Area Sports' 95.7 The Game program on Monday.
“One thing I feel really strongly about is that a championship under these conditions is going to count. People are going to want to put an asterisk next to it,” the Warriors coach said.
“There's no asterisk. In my mind, it's going to be a brutally difficult journey to try and win a title.”
The notion of a lost season came to be following the league's unprecedented three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
TNT analyst Shaquille O'Neal was quite adamant when he claimed that a championship this season won't mean as much considering the circumstances. The NBA Hall of Famer even likened this year's winner to previous titleholders from lockout-shortened seasons.
Steve Kerr, meanwhile, certainly knows a thing or two about how grueling the path to a title can be. He won five championships as a role player for the Chicago Bulls and the San Antonio Spurs, and three more as the head coach for the Warriors.
While Shaq's argument does have some valid points, the case could also be made that this year's playoffs would be even harder (and perhaps mean more) than previous title wins.
The long layoff has put all contending teams in the same boat as far as conditioning goes. While talent is still the defining factor, teams who prepared more will have a stronger claim for the Larry O'Brien trophy come October.
