Morey described this dynamic as “a media creation” and added that “it’s convenient for agents to focus on it.” Still, coaches in professional sports often feel their authority diminishes within a front office and locker room if they have lame-duck status. D’Antoni has dismissed that idea with as much conviction as he has that offenses should center more on outside shooting and floor spacing and less on plodding big men. “The moment is too big to get distracted. We’ve been through a lot. I’ve been through a lot in all kinds of different ways,” D’Antoni said. “Everybody has something to fight for, but it’s a little bit bigger than that. It’s what we’ve done all year together and trying to build a team and trying to get to where we want to get at. That supersedes everything.”