Brian Windhorst's comments made after Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday didn't quite sit well with Warriors fans.
The ESPN reporter said after the game that the Warriors' 104-94 win over the Boston Celtics at Chase Center was a "checkbook win," after Andrew Wiggins led the way with 26 points. Many Warriors fans interpreted the comment as being backhanded or implying that Golden State bought their way to victory.
Windhorst joined 95.7 The Game's "The Morning Roast" on Wednesday, where he defended his previous comments and further explained what he meant.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"I was acknowledging the Warriors' ability to stick with this team and they're being rewarded for their ability to stick with it," Windhorst said. "They were handed a pretty amazing double-whammy to lose Klay [Thompson] and then lost Steph [Curry] for a year and lost [Kevin] Durant. For everything that they've had go their way for seven, eight years there, it was an incredible run. It was just a crazy turn of events and almost every team you'd ever see would have to break it down, but they stuck with it.
"First off, I don't know why you're implying what I said was a negative, why are you implying what I said was a negative? What I said was reality."
Windhorst claims that he was lauding the Warriors as an organization and the path they took that led them back to the Finals, but believes the playing field between Boston and Golden State is tilted in the Warriors' favor.
"I was giving the Warriors a compliment for being able to stick with spending through their rebuild, and that's why they have the depth on this team," Windhorst added. "And nobody would argue that Bob Myers and his front office have not done a tremendous job, and that Joe Lacob and Peter Guber have not done a fantastic job financing the team. But it is not a level playing field.
Golden State Warriors
"It wasn't a criticism, I was praising them. I'm saying, when you go against the Warriors, you're going against a team that has incredible financial might. That's just a true statement ... The reason that the Warriors are able to do this is because they sold five percent of their team for $300 million a few months ago."
Windhorst's comments were within the context of Wiggins leading the way and keeping the Warriors afloat in Game 5, claiming that most teams aren't able to afford a player of Wiggins' caliber as their (oftentimes) third or fourth option on a normal night.
"There's so much prosperity, the Warriors are in such a great position, I think you're looking for something to be upset about," Windhorst said. "They're in such great shape that you shouldn't be worried at all. What I said was 100 percent true.
"Most teams would not be able to afford having a fourth man for $30 million. The Warriors are, so when you play the Warriors, you got to deal with a team that's got a fourth man who's worth $30 million. That's just reality."
Windhorst is correct in saying that most teams wouldn't be able to afford Wiggins as their third or fourth option, so the "checkbook win" comment has some merit in the context of the Warriors squeaking out a win in Game 5 because of a player in Wiggins' position rising to the occasion.
RELATED: Canon Curry adorably mimics dad's pregame dribbling routine
Later on in the interview with 95.7, Windhorst claimed that he believes the Celtics are the better team, shortly after he had claimed that the series is "not a level playing field."
Regardless of how the matchup is perceived, the Warriors find themselves one win away from claiming their fourth championship in eight seasons -- an accomplishment that even the biggest of checkbooks couldn't buy if they wanted to.