The concept of in-game interviews with N.B.A. coaches was still fairly new when Doris Burke, a respected sideline reporter and broadcaster for ESPN, had an unfortunate experience.
Several years ago, Burke approached Gregg Popovich, the coach of the San Antonio Spurs, during an otherwise nondescript game with the Phoenix Suns, but her question, she said, was not particularly incisive. In fact, she remembers it as “horrible.”