Though Tilman Fertitta’s message was clear that night — his feelings after the Rockets were eliminated in Game 6 by the Warriors were as clear as the night after the Rockets finished off the Jazz and he wrapped P.J. Tucker in a long embrace — Fertitta wanted to be sure one point was understood.

He was not, he said, emotional as his second season as Rockets owner ended before he believed it should. If he were, it could be interpreted that his sharp criticism, including a declaration that the loss was “unacceptable,” was no more than venting to release the frustration and disappointment.

When asked about the fallout from an “unacceptable” loss, Fertitta was far less specific. But every answer, he said, reflected not the emotions of the night, but the determination it inspires.

He said he would welcome the starting lineup back, but is open to a more dramatic retooling. He said he would not hesitate to spend into luxury tax territory, insisting again not just that he was willing last season, but that it can be a wise business expense. Though he plans to meet with Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni in the next few weeks, he said D’Antoni would be his coach next season, the last of D’Antoni’s four-year contract.

“Mike will be the coach next year,” Fertitta said. “He’s not a lame duck to me. That’s just a media term. That’s just a media buzzword.

“Mike is going to be 69 years old (next May) and Mike doesn’t know totally what he wants to do, yet. We’ll sit down with Mike in the next few weeks and talk with him. We’re more concerned with making our team better next year. Mike will be here. I like Mike. I think he’s a very good coach. Players like playing for him. I keep being told, free agents want to know who the owner is and they want to know who the coach is. Mike and I do well together. Hopefully, we’ll continue to win and Mike will be here for a long time.”

That, however, brings him back to the notion that losing to the Warriors in six games this season was unacceptable and what he can do about it. Every member of the Rockets' starting lineup is under contract, deals that push the Rockets past the salary cap with just those five players. Nenê is the only one reserve in the postseason rotation signed for next season.

Fertitta offered no specifics about what he has in mind, perhaps limited by NBA rules about naming players on other teams and a determination not to show his hand for competitive reasons. But he indicated that “run it back” is not a mindset heading into his second offseason.

“We put a team together that should have gotten to the Western Conference finals,” Fertitta said. “You can’t say ‘I’m going to go win the championship.’ Or, ‘I’m going to go win the Western Conference or Eastern.’ All you can do is put a team together to be one of the top four teams. Then … you need luck, from (avoiding) injuries to hitting a last-second shot. You want to always set yourself up to get to the conference finals.

“I’ve directed my people to get better next year — anything we can do, from ownership to conditioning and training, all the way to that level. If we can make our team better player-wise, we’re going to make our team better. If we can make our team better coaching-wise, we’ll make our team better.”

Asked if he believed D’Antoni is a championship coach, Fertitta said “We don’t know. We don’t know if I’m a championship owner.

“I do have a culture in my company. I have 25 VPs that have been with me 25 years. The culture of the company is when times are bad, we do better than everybody else. We survive tough times. And anybody that deals with us will tell you Tilman Fertitta companies have a different culture. You either love working for us or you don’t because we drive harder than other people. We’re not a lifestyle company. The Houston Rockets are not going to be a lifestyle team.

“We’re here to win. We’re not here to be just OK and make it to the playoffs. We’re going to do whatever it takes to be a championship-style team every year. I will make moves to always extend our runway. I’m not a rebuilding guy to go collapse for three years to get draft picks. I want to keep us at as high a level as we can. I have a good management team. We’re in the city of Houston, which is soon to be the third-largest city in the United States so we should always attract our good share of free agents.

“Right now, the Houston Rockets as a brand are one of the top brands out there and we’re going to keep it that way.”

Fertitta strongly pushed back on the notion that he sought deals last season to get the Rockets out of paying a luxury tax, saying he never considered that an option and that he would always authorize spending that improves the roster. The Rockets last season traded their first-round pick in the deal that moved Brandon Knight and brought in Iman Shumpert, then dealt James Ennis III to move under the tax.

“Last year (getting under the luxury tax) was a fluke,” Fertitta said. “We were going to be in the (tax). It was an accident. I’m still trying to figure out how we got under. I was positive we were going to be in it by $11 million. But if I’m in the luxury tax, I expect us to win.

“I just want to win. I’m not going to be in the luxury tax and not be one of the top four or five teams in the NBA.”

In that sense, Fertitta considered the question about paying a tax irrelevant, considering it good business with returns that can exceed costs.

“I’m not going to let a few million dollars (determine decisions),” Fertitta said. “Going to that seventh game, even though it would have been there, we’d probably still make a million and a half because we get part of their gate. If we go to the Western Conference finals, it’s worth $10 to $15 million to us. I’m not worried about the luxury tax. And that’s not just $10 million; it’s the next year’s ticket renewals, the sponsorships, everything. If you are in the luxury tax and you’re winning, you’re going to be a more profitable team.”

He was more perturbed by a report from a SiriusXM NBA radio host during the season that he was “feverishly cutting costs” throughout the Rockets organization. He had called that report baseless at the time and went further this week.

“That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard,” Fertitta said. “I spend more money on little things than anybody else. I just bought us a brand-new 767 that we’re re-fitting right now. Everybody else just rents planes. I want our players on our plane. And it’s not a 757; it’s a 767.

“There has never been a layoff here. I just want to understand (staffing decisions). People love to build fiefdoms. The reason I’ve never gotten in trouble in tough times is because I run an efficient organization. The Houston Rockets are going to be an efficient organization.

“Anybody can have an opinion. You can say I’m a lousy owner. But don’t make a statement when you don’t have any (…) idea what you’re talking about. I spend money on things nobody would spend money on for the betterment of the team. We want to continue to upgrade to Toyota Center, just like we did this year. I’m trying to do major things that we might have to do over multiple offseasons to bring the fans even closer. That’s not easy, but I’m looking at all kinds of things. It’s a great facility, but I’m going to always upgrade.”

Upgrading his roster will be a challenge, but Fertitta called James Harden “a bull,” citing his work ethic and determination to play through injuries; said Chris Paul’s “savvy and intelligence” are overlooked; and said he would like to sign Eric Gordon to a long-term extension.

He was as clear about the traits he wants in his team and presumably will value in decision-making.

“I want us to be tough,” Fertitta said. “I never want to be soft. I don’t like soft ownership and I don’t like soft teams. That’s not my culture. I do want my players scrambling for a loose ball. I’ll set a hard pick in business. I’ll scramble on the floor for a ball in business. I expect them to do it on the court. I’m not saying they don’t. I have a very hard-playing team. But we’re never going to be soft.

“I know we have a team good enough to win 55 games, but that’s not good enough. We need to have a team we know we’ll get to the Western Conference finals. Then, you need a little luck to win a championship. We will do whatever it takes this offseason to improve ourselves.”