Steve Kerr talks with the media before Celtics-Warriors and discusses the backlash he faced after not playing Jayson Tatum in the Olympics.
Any game between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors is a huge deal given the history between these teams and the star power on both rosters, but the main attraction of Wednesday night's showdown at TD Garden centered around what happened at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
One of the biggest storylines from the men's Olympic basketball tournament was Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum playing the second-fewest minutes of any player on Team USA, including two DNP's versus Serbia, one of which was in the semifinal.
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Those decisions were made by Steve Kerr -- the head coach of both the U.S. Olympic team and the Warriors. Kerr never gave a great explanation for Tatum's lack of playing time, and the decision was met with plenty of stong reaction and confusion at the time.
Celtics fans were furious at Kerr, and they finally got the chance to let him know in person during Wednesday's game. Kerr was showered with boos all night, especially during the Warriors' pre-game introductions. Kerr played into it, waving to the crowd as his name was read by the PA announcer.
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Celtics fans greet Steve Kerr before tip-off at TD Garden 😂 pic.twitter.com/OJTQTeFELz
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 7, 2024
Celtics guard Jrue Holiday, who was on the Olympic team with Tatum and C's teammate Derrick White, shared his reaction to fans booing Kerr during an appearance Thursday on FanDuelTV's Run It Back show.
"For the whole Jayson (Tatum)-Steve Kerr thing, I think you'd have to talk to him about that. The fans didn't like it," Holiday said. "They booed the hell out of bro. I like Steve, but that was amazing. ... Hilarious."
"For the whole Jayson (Tatum)-Steve Kerr thing... the fans didn't like it. They booed the hell out of bro. I like Steve, but that was amazing." - @Jrue_Holiday11
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) November 7, 2024
"The dudes with the Tatum USA jerseys right next to his bench really got me." - @ChandlerParsons
"Hilarious." - JH pic.twitter.com/ygG7XdLIWa
Kerr and the Warriors ultimately got the best of the Celtics with a 118-112 win that included a strong close to the fourth quarter by Golden State.
Tatum played quite well, though, leading all players with 32 points, along with four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 37 minutes played.
Wednesday's game was probably the Warriors' last matchup in Boston this season. The only other scenario in which they'd return to the Garden would be if these teams met in the 2025 NBA Finals. The Warriors aren't expected to advance that far in the playoffs, but with a 7-1 record and Stephen Curry still an elite player, this group shouldn't be underestimated.
