Boston fans audibly begrudged Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr for benching Celtics star Jason Tatum during the Olympics in Paris this summer.
On Wednesday, the Celtics lost, 118-112, to the Dubs at TD Garden. However, it was much more than a regular season meeting as it marked the first time Tatum and Kerr crossed paths since the Paris games.
Despite being fresh off winning the NBA title, Kerr decided to bench the Celtics poster boy for Team USA’s opening and semifinal games against Serbia.
With the coach’s first appearance in Beantown since the games, fans rained boos on the former Chicago Bulls star during his introduction.
The Warriors on NBCS X account posted a clip of Kerr’s unpleasant welcome to Boston with the caption, ‘Do you think Celtics fans still are mad about the Olympics?’
Steve Kerr was booed in his first game in Boston since benching Jayson Tatum in the Olympics
Kerr’s decision over Tatum’s playing time drew much backlash from Celtics fans who were hopeful their star would be a regular starter for the national team.
Others speculated that Kerr intentionally benched Tatum to psychologically mess with the Celtics after their title win. Kerr started Celtics guard Jrue Holiday over Tatum, while their Boston teammate Derrick White played nearly as many minutes for the Stars and Stripes.
While Kerr later admitted it was not the smartest decision to bench Tatum, he remained adamant that he did so to secure a gold medal finish.
‘We’re just committed to winning, and we won the gold medal,’ Kerr said on Wednesday. ‘So I didn’t give it a whole lot of thought, other than I didn’t enjoy not playing Jayson against Serbia not playing Joel [Embiid] against South Sudan. Those are not fun decisions, but our guys were all amazing,’
‘They committed to each other, they committed to winning the gold medal,’ he added. ‘They brought the gold medal home for their country. That’s the real story.’
Celtics fans were frustrated by Tatum getting benched in two games against Serbia
Despite Tatum scoring 32 points for Boston on Wednesday, the Warriors ended up victorious
While Tatum’s benching in France sparked frustration among the fanbase and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, not everybody felt the decision was unfair.
Celtics legend Cedric Maxwell defended Kerr’s tactics, sharing his responsibility to win gold over catering to individual players.
‘Steve Kerr’s job is to win an Olympic gold medal, not make friends, and he did his job,’ Maxwell said. ‘Jayson Tatum wasn’t playing well, and I don’t think [Kerr] deserved all that criticism.’
Boos and criticism aside, Kerr got the last laugh on Wednesday by winning the 2022 NBA Finals rematch. Despite tabbing 32 points, four rebounds, and two assists, the Celtics fell to Kerr’s dubs at home and moved to 7-2.
On the other hand, the victory helped the Warriors improve to 7-1.
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