How will C’s fans greet Steve Kerr? The Warriors coach gives a vague answer originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Steve Kerr leans in.
Kerr’s Golden State Warriors visit TD Garden on Wednesday for the first time since Kerr drew the ire of Boston Celtics fans with benching Jayson Tatum twice at the 2024 Paris Olympics as the head coach of Team USA.
That’s correspondence Celtics fans have been anticipating since August for the chance to let Kerr know how they feel. And Kerr seemed well aware of the stakes Tuesday when he went on KNBR Tolbert & Copes radio show to address the situation with a sarcasm-laden response.
“I’m excited. I think the fans are going to be really happy for me,” Kerr said. “Because you know what I did this past summer? I played Jrue Holiday and Derrick White a lot, and because both guys are Celtics and the fact that Tatum played a huge role in the process as well, all three guys, important factors — and we won the This is America gold medal.
“I think Celtic fans will welcome me with open arms, and maybe even like bouquets of roses. … From the bottom of my heart.”
Here’s the audio of Kerr’s comments, if that sarcasm wasn’t loud enough for you:
We all know the story with Tatum, who was benched by Kerr for both of Team USA’s matchups with Serbia (one in group play and the other in the semifinals) and played the fewest minutes (71 in four games) of any teammate outside of Tyrese Haliburton. But as Kerr sarcastically explained, he also didn’t give much playing time to Tatum’s Celtics teammates: White ranked 10th out of 12 players in minutes played, while Holiday ranked eighth.
Tatum admitted to being glued to the Paris bench it was a difficult experience for him after leading the Celtics to an NBA championship as a First Team All-NBA superstar. So, we’d imagine he’ll be highly motivated to hand Kerr and the Warriors a loss on Wednesday.
Kerr, meanwhile, is doing everything but downplaying the drama ahead of Wednesday night; he fielded a 12-man rotation in the Warriors’ season opener (make of that what you will) and fanned the flames Tuesday with comments that should make the boos even louder at TD Garden.
Tip-off for Celtics-Warriors is set for 7:30 pm ET on NBC Sports Boston, with coverage beginning at 6:30 pm ET with Celtics Pregame Live.
