Whenever the Golden State Warriors come to TD Garden, the loudest boos are usually reserved for the incendiary Draymond Green.
But there will be a new Public Enemy No. 1 in Boston on Wednesday, and he won’t be wearing a uniform.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has come under fire from Celtics fans for his (mis)management of Jayson Tatum at the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer. As Team USA’s head coach, Kerr surprisingly left Tatum on the fringes of his 10-man rotation, allowing the reigning NBA champion to play a total of 71 minutes — the lightest of any player on the roster outside of Tyrese Haliburton. workload — and of course benching Tatum for both of the team’s matches vs. Serbia.
So, why did Kerr limit Tatum’s minutes in Paris? How did Tatum feel about it, and how did his Celtics teammates and head coach react? Here’s a refresher on what’s happened since the summer, and a reminder of why the C’s should have extra motivation heading into Wednesday’s matchup with Kerr’s Warriors (7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Boston ET).
Kerr Bench Tatum twice During the Olympic Games
The controversy all started in Team USA’s first game against Serbia, where Tatum didn’t leave the bench in a blowout win.
“I felt like an idiot not playing him, but you know, a 40-minute game, you can’t play more than 10. [players]” Kerr said after the game.
Tatum started the next game against South Sudan but played only 17 minutes, scoring just four points. He dropped a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in 23 minutes against Puerto Rico in the following game, but only four in 20 minutes in the quarterfinals against Brazil before getting another DNP in the semifinals against Serbia. Added points.
Kerr offered a surprising explanation for Tatum’s lack of playing time.
After Team USA’s narrow semifinal win over Serbia, Kerr convinced Tatum not to play because of a “math problem.”
“It’s not what I don’t see from Jason; it’s what I’ve seen from other guys,” Kerr said. “As I’ve said many times throughout this tournament and the last six weeks, it’s tough to play 11 guys even in an NBA game.
“So it’s not about what Jason is doing or not doing. It’s just about the combination and the way this group has played together, the way Kevin (Durant) came back from his injury. Full upon arrival.”
Kerr’s strategy worked, but just barely: Team USA outscored Serbia by 17 points before rallying to win by four, then Stephen Curry to keep France alive in the gold-medal game. 3-pointers were needed, where Tatum scored just two points in 11 minutes.
(For what it’s worth, Kerr had no problem solving this “math problem” with his Warriors: Kerr deployed a 12-man rotation in Golden State’s first game of the 2024-25 season. )
Jayson Tatum didn’t play a single minute in Team USA’s win over Serbia on Thursday. Chris Forsberg and Tom Giles react to the early edition verdict.
Bob Cousy turns off the sounds on Kerr.
Many current players, former players and members of the media came to Tatum’s defense after his surprising decrease in playing time. But Celtics legend Bob Cousy offered a memorable critique of Kerr shortly after Tatum’s second DNP against Serbia in the semifinals.
“It’s not just an annoyance. It’s a world-wide embarrassment to that poor kid,” Cousy told the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy.
“… Tatum is on the cover of Sports Illustrated this month. The experts I’ve read recently have him ranked in the top five, and sometimes No. 1 in the (expletive) world. Stating that he disagrees in a 40-minute game, if you don’t get five minutes to play without hurting someone on the team…
“Tatum not playing at all tells the world, ‘Not only is he not top five, he’s not good enough to be in a close game.’ I can’t fathom Kerr’s thinking, and he’s done it twice, so he obviously feels strongly about it, he thinks Tatum is a loss, and I don’t see why. How can he feel that way and know something about basketball.”
Tatum reflects on ‘intense personal experience’
The Celtics star tried his best to take the high road but clearly did not enjoy playing a limited role in Paris.
“You feel like you deserve to play and the competitor in you wants to play,” Tatum said after the gold medal game. “And (Steve Kerr) is the coach for a reason. He makes those decisions.
“It was a difficult personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to make a decision based on emotion. … I keep trying to say, I’m trying not to make it about me. I know. Yes, this is the story of the last few days, but we won the gold medal, and that was the most important thing.”
Tatum later described the experience as “challenging” and “humbling” and admitted that he had heard a lot of noise surrounding his lack of playing time.
“It was a lot. In the age of social media, you see everything,” Tatum said. “You see people on all the tweets and podcasts and people on TV giving their opinions on whether they think it was a good decision or whether it was an outrageous decision or whatever.
“Obviously, I wanted to contribute more, and I’ve never been in (that) situation. I started playing basketball at (age) 3 at the YMCA, and I never played, so it was different and It was challenging.”
Jayson Tatum is considering whether or not he will compete in the 2028 Olympics.
Mazzulla has a brand reaction to Tatum’s benching.
Leave it to Joe Mazzulla to cheer for Tatum’s woes.
Tatum told reporters at media day that his head coach was “probably the happiest person” after seeing Tatum play a little at the Olympics. “If you know Joe, it makes sense,” Tatum added.
Mazzola later explained that he viewed Tatum’s Olympic experience as a “gift,” as it would represent a new challenge for the Celtics star after helping Boston win a championship.
“I thought it was great that he had something to work for. And sometimes when you have success, you don’t have the next hunger in front of you.
“Sometimes you have to wait for it. Sometimes it’s a loss, sometimes it’s a losing streak, and he was able to get it in front of him. So I thought it was a gift. It means It’s not that he shouldn’t” I didn’t want to get angry about how it might affect him in real time because I wasn’t there but as his coach and someone who really cared about him. Does, I thought it was great. Because it gives him something to work with.”
Kerr satirically set the expectations for the C’s-Warriors in Boston.
Kerr is apparently well aware that he will be Public Enemy No. 1 on Wednesday night. When asked how the fans at TD Garden would receive him in Golden State’s only matchup in Boston this season, the Warriors head coach offered a heaping helping of sarcasm.
“I’m excited. I think the fans are going to really cheer me on,” Kerr said Tuesday. “Because you know what I did last summer? I played a ton of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, and seeing that both guys are Celtics and the fact that Tatum has been a huge part of the action. Played a role — all three guys, key factors, and we won the gold medal.
“This is America. This is the day after Election Day. I think Celtics fans will welcome me with open arms, and maybe like a bouquet of roses. … With heart.”
