And just when you thought the drama was over, it erupted again. This time, Steve Kerr’s touch-in-cheek supposedly funny comments about Boston fans reignited the entire Jayson Tatum-Olympics treatment controversy. Despite helping Team USA secure gold, Kerr benched Tatum for two of six games, giving him only half the minutes of stars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Kerr’s remarks may provoke a chilly reception from TD Garden fans when the Warriors face the Celtics.
The Warriors, off to a 6-1 start, are set to play the Celtics next, marking a face-off between Tatum and Kerr since the Olympics. In a recent KNBR radio interview, Kerr responded sarcastically about his expected reception at TD Garden, suggesting that instead of focusing on his controversial decisions, Celtics fans might appreciate his role in Team USA’s gold medal.
Kerr joked, “I’m excited. I think the fans are really going to cheer for me”. As the co-hosts chuckled, Kerr continued, “Because you know what I did this past summer — I played Jrue Holiday and Derrick White a ton, and given that both guys are Celtics and the fact that Tatum also played a huge role in the proceedings, all three guys, major factors, and we won the gold medal. This is America. It’s the day after Election Day. I think Celtics fans are going to welcome me with open arms, and maybe even bouquets of roses. … Heartfelt.”
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STEVE KERR: “I think Celtics fans are going to welcome me with open arms and maybe even like bouquets of roses.”
pic.twitter.com/vzvgPhCU2SKNBR (@KNBR) November 6, 2024
While Jrue Holiday and Derrick White logged more minutes than Tatum in the Olympics, neither played extensive time. Tatum’s total minutes were 71, compared to White’s 79 and Holiday’s 91, fueling criticism of Kerr’s decisions.
Kerr’s choice to bench Tatum in two games, including critical matchups like Serbia, has kept the controversy alive. While Holiday played more consistently, Kerr’s handling of Tatum remains a point of contention among fans.
Since the Olympics concluded, Kerr has been defending his decision, explaining, “It’s not what I’m not seeing from Jayson. It’s what I’ve seen from the other guys.” With a deep roster to manage, Kerr prioritized players like Curry and LeBron to secure critical wins against Serbia and France.
One can say that Kerr has maintained a positive, lighthearted approach about facing Celtics fans, despite the backlash, for quite some time now.
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Is Steve Kerr's sarcasm a deflection from his controversial benching of Jayson Tatum?
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Despite believing that Celtics fans will be “all over” him, Steve Kerr continued his trend of dismissing online trolls
Ever since mid-September, the media had been wanting to know how things would be for Steve Kerr during the upcoming November 6th game. When discussing the same, the head coach wasn’t expecting “cheers” and “roses” back then. Despite that, he revealed not to let the hate get to him.
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“I think they’re going to be all over me,” said Kerr during the interview with NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner. With a laugh, he added, “That’s fine.”
Having been in the NBA for so long, the player-turned-coach has been subject to a whole lot of criticism, especially online. Even his former teammate Dennis Rodman didn’t spare him at one point. Through his experience, however, Steve Kerr admits to having grown.
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That is why he can confidently state, “As long as I don’t read the online stuff, I’m fine. But that’s kind of how life … life works, you know. There’s … but being in this seat, there’s, you know, that’s part of the deal. You’re going to get criticized.”
With just a few hours remaining in the Warriors-Celtics matchup, hoops enthusiasts won’t have to wait for long to see how Kerr will be treated. In turn, they will also get a glimpse of how the Warriors‘ head coach himself will handle the backlash if any of it comes his way.
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Is Steve Kerr's sarcasm a deflection from his controversial benching of Jayson Tatum?