Steve Kerr’s greeting by fans at TD Garden was anything but a warm welcome.
The Warriors coach — who became an enemy in Boston for benching forward Jayson Tatum in the 2024 Paris Olympics — was booed mercilessly during introductions before his team took down the reigning champs in a 118-112 victory in Boston on Wednesday.
Kerr was prepared for that kind of reception from Celtics fans.
During a radio interview Tuesday, Kerr said sarcastically that he anticipated that Celtics fans “are going to welcome me with open arms.”
“I’m excited. I think the fans are really going to cheer for me,” Kerr quipped on KNBR’s “Tolbert & Copes” show. “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 just maybe even bouquets of roses … Heartfelt.”
At the time, many fans, as well as Tatum’s mother, questioned Kerr’s rotations and the NBA champ’s lack of playing time.
Tatum was benched when Team USA cruised past Serbia in the Olympic opener, 110-84 on July 28.
Afterward, Kerr said he “felt like an idiot not playing” Tatum and acknowledged his All-NBA resume.
The coach also said he spoke with Tatum prior to the game and informed how the rotation may play out.
Tatum was benched again during Team USA’s 95-91 semifinal win against Serbia on August 8.
Kerr found success in his rotations as Team USA went on to defeat France to take home the gold two days later.
At the time, Kerr explained that he was open with his team about his rotations and asked them to see the bigger picture — winning gold.
“I addressed the team before the first practice, and we talked about it,” Kerr previously said during an appearance on “Tolbert & Copes” in August. “The elephant in the room is that every guy in here is going to go into the Hall of Fame eventually. So, how do we figure out how to play, how to put together [lineup] combinations and I said, ‘I’m going to ask all of you to commit to just winning and to set everything else aside, all the usual NBA BS.’
“The guys all handled it really well, other players were really good about supporting Jayson and Joel [Embiid], but these are guys who are world-class players, and nobody is used to seeing them play so few minutes. So, it’s just a weird spectacle, I get it.”
For his part, Tatum was professional whenever he was asked about it.
Tatum finished with 32 points, four rebounds and two assists in 37 minutes Wednesday night.
The Celtics and the Warriors face off again on Jan. 20.
