The Tatum-Kerr drama is explained ahead of the Celtics-Warriors showdown

Tatum Kerr drama explained ahead of Celtics-Warriors showdown originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Whenever the Golden State Warriors come to TD Garden, the loudest boos are usually reserved for instigator Draymond Green.

But on Wednesday there will be a new Public Enemy No. 1 in Boston, and he won't be wearing a uniform.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr found himself embarrassed by Celtics fans this summer for his (mis)management of Jayson Tatum at the 2024 Paris Olympics. As head coach of Team USA, Kerr stunningly left Tatum on the sidelines of his 10-man rotation, playing the youngest NBA champion for a total of 71 minutes – the lightest workload of any player on the roster other than Tyrese Haliburton – and Tatum was selected for both team games against Serbia benched.

Why did Kerr limit Tatum's minutes in Paris? How did Tatum feel and how did his Celtics teammates and head coach react? Here's a refresher on everything that's happened since the summer and a reminder of why the C's should be extra motivated ahead of Wednesday's matchup against Kerr's Warriors (7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston).

Kerr benches Tatum twice during the Olympic Games

The controversy began in Team USA's very first game against Serbia, where Tatum was left off the bench in a stunning win.

“I felt like an idiot not playing him, but in 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 only played 17 minutes, scoring just four points. In the following game, he dropped a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in 23 minutes against Puerto Rico, but added just four points in 20 minutes in the quarterfinals against Brazil before recording another DNP in the semifinals against Serbia.

Kerr offers a puzzling explanation for Tatum's lack of playing time

After Team USA's narrow semifinal win over Serbia, Kerr wrote that Tatum didn't play because it was a “math problem.”

“It’s not what I don’t see from Jayson; it’s what I saw from the other guys,” Kerr said. “As I've said many times throughout this tournament and over the last six weeks, playing against 11 players, even in an NBA game, is just difficult.”

“So it’s not about what Jayson does or doesn’t do. It’s all about combinations and the way this group has played together, the way Kevin (Durant) has stepped in since coming back from his injury.”

Kerr's strategy worked, if only just: Team USA trailed Serbia by as many as 17 points before winning by four points, then needed a flurry of three-pointers from Stephen Curry to keep France in the gold medal game to defeat, where Tatum scored just two points ahead 11 minutes.

(For what it's worth, Kerr had no problem solving this “math problem” with his Warriors: Kerr used a 12-man rotation in Golden State's first game of the 2024-25 season.)

Bob Cousy listens to Kerr

Many current players, former players and members of the media came to Tatum's defense after he had a surprisingly limited playing time. But Celtics legend Bob Cousy offered one of the most memorable criticisms of Kerr shortly after Tatum's second DNP against Serbia in the semifinals.

“This isn’t just a snub. This is an embarrassment to this poor child in the world,” Cousy told Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe.

“…Tatum is on the cover of Sports Illustrated this month. All the experts I've read recently have ranked it in the top 5, and sometimes even #1, in the world of swear words. Now Kerr is telling the world this. “He doesn't agree with it when you can't find five minutes in a 40-minute game to play against someone on the team without hurting yourself…

“If Tatum doesn't play at all, that tells the world, 'Not only is he not in the top five, he's not good enough to get into a close game.' I don't understand Kerr's way of thinking, and he's done it twice before, so he's obviously very comfortable with it. He must think Tatum is a disadvantage and I don't understand how he can think like that and know anything about basketball.

Tatum reflects on “tough personal experience.”

The Celtics star did his best to break through, but clearly didn't 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 a coach for a reason. He makes these decisions.

“It was a tough personal experience on the pitch but I won't make decisions based on emotions. … I keep trying to say that it’s not about me. I know that's the storyline. “In the last few days we won a gold medal and that was the most important thing.

Tatum later called the experience “challenging” and “humbling” and admitted he had heard a lot of the noise surrounding his lack of playing time.

“It was a lot. In the age of social media, you see everything,” Tatum said. “You see all the tweets and the people on the podcasts and the people on TV giving their opinions on it, whether they thought it was a good decision or an outrageous decision or whatever.

“Of course I wanted to contribute more and I've never been in that situation before. I started playing basketball at the YMCA when I was three years old and I never didn't play, so it was different and challenging.”

Mazzulla has a trademark reaction to Tatum's replacement

Leave it to Joe Mazzulla to be thrilled by Tatum's adversity.

Tatum told reporters at Media Day that his head coach was “probably the happiest person” after watching Tatum play sparingly in the Olympics. “If you know Joe, it makes sense,” Tatum added.

Mazzulla later explained that he viewed Tatum's Olympic experience as a “gift” because it would provide a new challenge for the Celtics star after he helped Boston win a championship.

“I thought it was great that he had something to work towards. And sometimes when you succeed, the next hunger isn’t right in front of you.”

“Sometimes you have to wait for it. Sometimes it's a loss, sometimes it's a losing streak, and he could see that right in front of him. So I just thought it was a gift. That doesn't mean he shouldn't do it. I didn't want to gloss over how that might affect him in real time because I wasn't there, but as his coach and as someone who really cares about him, I found it great it gives him something to work towards.”

Kerr sarcastically sets expectations for the C's-Warriors in Boston

Kerr is apparently aware that he will be public enemy No. 1 on Wednesday night. When asked how TD Garden fans would greet him in Golden State's only game this season in Boston, the Warriors head coach expressed a lot of sarcasm.

“I'm excited. I think the fans are really going to be cheering for me,” Kerr said Tuesday. “Because you know what I did last summer? I played against Jrue Holiday and Derrick White a lot, and given that both guys are Celtics and the fact that Tatum also played a big role in the process – all three guys, important factors, and we got the gold medal won.

“This is America. It's the day after Election Day. I think Celtics fans will welcome me with open arms and maybe even bouquets of roses. … Heartfelt.”