BOSTON — Steve Kerr couldn’t consider the story isn’t the gold medal. Group USA trounced Serbia in one of many all-time nice Olympic basketball video games earlier than profitable the match over France in Paris. But Jayson Tatum by no means stepping off the bench within the semifinal turned a long-lasting picture and lingering story following the crew’s return from Europe. Even Tatum admitted it was a humbling expertise.
“I don’t assume anyone truly cared sufficient about me to boo me (throughout my profession),” Kerr joked. “We’ll see the way it goes tonight. I’m positive, additionally, a variety of Celtics followers are gonna cheer me for being a part of Group USA, profitable a gold medal for the nation. I’m a patriotic American, I like my nation. Three Celtics on the crew who received a world championship and two months later received a gold medal, fairly unimaginable stuff. Individuals can write about no matter they wish to write about, enjoying time or no matter.”
Every part about Wednesday’s assembly between two sizzling Warriors and Celtics groups lived as much as expectations solid instantly upon the 2024-25 schedule launch, from Kerr’s long-waited reflection on the Tatum resolution to his response to the day past’s presidential election to the gang’s reception of him. Kerr defended the strategy his teaching workers took in Paris and obtained thunderous boos by means of a becoming drum-up by public tackle announcer Eddie Palladino — who slowly learn Kerr’s identify in introductions. Golden State would ultimately flip a seven-point deficit late and received, 118-112.
Tatum shook off an 0-for-4 begin to end 10-of-20, scoring 17 factors within the third quarter to erase a 14-point halftime deficit earlier than taking a tough shot trailing by 4 with one minute left within the sport and failing to contest Buddy Hield in transition. He confirmed poise towards tough Warriors defensive schemes, and referred to as the sport simply one other Wednesday earlier than relating his strategy to the evening to the incessant requires him to behave extra fiery.
“We are able to’t management the story,” Kerr stated. “It’s a part of the deal, you’re going to be within the story is you’re gonna be within the story, and that may be powerful. I assumed, from the start, in Vegas the entire thing was we’re on this collectively. We acquired 12 Corridor-of-Famers and we’re simply dedicated to profitable, and we received the gold medal. I don’t give it a complete lot of thought apart from, ‘yeah, I didn’t take pleasure in not enjoying Jayson towards Serbia (and) not enjoying Joel towards South Sudan.’ These aren’t enjoyable selections, however our guys have been all wonderful. They dedicated to one another. They dedicated to profitable the gold medal. They introduced the gold house for his or her nation. All of them carried one another with unimaginable dignity and sophistication, and that’s the actual story. However we stay in a time the place we’ve got to speak about stuff that truly doesn’t actually matter.”
Kerr’s frustration with the fallout is smart as a sliver of the crew’s run ballooned right into a long-running referendum on Tatum or Kerr, relying in your perspective, following a run that met all expectations for each the Celtics and the US. Tatum’s particular person struggles turned an extension of his poor Finals capturing or Kerr confirmed bias towards Tatum, or perhaps a lengthy sport to mess together with his head forward of a theoretical 2025 Finals matchup, in probably the most convoluted telling of the story. All ignoring the truth that elder statesmen Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and LeBron James in probably their closing worldwide play took the ground in entrance of Tatum, and that Tatum struggled in preliminary play after going deepest within the NBA postseason.
Now, would Group USA have misplaced if Kerr expanded the rotation and gave Tatum a couple of minutes in his DNP-CD video games relatively than zero? It’s onerous to think about that costing them. So Celtics followers let free one final frustration with the top coach earlier than play tipped-off on Wednesday. They usually largely moved on after. Solely a comparatively mild “Steve Kerr sucks” chant turned audible halfway by means of the sport.
“I don’t assume that Tatum ought to’ve gotten two DNPs within the Olympics,” one fan stated pre-game. “However however, he type of unleashed a monster, and we may be seeing an MVP … I’m gonna thank him. I’m gonna be like, ‘thanks Steve Kerr … however boo.’”
