BOSTON — During the pregame introductions on Wednesday, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr found himself at the center of attention, as fans at TD Garden made their feelings known about his choices regarding Celtics star Jayson Tatum during the recent summer Olympics in Paris.

Kerr was met with a chorus of boos as the starting lineup for the Warriors was announced. Tatum, who was part of the gold medal-winning squad along with teammates Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, did not participate in the games against Serbia.

When asked if he regretted not having Tatum or Joel Embiid play in those matches, Kerr reflected on the tough decisions he had to make, admitting, “Those aren’t fun decisions,” but emphasized the determination of his players. “They committed to each other, and they committed to winning the gold medal. They brought the gold home for their country,” he added.

Kerr appeared to anticipate the negative reaction, commenting on the nature of being booed in such a competitive environment. “I don’t think anybody actually cared about me to boo me,” he remarked, indicating he understands the rivalry.

Tatum’s performance began to draw cheers from the crowd when he scored his first basket, a jumper that resulted in a foul, while playing near the Warriors’ bench in the closing moments of the first quarter.

Before the game, Kerr had expressed hope that some of the Celtics fans might appreciate his contributions to Team USA. “We’ll see how it goes tonight. I’m sure a lot of Celtics fans are going to cheer me for being part of Team USA, winning a gold medal for the country,” he noted proudly. Kerr added, “I’m a patriotic American. I love my country. With three Celtics on the team who won a world championship, and just two months later claiming a gold medal, it’s pretty incredible stuff.”

However, any cheers for Kerr seemed to be overshadowed by the overwhelmingly loud boos from the crowd.