Gordon Hayward spent the first seven seasons of his NBA career with the Jazz, but the veteran forward wasn’t exactly welcomed back to Utah with open arms.
The boo birds began chirping early and often in Salt Lake City, as Jazz fans started getting on Hayward during pregame warmups and didn’t let up until the Celtics fell 123-115 at Vivint Smart Arena.
Despite being one of the best players the franchise has seen over the past decade-plus, Hayward wasn’t surprised that his former team’s fan base let him hear it.
“No, not at all,” Hayward said after the game, as captured by MassLive. “I kind of expected some of that. It’s part of the game. They were booing me from the get-go, so it’s part of the game.
“Even in warm ups — I didn’t think they were going to boo — so that was funny to me. But when you’re in the game, you’re not worried about that. That kind of disappears.”
Boston’s defense disappeared for the majority of the tilt with Utah, which tabbed the C’s with the third loss in their last four games.
