Brad Stevens Speaks on Jae Crowder's Criticism of Fans Cheering Gordon Hayward

During pregame introductions for Tuesday's game between the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics, fans at TD Garden were noticeably cheering Jazz star Gordon Hayward, which caused Celtics forward Jae Crowder to criticize them.

Crowder, who has been with the team since 2014, issued this response on Twitter following the game:

Crowder expounded on his thoughts after the game in the locker room, taking the fans' feelings toward Hayward as an attack on him, per ESPN.com's Chris Forsberg:

"

I heard the cheering before the game. I didn't like that at all. I think that was a sign of disrespect to me from the fans. That sparked a little fire in me. I just felt disrespected.

"

Celtics head coach Brad Stevens spoke Wednesday to 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston and gave this response to a discussion he had with Crowder regarding his comments about Celtics fans, per Forsberg:

On the bright side, Crowder's perception of being slighted did get him going. The 26-year-old tied his season high with 21 points in the Celtics' 115-104 victory.

Forsberg noted another possible reason for Crowder's displeasure with Boston fans cheering Hayward. The Jazz forward, who played under Stevens in college at Butler, can be a free agent after this season if he opts out of the final year of his deal.

The Celtics have had interest in acquiring Hayward dating back to 2014, and ESPN.com's Zach Lowe wrote in October they had shown "real interest" in adding the small forward.

Crowder is under contract through 2020 after signing an extension with the Celtics in July 2015, so if the team has designs on adding Hayward, it would presumably require trading Crowder or convincing him to take on a sixth-man role off the bench.

If Crowder continues to play inspired basketball because he doesn't want to hear Boston fans cheer for an opponent who plays his position, he won't have to worry about the team looking to find an upgrade before his deal expires.