Stevens: Crowder regrets getting into it with Boston fans

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens defended Jae Crowder on Wednesday, saying the small forward regrets his recent actions on social media.

"I talked to Jae this morning and the first thing he said was he wished he wouldn't have expressed himself like that," Stevens told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak & Bertrand.

On Tuesday, Crowder used Twitter to criticize Boston fans for cheering on Utah Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward, who scored 23 points that evening in a loss to the Celtics. After one fan suggested Crowder should "love or leave" Boston, Crowder replied, "I have no problem leaving" in a since-deleted tweet.

Hayward will be one of the NBA's top unrestricted free agents this summer, if he opts out of his contract as expected. He played under Stevens at Butler, and like many past free agents-to-be, Celtics fans believe they have good odds of signing Hayward.

"We talk all the time about embracing the expectations of being an athlete here in Boston," Stevens added. "This city is such a tremendous sports town and offers our guys such an opportunity to grow, and feel those banners above us and the expectations of really being a team-first player and playing as hard as you can.

"A lot of guys have embraced it, and I'm not sure guys have embraced it as much as Jae over the last two years. I was surprised to see what he tweeted, because every day he comes in you can tell he is thankful to be a Celtic."

While some pundits have injected race - something with a long history in Boston sports - into this equation, it should be kept in mind that Crowder plays Hayward's position, so it might be understandable if he considers courting the opposition an affront. In fact, Crowder already dismissed talk of signing Hayward last summer.

(Courtesy Deadspin)

Crowder has been his usual jack-of-all-trades self so far this season, averaging 13.3 points, five rebounds, 2.3 assists, and just over a steal per game.