Yahoo Finance Tacko Fall makes Celtics home debut, becomes instant folk hero
The Boston Celtics have seen many legendary players pass through TD Garden, but they’ve never had a folk hero in recent memory like Tacko Fall.
Besides having the best name in basketball, Fall stands 7-foot-5 and weighs 311 pounds — and the 24-year-old rookie is quickly endearing himself to the Boston fanbase.
Fall played his first minutes at home on Friday in a 114-93 win over the Detroit Pistons. He scored five points and grabbed two rebounds in garbage time, but it was probably the most exciting part of a blowout win.
When Fall entered the game midway through the fourth quarter, even usually subdued head coach Brad Stevens smiled and gestured to the crowd, pumping up Fall’s home debut:
This is the best thing you will see all day. I promise. pic.twitter.com/leNL2oiaIc
— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) December 21, 2019
The crowd responded with a standing ovation:
Tacko Fall receives a standing ovation as he checks in for his first @celtics minutes at TD Garden! #Celtics pic.twitter.com/a0TihjbhQR
— NBA (@NBA) December 21, 2019
Then, the big man got to work. Watch this sequence: A flat-footed block, then on the offensive end, an up-and-under post move followed by a nice touch for the post bucket:
Tacko Fall, getting it done on both ends for the #Celtics in his @tdgarden debut. pic.twitter.com/mCHIWYP4TI
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) December 21, 2019
As you can see, Fall clearly has post skills, combined with the size and length to make an impact. In eight games in the G-League, he averaged 13.6 points, nine rebounds, and 2.3 blocks. It may only be a matter of time before the UCF product becomes much more than just a folk hero.
But who do we thank for Friday’s incredible moment? After the game, Stevens said his daughter, Kinsley, told him earlier on Friday in reference to Fall: “It's time to give the people what they want.”
Thank you, Kinsley.
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