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:

The crowd responded with a standing ovation:

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:

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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