With the Cleveland Cavaliers extremely shorthanded due to health and injury issues, the team has been forced to get creative with its rotations lately.
On Wednesday, that creativity resulted in Tacko Fall getting his first start at the NBA level. It came against the Boston Celtics.
It was a special accomplishment for him. The big man offered some insight into his feelings on the achievement.
“From there, I was like, ‘Wow, this really happened,’” Fall said. “You work really hard to get to this point. I mean, this is my third year, and after three years to finally get the opportunity to start an NBA game, that’s something that I’ve dreamed of for a while. And the opportunity came, and it happened. So it felt great.”
For Fall, it was poetic for his first NBA start to come in Boston. That’s because he began his career with the Celtics, spending his first two NBA seasons with the organization. He didn’t start a game with Boston, however, as he rarely got meaningful minutes.
But on Wednesday, he finally got to learn what it’s like to start a game at TD Garden. He called playing there a “nostalgic” experience.
“It felt really nostalgic,” Fall said. “Boston, I mean, I’m not there; I’m a Cav now, but Boston is always gonna mean a lot to me. And this is almost like a second home for me, coming from a different country. This was my first time being a pro, and how I was embraced here (means this) is just a place where I feel like I could always come back and call it home, so it definitely meant a lot to me.”
Fall finished Wednesday’s game with four points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. He saw 19 minutes of action.
The Cavs got solid performances from Darius Garland and Kevin Love against the Celtics, but Cleveland wasn’t able to come away with a win. Boston walked away with a 111-101 victory.
The Cavs’ next game will come on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors.
