Celtics

How Tacko Fall, other Boston Celtics rookies performed in Maine Red Claws home opener

How Tacko Fall, other Boston Celtics rookies performed in Maine Red Claws home opener

By Justin Leger November 15, 2019 9:09 PM

The Maine Red Claws' first game in Portland for 2019 went swimmingly as they prevailed over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Friday night, 103-100.

The victory brings the Red Claws to 2-0 to begin their season.

Boston Celtics rookies Tacko Fall, Tremont Waters, and Romeo Langford each had very different nights. Here's how they performed in the home opener:

TACKO FALL

Fall was the star in this one as he already had a double-double on the stat sheet before halftime. The 7-foot-5 sensation's final line was impressive as he notched 16 points (7-for-10) with 13 rebounds and six blocks.

Tacko continues to show promise as he also was great in the Red Claws' season opener on Saturday.

ROMEO LANGFORD

Langford's night was cut short as he went down with a right ankle injury in the second quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game.

The Celtics' No. 14 overall pick in this year's draft was held scoreless (0-for-2) in seven minutes prior to the injury.

TREMONT WATERS

Waters struggled from 3-point range, going only 1-for-8 from beyond the arc after being red-hot (7-of-11) in Saturday's season opener. The C's second-rounder finished with 17 points and seven assists, and he made his mark with a clutch shot late in the fourth quarter.

Also putting up numbers for the Red Claws were Bryce Brown (16 points, eight rebounds) and Yante Maten (22 points, 10 rebounds).

Next up for the Red Claws is another home game vs. the Raptors 905 on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. You can catch it right here on NBC Sports Boston.

Don’t miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Celtics-Warriors, which tips off tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live, and then Mike & Scal have the call of the game at 10:30 p.m. You can also stream the game through the MyTeams App.

Celtics Talk Podcast: Difference between Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker apparent in recent press conferences

Celtics Talk Podcast: Difference between Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker apparent in recent press conferences

By Jacob Camenker January 17, 2020 9:31 PM

The 2019 NBA offseason has ensured that Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker will always be connected. When Irving spurned the Celtics after two seasons with the team to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, Walker joined the C's and took over as their starting point guard.

The two players are similarly great scorers. They can pass the ball well and set up teammates, too. And while Irving is regarded by many as the better player in terms of skill set, there are some intangible things that Walker brings to the floor and Irving doesn't: leadership and chemistry.

And Irving and Walker's recent postgame comments after losses demonstrate that.

LIVE stream the Celtics all season and get the latest news and analysis on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App.

On the latest episode of The Celtics Talk Podcast, Kyle Draper and A. Sherrod Blakely were discussing the recent postgame interviews that the two did after rough outings and bad losses for their respective squads.

Click here to listen and subscribe to the Celtics Talk Podcast

Irving was far more focused on improving the team around him as opposed to his own poor performance. And as Blakely pointed out, it speaks to one of Irving's weaknesses as a leader.

Kyrie has yet to figure out how to make those around him better so that he can be a better winner. He is a great player. He's one of the best players in the NBA. There's absolutely no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

But he has yet to figure out how to elevate the players around him or carry himself with a level of humility that will ingratiate himself to his teammates who may not be as good as he is, but want to be great players nonetheless.

And Blakely also had one epic mic-drop moment about the former Celtic on NBC Sports Boston's "Boston Sports Tonight."

This completely juxtaposes Blakely's thoughts on Walker, who focused more on his poor performance and how he needs to play better for the sake of the team.

Kemba, flip-side of that, he didn't play great against Detroit. Was he the worst player? In the conversation, but he didn't play bad enough to where he was clear and undeniably the worst player on the floor.

And yet all he talked about in postgame was how he's got to be better. He's got to do a better job leading. It was me, me, me for the team, team, team. And that's something that you never hear from Kyrie.

Both Blakely and Draper acknowledged that they don't always like comparing the two to each other. But in this circumstance where their postgame pressers from similar games were polar opposites, they thought it had to be done.

It just about sums up why many Boston fans were happy to see Irving walk in the offseason. And Walker's positive attitude and ability to generate team chemistry has certainly been a breath of fresh air for the Celtics faithful.

For more on the Celtics game against the Bucks, their recent skid, expectations moving forward, and potential All-Stars from the team, check out the latest episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast, which drops weekly as part of the NBC Sports Boston podcast network.

Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Suns-Celtics, which begins Saturday at 6:30 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live, followed by tip-off at 7 p.m. You can also stream the game on the MyTeams App.

Celtics Talk Podcast: Did C's fool us into thinking they're better than they are?

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NBC Sports Boston Illustration

Celtics Talk Podcast: Did C's fool us into thinking they're better than they are?

By Patrick Dunne January 17, 2020 8:57 PM

The Celtics have gone 17-12 since a 10-1 start. They're 4-5 in the new year and, after losing in Milwaukee on Thursday night, Boston is 7-8 against teams .500 or better.

On the latest Celtics Talk Podcast, it led Kyle Draper to ask our Celtics Insider A. Sherrod Blakely, the inevitable question, Did a hot start make fans believe this team was better than it actually is?

LIVE stream the Celtics all season and get the latest news and analysis on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App.

"We had the cookies on the bottom shelf in terms of expectations," was Blakely's response. "If they just did anything else other than get their heads handed to them early on [to start the season], we're like, hey, they're pretty good."

Click here to listen and subscribe to the Celtics Talk Podcast

What's behind the recent slide that seen the C's lose five of their past seven? Blakely says it's the defense. 

"When you really start looking at what's happening lately, that defense is getting exposed," Blakely said. "[Enes] Kanter has had a great season, but the law of averages says he's going to go through a stretch where he's just not going to get it done. Look at Jaylen Brown, he's had a great season, so has [Jayson] Tatum, but they're going to go through stretches where they're not getting it done. 

"The defense is not making the plays they need to that's why teams are shooting high 50's low 60's [percent] against them." 

Draper and Blakely also touch on the loss in Milwaukee and if the C's have enough to compete with the best in the East, another up-and-down season for Gordon Hayward ("We have been on this ride before," said Blakely. "Gordon [will] go out and has an 8-for-10 game. And people are going to be like, In Danny [Ainge] we trust, Gordon's great..."), Kyrie Irving's recent comments on his Nets teammates and more in the podcast, part of the NBC Sports Boston podcast network. 

Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Suns-Celtics, which begins Saturday at 6:30 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live, followed by tip-off at 7 p.m. You can also stream the game on the MyTeams App.

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