Beloved 7-6 center Tacko Fall sits courtside at Celtics game, causing massive problems for fans behind him

Wednesday’s Game 5 between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks was one of the most thrilling we’ve seen in the 2022 playoffs, as the Bucks stormed back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit and wound up taking a 3-2 lead in the series, thanks to two stellar, late defensive plays by Jrue Holiday that sealed a 110-107 victory.

The drama didn’t stop on the court, however, as a peculiar scenario unfolded in the stands during the game. Former Celtics fan favorite Tacko Fall was at the TD Garden to watch the game, and he was fortunate enough to get a front-row seat just below one of the baskets on the baseline.

The problem is that, at 7-foot-6, Fall is one of the tallest players in NBA history, so his seat location predictably led to some issues for the unfortunate, normal-sized humans sitting behind him. The TNT broadcast even noted how difficult it must have been for the fans behind Fall to see any of the game action.

Well aware of the problem, the Garden staff eventually sprang into action by providing the fan directly behind Fall with a large cushion to sit on, which ultimately allowed them to view the action unencumbered by Fall’s upper torso, neck and head.

Problem solved? Not so much. Like throwing a pebble into a placid lake, the ripple effect of raising the fan’s seat height only caused an obstruction for the fan sitting right behind them in the third row, who tweeted that they were unable to see the game thanks to the cushion.

Fall played for the Celtics for the first two seasons of his career, averaging 2.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks over 26 games, before playing 11 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. His appearance on any NBA court is invariably met with rousing applause and wonder, given his physical proportions and charisma. He’s also been productive in extended minutes in the G League, averaging 14.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in 26 games with the Cleveland Charge this season. He was waived by the Cavaliers in early January.

Presumably tired and/or out of seat cushions, the Garden staff decided they had done all they could and the third-row fan had to maintain a slight lean for the duration of the game. Add in the fact that the Celtics suffered a devastating loss, and this probably isn’t what the courtside fans hoped for when they arrived at the arena.