Celtics followers normally reserve their boos and allow them to rain down with a fury when an opponent’s beginning lineup is launched at TD Backyard.
On Friday evening, they made an exception for Cooper Flagg.
Flagg, the 19-year-old Maine native who grew up rooting for the Celtics and was taken No. 1 general by the Mavericks in final 12 months’s NBA draft, obtained a loud eruption of cheers from the Boston devoted when his identify was referred to as out previous to his first skilled sport on the famed parquet. It was a homecoming for Flagg, who had loads of household and mates make the journey down from Maine to be within the stands.
“It meant quite a bit,” Flagg mentioned. “Tried to take a second to take a deep breath and take all of it in. It’s a dream come true. Being on the market on that courtroom competing and enjoying at a excessive degree is absolutely particular.”
The great ovation for Flagg caught Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd without warning.
“That was unimaginable,” Kidd mentioned. “I’ve by no means heard a street participant get a cheer like that, particularly right here in Boston. They have an inclination to go the opposite means. However I believe that simply reveals the appreciation they’ve for Coop and who he’s right this moment and who he can be as his journey goes ahead. I believe he appreciated that and it’s good to listen to some cheers for a street group in Boston.”
The matchup towards the Celtics in Boston was not like any of Flagg’s first 50 video games within the NBA, and the Mavs didn’t diminish the significance of it to the teenage star.
Flagg idolized the Celtics as a child and appeared as much as Jayson Tatum, with whom he shared the highlight Friday as Tatum made his return to the courtroom for the primary time since rupturing his Achilles final Might. Flagg’s mom, Kelly, made certain her son was influenced by the Celtics as he honed his expertise by making him watch tapes of the 1986 Celtics championship group.
Flagg, who starred at Duke for one season like Tatum, ended up creating into what many think about is essentially the most touted basketball prospect from Maine, a state that hardly ever produces NBA expertise.
“This younger man handles the massive stage like nobody I’ve seen,” Kidd mentioned. “I believed he did nice.”
Flagg’s first professional sport in Boston didn’t resemble his first displaying towards the Celtics this season, which got here final month in Dallas and yielded a monster 36-point, nine-rebound, six-assist and two-block efficiency.
The output from the 6-foot-9, 205-pound ahead on Friday was rather more run-of-the-mill as he netted 16 factors on an inefficient 7-for-23 capturing to go together with eight rebounds and 6 assists in half-hour. It was simply Flagg’s second sport again after an eight-game absence as a result of a left midfoot sprain, and it got here on a back-to-back.
Flagg’s outing nearly appeared like it will come to an abrupt finish after he got here up hobbled following a tough drive to the basket through which he drew a foul on Celtics middle Neemias Queta lower than 5 minutes into the primary quarter. Flagg clutched at his left leg whereas down on the ground after which gingerly walked to the free-throw line earlier than bending over for a number of seconds. The Mavericks referred to as a timeout to provide him a further breather and he stayed within the sport.
Whereas Flagg’s stat line wasn’t eye-popping, the heavy workload he assumes for a 21-42 Mavericks group headed for the lottery is attention-getting. Flagg dictates the Mavericks’ offense with a big majority of the group’s units run via him as he acts as Dallas’ point-forward, a job that triggered some blowback on Kidd for not permitting Flagg to settle into his NBA profession with much less accountability.
Nevertheless it reveals the belief Kidd has in Flagg and the all-around skillset that made him such a coveted prospect.
“He places plenty of strain on a protection,” Celtics sharpshooter Sam Hauser mentioned at morning shootaround. “He can actually get downhill and get to the lane, tremendous athletic, ending on the rim, dunking, no matter it could be. He can deal with the ball, play in pick-and-roll, make the precise learn. So he poses plenty of totally different threats, and he gave us some hassle the primary time round.”
Flagg confirmed the promise the Mavericks are banking on and the youthfulness any NBA rookie displays towards the Celtics. One in all his higher buckets of the evening got here proper after Tatum scored his first factors on the season on a put-back dunk.
Flagg answered with a troublesome floater within the lane with Queta proper in his face. However when Tatum drilled a 3-pointer on the following journey down the ground which despatched Celtics followers right into a frenzy, Flagg tried to reply once more, however this time his try from past the arc — he was 0-for-4 from deep — was nowhere shut.
Flagg additionally had three turnovers and completed with a minus-17 ranking. However the stats actually have been secondary for Flagg on this specific evening, and he appears to be like ahead to journeys to Boston sooner or later.
“It was unimaginable to have the ability to play right here,” Flagg mentioned. “It’s clearly a spot I got here as a child and received to observe. I believe it’s going to be extremely enjoyable for the remainder of my profession to have the ability to come right here and play in entrance of this crowd.”
