BTN News: As Boston secured an NBA championship in a less mellow manner, Derrick White was instrumental in their success thanks to his dogged spirit. He chipped a front tooth in a nasty collision with Dallas’ Dereck Lively II, but even that could not dent White’s resolve as he played a key role in securing the victory.
That potential facial injury during a scramble for a loose ball in the second quarter of Monday night’s season-ending Game 5 at TD Garden? As White dove White headfirst, Lively fell on White by accident, and his elbow banged against the back of White’s head, and White’s face hit the hardwood. White got a bloody mouth and chipped front tooth, too, but he was back in the game moments later – the epitome of toughness.
Shortly after recovering from the bump, White knocked down a key 3-pointer to help advance the Celtics to a 67-46 edge at the half. That image of him smiling through pain, his chipped tooth an odd emblem of his toughness. White is crucial as the Celtics won the NBA championship, 106-88, over the Mavericks.
Speaking through a swollen lip to the joyfully sustained cheers of the crowd at TD Garden after the game, White declared: “I’d lose all my teeth for a championship.” “This is what we work for. I’ll get it fixed. I’m gonna enjoy this one.”
The most important evening, however, belonged to White, who put up 14 points, eight rebounds, and an assist in his first NBA championship. Boston celebrated the occasion by posting a picture of White’s chipped tooth on social media, and the image captured his sacrifice and the Celtics’ triumph.
Boston rolled through the playoffs to earn its way to the championship, beating the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers in five games each and then sweeping the Indiana Pacers to advance to The Finals. On the other end of the spectrum, the Mavericks beat the LA Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder 4-2 in their series and crushed the surprising Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1 in the conference finals.
The Finals started with Boston racing out to a 3-0 lead, taking the first three games 107-89, 105-98, and 106-99. After that, the Mavericks answered with a huge 122-84 Game 4 win that was 92-60 by the end of the third quarter, forcing both clubs to shut their starters down early.
White’s numbers across the postseason have been even more impressive, with the 25-year-old posting 16.0 points, 4.2 assists, and 4.1 rebounds — all career bests. That moments leads us back to the standout performance in the Finals, reminding anyone who doubted The Point God that he was an essential piece in the Celtics’s success as they secured another championship.
When the dust settles, this will be a team few will forget, one example of the sort of fight, vitality and refusal to concede that it takes to call oneself a champion in the history of the NBA.
