Derrick White hits another game-winning shot for the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals
BOSTON -- Exactly one year ago on Monday, Derrick White was the hero for the Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals with a game-wining putback against the Miami Heat. Then on Monday night, White was the hero (or at least one of them) again as the Celtics completed a sweep of the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Apparently, May 27 is a special day for Derrick White. He's now hit two game winners for the Celtics on that date in the last two years.
The big difference is that this year's game-winner is sending the Celtics to the NBA Finals. Last year, White's putback in Miami only forced a Game 7, which did not work out in Boston's favor. (That and Derrick White had a lot more hair on his head a year ago.) But that's all we need to say about last year, because the focus is now on this year with the Celtics four wins away from an NBA championship.
White had struggled with his deep shot throughout Monday night's Game 4 against Indiana, and ended with just two threes on nine attempts. He scored 16 points, but only three in the fourth quarter.
Those three just so happened to be the biggest points of the game, as White canned a corner three off a nice find from Jaylen Brown, putting the Celtics on top 105-102 with 44 seconds to play.
What a "Bang!" from Mike Breen, and what an incredible stare down for White toward the Indiana bench. It capped off a 7-0 run for Boston to close out the game.
"Shoutout to JB for driving and making a good play. I finally made a shot," White said after the victory. "It's great to get this win, and know it's not easy to get to the Finals."
While White struggled from downtown, he stepped up and made a shot when it mattered most. And as Boston fans know, White is much more than his point total each and every night.
White was everywhere for the Celtics in Game 4, and the All-Defensive side of his game was on full display. He logged five steals and three blocks over his 42 minutes, becoming just the third Celtics player to have at least three blocks and four steals in a playoff game. (Or at least since they started keeping track of blocks, since Bill Russell could probably log such stats in his sleep.) White also added four rebounds and four assists for a robust stat-line in Game 4.
Even when White's shot isn't falling, he finds ways to impact games. He was a big part of why Boston was able to hold Indiana scoreless over the final 3:33 of Game 4. While he's been in a bit of a shooting slump this postseason, White's defense has never let up.
That held true throughout Game 4, and then in the end, White hit the biggest shot of the night for the Celtics to send them to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.
