BOSTON — Derrick White seems to find another gear when it comes time for playoff basketball with the Celtics.
White truly grew into his own last season in the postseason battle with the Miami Heat, including the infamous game-winning tip-in to force a Game 7 back in Boston.
This time around, White leads from the front as a scorer, posting at least 25 points in three straight games. That included a career-high 38 points against Miami in Game 4 of a first-round series win. He followed that up with a 7-of-12 shooting night from three-point range to kick off the Celtics’ second-round series with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
His impact as a scorer and taking his place in an offense where a different player can lead each night truly stood out to the Cavaliers to start the series.
“I think it’s the confidence that you see,” Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters at TD Garden on Thursday. “That’s the thing when you watch NBA players. A lot of them are similarly talented. The belief in themselves and the security in themselves. As that grows, that changes people. Sometimes, it goes up. Sometimes, it goes down. You see him playing with supreme confidence right now. Some of the shots that he’s taking and making, you wouldn’t recommend that people take. He’s taking them with belief and confidence.”
Bickerstaff recognized the season-long Celtics mentality that “winning is such a priority” and stars continue to sacrifice to consistently secure wins. White does everything he can in that regard for the Celtics, closing out as an improved defender and having the ability to spark the offense when given the opportunity.
“They have really talented players throughout their lineup,” Bickerstaff shared. “They all understand their role and they all play their role in a way that’s going to help them win. … They don’t mind a Derrick White, for example, going off. If he’s going off, they allow him to do his thing and they feed him the ball and put him in position to be successful. The other guys become great decoys.”
White should be a major factor as the series rolls on against Cleveland and likely throughout the duration of the latest pursuit of Banner 18 for the Celtics.
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