Jimmy Butler grabbed a loose ball and had nothing but open court in front of him on a fast break. He took his time, coasting to the hoop.
There was just one problem. His name was Derrick White.
While Butler thought he had an easy bucket, the Celtics guard failed to give up. He raced down the floor, caught the unsuspecting Butler and swallowed him, unleashing a ferocious chase-down block with his right hand. The Celtics regained possession. And White had a few words for his teammates on the bench on his way back.
“D-White just be coming out of nowhere, you know?” Jaylen Brown said.
That play with 3:44 to go was the signature one of a signature night for White, who willed the Celtics to a home-opening 119-111 win over the Heat, their Eastern Conference nemesis who ended their season five months ago. They overcame Tyler Herro’s 28 points and another Heat barrage from 3-point range, like the ones that sunk them in the playoffs last season. They did it, in some ways, by beating them at their own game.
White poured in 28 points – including 14 in the final period – and added three blocks, and Brown had 27 points, including some big shots down the stretch, to lead a victory that personified some of the traits – toughness, defense, effort – they were missing back in the spring, and everything they could become this season. On a roster rich with high-end talent, the Celtics can win in so many ways. It was behind Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis in their season-opening victory. On Friday, it was White and Brown.
“The balanced attack that we had the entire game is kind of the epitome of what our team can be when we play together,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “When each guy plays the best version of them and then one guy doesn’t have it, the next guy steps up.
“I thought we were really intentional about who was playing well, what the matchup was, and what the spacing was. It’s kind of what we have to try to become.”
It’s easy to overlook White, who is certainly not the flashiest or most talented player on the Celtics. But his impact continues to be apparent. On a night when Porzingis struggled, and the C’s needed somebody to step up, White answered the call. The ball kept finding him on offense. He hunted it defensively. He was everywhere.
The Celtics trailed by one entering the fourth when White was unleashed. He scored the team’s first eight points of the fourth quarter as Boston took control, including a pull-up, heat-check 3-pointer. It was the type of solo run that would have been unthinkable when he was traded to the Celtics in February 2022, when he was passive. Now, he’s bold and confident. There was a time last season when White didn’t play during crunch time. Now the Celtics can’t afford to not have him on the floor in those moments.
“I think his confidence level continues to rise,” Tatum said. “As he’s gotten more comfortable with us and in his own skin, the talent has always been there, but he’s starting to show more emotion and obviously have more freedom and things like that.”
White was not only making his own plays, but setting up his teammates. Mazzulla praised the guard for putting everyone in the right matchup. It helped the Celtics hold off the hungry Heat, who thrive in late, close games, and every rally they tried to make. This time the Celtics punched back. Brown, after a lackluster opener on Wednesday, had another slow start Friday but recovered to score 12 of his 27 in the fourth, including the dagger 3 in the final minute.
Then there was White, who reached another level in the fourth. His block of Butler was the latest swat from the guard who led all players at his position in blocks last season. But it was among his most impressive.
“The plays he made tonight were sick,” Mazzulla said. “They were just sick plays. Like there’s not another word to describe them. That’s just what he does.”
It may have taken some time, but Friday epitomized the kind of play the Celtics expect from White now. His progress last season on both ends was part of the reason why they were so comfortable in trading both Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon away this offseason. They have full faith in him now, and he’s already rewarding it.
“I’ve been an advocate for D-White since he joined the team two years ago,” Tatum said. “I always tell him to be aggressive. Don’t always look for me or whoever it may be. We need him to be aggressive, to score, to attack, to make plays and when he’s at his best and being aggressive I think we’re just a much better team.”
Some other takeaways from the win::
– Porzingis shined in his Celtics debut in New York on Wednesday but didn’t have the same success in his home opener. Porzingis was whistled for two fouls in the first 5:13 of the game as he struggled to slow down Heat center Bam Adebayo throughout the night, allowing him to get to the rim with ease as he finished with 27 points. Porzingis started the game 2-for-7 shooting including 0-4 from 3-point range, got into a brief groove in the third quarter but ultimately did not match his performance from the opener. On one play in the third, he was whistled for a technical foul when he threw the ball through the hoop after letting Adebayo beat him again. Porzingis fouled out with three minutes remaining.
– Oshae Brissett, the versatile forward who signed with the Celtics this offseason, was a DNP for Wednesday’s season opener but made his official Celtics debut with 5:02 remaining in the first quarter. He made an immediate impact, endearing himself quickly to the TD Garden crowd with hustle plays. He pulled down a pair of offensive rebounds on one possession, which led to a 3-pointer from Sam Hauser. That capped a 10-0 Celtics run after they had fallen behind by 13 in the opening period. Brissett later had a dunk that cut Boston’s deficit to three after the first.
– Offensive rebounding was a major emphasis from Mazzulla this preseason, and the Celtics certainly had their coach’s message in mind Friday. Brissett’s effort was part of a big one on the offensive glass, where the Celtics corralled 10 boards that led to 14 second-chance points in the first half. They finished with 16 offensive rebounds for 23 second-chance points. When their offense wasn’t running crisply for most of the first half, those hustle plays kept them in the game.
