“Why not us?”
A slogan Boston sports fans know all too well. A slogan Derrick White said before stepping up once again for the Celtics in Game 6. Although, he did so in a much different way than in Game 5. But, more on that later.
Because Jimmy Butler, after having a quiet first half and a scoreless third quarter, scored 15 of his 24 points in the final 12 minutes of Saturday’s nail-biter. Six of those 15 came in the final 53 seconds, and the three most heart-pounding points came at the free-throw line with just three seconds left on the clock.
Which brings us to Al Horford’s hand in Game 6’s ending. While Miami may look back at this one with frustration over Duncan Robinson missing two 3-pointers late on good looks, Boston’s season nearly ended on a terrible defensive play by Horford.
When Butler is at his best, he’s hunting fouls. It’s not even remotely a secret. But while he’s a good scorer, Butler isn’t the best from long range. Not only that, he was clearly off-balanced when going up for Miami’s final shot.
Yet, Horford fouled him. A supposedly savvy veteran can’t make that kind of mistake. Yes, the Celtics survived, but if they’re able to get the job done on Monday, they’ll have a much tougher offense to battle in the NBA Finals. Mistakes like that on the defensive end aren’t going to be as easy to overcome. Heck, the Celtics might have a tough time surviving another mistake like that in Game 7.
Also, Joe Mazzulla’s challenge on Miami’s final offensive possession was just problematic, if not worse than Horford’s foul. That gave Butler the chance at the third, and nearly game-deciding, free-throw.
That said, Horford’s mistake is something a member of the team needs to discuss with the big man. Mazzulla’s mistake seems more like a tough call in the moment, and maybe something that he’s less likely to repeat with more experience.
Either way, neither mattered as far as Game 6’s final result was concerned. They both owe White big time.
Just like Reggie Miller called it on TNT’s broadcast before the final play of Game 6, Miami had to watch out for White as the inbounder. The Heat lost track of him after Marcus Smart — not Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown — took the shot to win Game 6 and missed. Something else that may need to be addressed, but still inconsequential in reference to Game 6’s outcome.
And a variation of Miller’s sentiment can be said about White all the time. Don’t lose track of him. He isn’t always looking for his shot, but White is always making the plays Boston needs, finishing with six assists, four rebounds and three blocked shots to go with his 11 points.
By the way, White’s game-winning tip-in was his 10th shot of Game 6. As highlighted after Boston’s Game 5 win, the Celtics do well when he logs double-digit shot attempts, improving to 6-2 with Saturday’s win when he’s logged 10-plus shots in games this postseason after going 24-9 when he did the same throughout the regular season. White has to keep his foot on the gas — as do all of his teammates.