Since being traded to Boston, Derrick White has seen the Miami Heat in the postseason 18 times. While the rivalry between Boston and Miami looks much different now—with Jimmy Butler gone and the Heat mired in mediocrity—these games still carry a little extra weight.
“A lot of good memories here. A lot of games,” Derrick White said prior to Friday night’s game at the Kaseya Center.
“A lot of good memories,” he repeated with a smile. “Every time you come here, it’s always a little bit extra against us two because of how familiar we are with each other. It’ll be fun.”
It doesn’t take a mind reader to figure out what was at the top of his mind when he repeated “good memories.”
Of course, it was his game-winning tip-in during Game 6 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, which forced a Game 7 back in Boston.
That tip-in was White’s only clutch shot attempt of the 2023 postseason, and it marked the birth of what has become one of Boston’s biggest advantages: Derrick White in crunch time, a force that was evident in Friday night’s 103-91 win.
White entered the fourth quarter on Friday night with just six points. He was shooting 3-of-11 (27.2%) from the field and 0-of-6 from three. But he came alive in the fourth quarter, finishing with 12 points on 4-of-7 (57.1%) shooting from the field and 3-of-5 (60%) from three. His 12 points nearly matched Miami as a whole (14), and his three three-pointers surpassed their team total (2).
White is tied for the second-most fourth-quarter threes in the league this season with Anthony Edwards (56), trailing only Stephen Curry and Malik Beasley (61 each). He also leads the Celtics in fourth-quarter scoring (279 points) and assists (68).
“This game was a pretty rough three quarters for me,” White said, “So, just trying to just stay confident and trust that hopefully one will go down. And obviously, in the fourth quarter, things heighten a little bit. So you’ve just got to be a little bit more locked in, and I was able to make some shots.”
In the clutch, defined in the NBA as the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points, White is one of the best players in the league.
The All-Defensive guard has hit 14 clutch three-pointers this season, the fourth most in the NBA, trailing only Trae Young (17), Anthony Edwards (15), and Steph Curry (15). He is shooting 14-of-23 (60.9%) from deep in the clutch, the best mark by any player with at least 20 three-point attempts by a significant margin. Of the 29 players with at least 20 clutch three-point attempts, no one besides White is shooting better than 44%.
From the field, he is shooting 17-of-27 (63.0%), the second-highest mark among players with at least 25 field goal attempts, behind Domantas Sabonis, who is shooting 22-of-27 (81.5%). Nobody else in the Eastern Conference is shooting north of 60%.
Since arriving in Boston, White’s clutch numbers are nothing short of remarkable. In the regular season, he’s shooting 49-of-92 (53.2%) from the field and 34-of-54 (62.9%) from three. In the postseason, he’s shooting 7-of-11 (63.6%) from the field and 4-of-6 (66.6%) from three. He’s going to lead the league in three-point percentage among qualified players in the clutch for the second consecutive season.
It seems unimaginable now, but there was a time when White wasn’t in the closing lineup. But since Joe Mazzulla has empowered him and instilled confidence, White has emerged as one of the game’s best when it matters most, a critical component to Boston’s success.
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