No. 5: June 2, 2022, Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals vs. Golden State Warriors
MIN | PTS | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
31:49 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .545 | .625 | 1.00 |
The Boston Celtics finally broke through the Eastern Conference in the 2021-22 season, when they defeated the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Their opponents were the Golden State Warriors, a dynastic force that had spent the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons retooling, after losing Kevin Durant in free agency.
The battle-hardened champions entered the NBA Finals with homecourt advantage. The challengers entered Golden State at a clear disadvantage, but a puncher's chance nonetheless. Boston shocked the world in Game 1, defeating Golden State 120-108.
White began the 2021-22 season playing for the San Antonio Spurs, a team in the early stages of a rebuilding process. In February of 2022, the Celtics traded Romeo Langford, Josh Richardson, a 2022 1st round draft pick, and a 2028 1st round draft pick for Derrick White — a swiss-army knife who had shown flashes of brilliance for a lackluster Spurs team. White only started 7 of his 49 games with the Celtics across both the regular season and playoffs but was an invaluable presence on both ends of the floor.
Through the first three rounds of the postseason, White averaged 8 points off the bench for the Celtics, playing a meager 25 minutes per game. So, when the Celtics needed an extra gear in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, White proved to be the unlikeliest of heroes.
White scored a staggering 21 points off the bench, hitting five of his eight three-pointers in less than 32 minutes. 13 of his 21 points came in the second half, where he was the team’s second-highest leading scorer.
If it weren’t for White’s shocking performance, the Celtics may not have been able to beat the Warriors in the series’ opening contest.