In the Boston Celtics' 105-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, Derrick White had a critical chase-down block with less than a minute to go to help seal the win:
Now, the Celtics guard is revealing the secret behind his key block, per ClutchPoints' Tomer Azarly:
Said White, “I don't really have a fear of getting dunked on… You just gotta realize that if you play this game long enough, it's gonna happen. Especially at this level… Aaron Nesmith dunked on me earlier in the year and that was pretty bad. That's my guy too.”
The Celtics are now just two wins from winning the 2024 NBA Finals behind the strength of their team defense. But already the front office is likely considering how to approach a pending decision on White.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, White will be seeking a contract extension while the Celtics will be figuring out how to pay everyone:
“Keeping his five best players together for the long term is going to get increasingly difficult (as in expensive) for Brad Stevens and the Celtics after the forthcoming offseason, when Jayson Tatum signs his own $315 million contract extension after Jaylen Brown scored a nearly $290 million extension last summer. We must also factor in that Derrick White, according to league sources, will be seeking a contract extension this summer.”
Celtics Kristaps Porzingis suffers rare injury in Game 2 of NBA Finals
The Celtics announced on Tuesday that big man Kristaps Porzingis suffered a lower left leg injury during their Game 2 win over the Mavericks, potentially sidelining him for Wednesday's crucial Game 3 at American Airlines Center.
Porzingis' current injury is unrelated to the right calf strain that sidelined him for the last two rounds of the postseason. His official injury designation is a torn medial retinaculum that allowed dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in Porzingis' right leg.
Sports injury expert Jeff Stotts, founder of InStreetClothes, provided further clarity on Porzingis' injury, noting just how rare it is for NBA players.
“Re: Porzingis: The medial retinaculum is connective tissue that serves as the roof of the tarsal tunnel (think carpal tunnel but in the foot). It anchors multiple structures in place, including the tendon of the posterior tibialis,” he wrote on Twitter. “If the retrinaculum is torn, the tendon can shift out of place (dislocate), causing pain and instability of the ankle and foot. I only have one real comp in my database but it was in conjunction with other traumatic ankle injuries that required surgery. It will be interesting to see how this is managed but given his injury history there is reason for concern.”
Game 3 of the NBA Finals is on Wednesday night from Dallas.
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