Watch: Derrick White hits the floor, then hits a big shot
Derrick White.
Derrick White dove for a loose ball and paid the price for it. But he didn't let the teeth-rattling impact slow him down.
Late in the second quarter of Game 5, White hit the ground and managed to tap the ball to Al Horford before all 230 pounds of Dereck Lively II landed on the back of his head. Horford pushed the ball forward for a Jaylen Brown layup, while White had to leave the game because of the blood gushing from his mouth.
ESPN's Doris Burke didn't want to rewatch the brutal play, declaring, "You look, I'm not looking."
After going to the sideline and confirming that he still had teeth, White came right back out. He waved an eager Sam Hauser back to the bench and stayed in the game. One minute later, White canned a triple from the corner to give Boston a 60-42 lead.
It was a sign of how the first half of Game 5 went for the Celtics, who won every jump ball, grabbed seemingly every loose ball, got six offensive rebounds and committed only one turnover. White had a steal and an offensive rebound of his own, not unexpected from the All-Defensive guard.
If the Celtics can hold on, let's hope he wears goggles and a mouth guard during the champagne celebration, because those corks can be dangerous.
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