In the last two minutes and 19 seconds of the game, the Boston Celtics’ lead shrank from 14 points to five points.
With 50.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, P.J. Washingtоn made a layup that put the Dallas Mavericks within a three-point margin.
At that point, Boston’s guard Derrick White of the Celtics displayed the abilities that earned him an All-Defensive selection. He stopped Washingtоn’s slam, setting up a Jaylen Brown layup that sealed the game with a final score of 105-98.Joe Mazzulla, the coach of the Boston Celtics, described White’s chase-down block, which helped secure a 2-0 series win, as “sick.”
Jaylen Brown appeared to have contributed to the block as well, but White was given credit for it in the box score.”Just sprinting back, trying to make a play,” White remarked. Evidently, they were making a quick dash there. Use all your resources to quickly return and meet him at the rim.
One of the NBA’s finest shot-blockers, he averaged 1.2 blocks per game during the regular season, second only to Toronto’s Scottie Barnes in the league. During the playoffs, he is No. 2 with 1.3 blocks per game, the only guard remaining in the game with more than one block.
“I get some that maybe some other people wouldn’t have gotten because I’m not afraid to get dunked on,” White remarked. “So, I’m just trying to put on a play and trusting in my skills and abilities.”As the action progressed near the basket, Mavs coach Jason Kidd called a foul, and Brown placed his hand on Washingtоn’s back. “It appeared to be a foul. It was not called, though. So, there was no foul.