Celtics guard Derrick White chipped a tooth after a brutal collision with Dallas’ Dereck Lively II in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, but said he would gladly lose all his teeth to be an NBA champion after winning a title for the first time.
On a historic night for Boston, White was fortunate to avoid a nastier facial injury in the second quarter of Monday night’s closing game in Boston. He lunged for a loose ball, but tripped and as he went headlong to retrieve the rock, Dereck Lively accidentally planted her weight on him as he too fell to the ground.
Lively’s forearm ended up on the back of White’s head, slamming his face into the wood. Shocked, White returned to the bench with blood on his hand and mouth. However, the mess did not prevent him from continuing in the game.
After the scare, White shook off the shock and hit a three-pointer to help the Celtics make it 67-46 at halftime. It was later revealed that he broke his front tooth while avoiding further facial injuries; the camera caught him apparently smiling to show the damage.
It ended up being the endearing image of the night, with White as the hero as the Celtics beat the Mavericks 106-88 to become NBA champions.
Derrick White chipped tooth after brutal collision with Dereck Lively II in Game 5
“I’ll lose all my teeth for a championship,” White told a jubilant TD Garden courtside after the game, his lip swollen, to wild applause from the crowd.
‘Man, this is what we work for. I’ll fix it. “I’m going to enjoy it,” she added.
He scored 14 points that night, with eight rebounds and one assist and became an NBA champion for the first time in his career.
The Celtics also tweeted a photo of White smiling on the court to show off his broken tooth on a special night for Boston.
The Eastern Conference champions defeated the Miami Heat in five games and the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games before sweeping the Indiana Pacers to secure another title shot.
On the other hand, the Mavericks beat the LA Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder in six games before ruining the Minnesota Timberwolves’ fairytale run in five games in the conference finals.
The Celtics went a resounding 3-0 after winning the first three games, 107-89, 105-98 and 106-99.
White is averaging 16.0 points, 4.2 assists and a career-high 4.1 rebounds in the playoffs.
The Celtics took a 3-0 lead over the Mavericks before being dominated 122-84 in Game 4.
Boston has a chance to win its 18th franchise championship and first since 2008.
With the sweep on a silver platter, the Mavericks roared back and dominated Boston 122-84 in Game 4.
Leading 92-60 at the end of the third quarter, both teams rested their starters as Boston conceded one of the most one-sided blowouts in the NBA Finals.
White has been vital to the Celtics’ success and is enjoying his most successful postseason yet. So far in these playoffs, White was averaging a career-high 16.0 points, 4.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds as his team moved closer to the title.
