Derrick White Stays Humble After Celtics Sweep Pacers In ECF

The Dallas Mavericks didn’t have too many struggles scoring this postseason, averaging nearly 108 points per game and never dipping below 95 — which came in a Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are on that side, so there’s rarely a night in which they don’t eclipse 100 just off pure offensive talent.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals was one of those nights, however.

The Boston Celtics put together a defensive clinic Thursday, holding Dallas to a mere 89 points in a blowout loss at TD Garden. Doncic got his customary 30, but everyone else wearing black struggled to put the ball in the basket as his playmaking ability was limited.

How did they get it done? It was a team effort because even the white guys chipped in.

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“It helps a lot throwing different guys at (Doncic), different guys that play defense differently,” Celtics guard Jrue Holiday said postgame, per Bobby Manning of CLNS. “Some aggressive. Some not, but I think even our white guys guard, so hopefully it’s a challenge on them and hopefully we can continue to do that.”
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Holiday, of course, was making a crack about Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser — who despite often being painted out to be mediocre defenders, routinely find themselves succeeding on an island against superstars.

Hauser, for instance, forced a Doncic turnover and stopped him on two isolation possessions straight off the bench, while also being the primary defender on an ugly Irving miss from the corner.

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“I was just trying to hold my own,” Hauser said postgame, per NBC Sports Boston. “Just trying to make it tough for ’em.”

He did exactly that, and it will have to continue if the Celtics are going to grab three more wins in this series and capture Banner 18. Holiday certainly believes it will, and to this point, there’s no reason not to.